Welcome to the Fiddling With Traditions education/school EPK. (For evening concert EPK, click here). Below are materials for your school’s use. Feel free to contact Gretchen Koehler if you have any questions. We look forward to working with you.
••PRESS PHOTOS••
Gretchen Koehler & Daniel Kelly (photo credit: Amy Kubic)
Gretchen Koehler & Daniel Kelly (Photo credit Amy Kubik)
••SCHOOL PROGRAMS/ PROMO MATERIAL••
#2 ADDITIONAL PROMO VIDEO
••MATERIAL FOR TEACHERS & STUDENTS••
#1 PRE SHOW MATERIALS
Schools are encouraged to email the following to teachers ahead of the Fiddling With Traditions visit.
Video to share with students before program:
Music video: Featuring Blacksmith: https://youtu.be/LpNA5B-65Xk?si=knKsOhHBuagi30Js
Description to read to students before program:
Teachers are encouraged to read the following to students before the Fiddling With Traditions school visit.
“Imagine you were to compose music that sounded like a loaf of bread, hot from the oven... or a melody that sounded like a 300 pound block of ice being cut from a frozen lake... or a tune that sounded like a thousand stitches on a quilt....
That’s the question fiddle player and tunesmith Gretchen Koehler asked herself as she composed “Fiddling With Traditions” ~ a new collection of tunes inspired by American (NNY) Folk traditions.
During the show, you will hear duo Gretchen Koehler and Daniel Kelly make their fiddle and piano sound like a blacksmith’s hammer, sweet honey of a million bees, and a colorful sunset enjoyed from a wooden rowboat. The duo will play their musical soundscapes in front of a screen with films of spinning wheels, red hot metal under a jewelry maker’s torch, and much more.”
#2 POST SHOW MATERIALS
Fiddling With Traditions webpage for teachers/students:
To learn more about the Fiddling With Traditions LIVE show, music videos and the folk artists who keep American Folk Traditions alive on Gretchen Koehler’s Fiddling With Traditions webpage. https://www.gretchenkoehlermusic.com/fiddlingwithtraditions
Youtube Link for teachers/students :
Gretchen Koehler filmed, edited and produced a series of imaginative and creative music videos (each 3 min.). Using music only, Gretchen takes you into the workshops of the artists with whom she worked for 2 years. This series of music videos were featured on WPBS-TV “Inside the Stories” 22-23 and 23-24 season. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhcoPaS8sK7agnm01_DwA-VlyltqqQqcS
Blog Articles for teachers/students:
Meet the individual artists who inspired Gretchen Koehler’s musical suite through beautiful photos and in-depth interviews. https://www.gretchenkoehlermusic.com/-blog/2023/9/25/fiddling-with-traditions-featured- artists
••STAGE PLOTS••
••PROGRAM NOTES MATERIAL••
#1 Tag line description
Fiddling With Traditions -A musical, multimedia exploration into the enchanting world of handcrafted folk arts.
#2 Short description
Fiddling With Traditions is a fun, imaginative, multimedia concert that features fiddler/tunesmith Gretchen Koehler & pianist Daniel Kelly sharing fiddle tunes that evoke everything from sweeping paint strokes, to intricate stitching, to the fiery forging of Northern NY's folk traditions. From heart pumping musical arrangements to peaceful panoramas, their expressive soundscapes capture the spirit of rug braiding, blacksmithing, quilting, silversmithing, paper making, knitting, painting and woodworking. Audiences of all ages will enjoy this captivating musical adventure enhanced by a backdrop of gorgeous film and images.
#3 Long description
In 2022, fiddler Gretchen Koehler immersed herself in "North Country" folk arts. She interviewed a variety of artists to learn about their traditions, study their hands, soak up the aesthetic of being in their creative environment and then adapted these ideas to her family's music tradition. From these sessions came a brilliant new fiddle suite, Fiddling With Traditions.
Fiddling With Traditions is a fun, imaginative, muti-media concert that features fiddler/composer Gretchen Koehler & pianist Daniel Kelly sharing fiddle tunes that evoke everything from sweeping paint strokes, to intricate stitching, to the fiery forging of Northern NY's folk traditions. From heart pumping musical arrangements to peaceful panoramas, their expressive soundscapes capture the spirit of rug braiding, blacksmithing, quilting, silversmithing, paper making, knitting, painting and woodworking, ice harvesting and more. Audiences of all ages will enjoy this captivating musical adventure enhanced by a backdrop of gorgeous film and images.
#1 BIOS (short)
Fiddler Gretchen Koehler and jazz pianist Daniel Kelly blend the raw energy of dance fiddling with the lyricism and improvisation of jazz. "Masterful," writes Fiddler Magazine of the duo's dynamic sound. Koehler, a champion fiddler and Fiddlers' Hall of Fame inductee, is fluent in over a dozen distinct fiddle styles. Kelly, a U.S. State Department Jazz Ambassador, has brought his depth of knowledge of American jazz to audiences around the world. Together, Koehler & Kelly spark an innovative musical conversation while celebrating their deep respect for folk traditions. Their bold approach has caught the attention of the folk music establishment, and they were featured on NPR's "Thistle & Shamrock." www.gretchenkoehlermusic.com
#2 BIOS (long)
Fiddler Gretchen Koehler and jazz pianist Daniel Kelly blend the raw energy of traditional fiddling with the lyricism and improvisation of jazz. "Masterful," writes Fiddler Magazine of the duo's dynamic sound. Koehler, a champion fiddler and Fiddlers' Hall of Fame inductee, is fluent in over a dozen distinct fiddle styles. Kelly, a U.S. State Department Jazz Ambassador, has brought his depth of knowledge of American jazz to audiences around the world. Together, Koehler & Kelly spark an innovative musical conversation while celebrating their deep respect for folk traditions. Their bold approach has caught the attention of the folk music establishment, and they were featured on NPR's "The Thistle & Shamrock" showcasing the best new sounds.
Gretchen Koehler grew up in New England surrounded by the rich traditions of Old Time fiddle and Contra Dance music. As a teen, she established her reputation throughout the US and Canada, winning numerous fiddle championships, prompting TIME Magazine to call Koehler "astonishingly good." In 2012 she was inducted into the North American Fiddlers' Hall of Fame (NY State rep.) and most recently Fiddler Magazine labeled her one of the futures of Celtic fiddle. www.GretchenKoehlerMusic.com
Daniel Kelly is an award-winning pianist and composer who blends jazz, classical and folk music into a signature sound. He has been declared "powerfully moving" by Time Out New York, and has performed with jazz legends Michael Brecker and Joe Lovano, hip-hop star Lauryn Hill, and modern classical giants the Bang on a Can All-Stars. He has toured throughout Southeast Asia and India as part of the Kennedy Center and US State department-sponsored Jazz Ambassador program.
••PRAISE••
“Amazing! Absolutely amazing.” -Nightengale Elementary School Principal, Massena, NY
“Every student needs to see this.” -Middle School Teacher, Canton, NY
“Extraordinary! There aren’t words to describe this superb multimedia, multi-faceted arts experience!” -Audience reaction
“Astonishing. The show this duo has put together is exquisite. I am blown away by the sheer creativity.” -Audience reaction
"Best New Sounds." -Thistle & Shamrock, NPR
"Masterful." -Fiddler Magazine