Monday December 14, 2020

Robin Bullock The music of Christmas, perfectly suited to the ageless tones of the acoustic guitar, comes to life in Robin Bullock's concert of carols and hymns spanning over 600 years, drawn from his bestselling holiday recordings A Guitar for Christmas and Christmas Eve is Here. Internationally recognized as a master Celtic instrumentalist, Robin celebrates the many moods of the Yuletide season in gorgeous guitar interpretations, augmenting his six-string virtuosity with selections on cittern, mandolin and piano. Combining familiar favorites such as What Child is This, The First Noel, O Little Town of Bethlehem and his show-stopping solo guitar arrangement of Carol of the Bells with lesser-known pieces such as the traditional Scottish carol Rorate, the Irish Wexford Carol and the Shetland Islands fiddle tuneChristmas Day in the Morning, Robin weaves a spell from centuries of tradition and the joy of the season, creating an unforgettable evening of acoustic Christmas cheer. Visit Robin's website at www.robinbullock.com. Robin Bullock performs Carrol of the Bells at IMT, Dec. 2013. Ken Kolodner (hammered dulcimer, fiddle, hammered mbira) and National Scottish Fiddle Champion Elke Baker’s (fiddle, viola) approach to traditional music reflects both a deep respect for the tradition and a healthy spirit of creativity, as they effortlessly combine tremendous precision and musicality with a mastery of the improvisational freedom essential to traditional music. After collaborating for many years in performance, including guest recording on each other’s CDs, Elke and Ken celebrate the completion of their first duo release Out of the Wood. Hailing from the Baltimore area, National Scottish Fiddle Champion Elke Baker (fiddle and viola) and Ken Kolodner (hammered dulcimer, hammered mbira and fiddle) are widely known as masters of their instruments. Between them, they have recorded over 20 CDs and toured in every state in the U.S. and well-beyond. Called a "local treasure," (FSGW) Elke Baker's playing has been said to be a "rare delight," with "precise technical skill, and fulness of soul" (Celtic Beat) and capable "to make hearts bleed" (The Frederick News) while Ken’s playing has been described as “world class” (Sing Out!), "nothing short of astonishing" (The Connection), “outstanding” (The New York Times), “marvelous” (The Washington Post), “virtuosic” (Audio), “stunning in its musicality” (Dulcimer Player News) and “not to be missed” (USA TODAY). Elke and Ken perform a rich variety of Scottish, Quebecois and Irish music, original compositions, and refreshing, foot-stomping Old Time twin fiddling that'll bring the house down. Visit Ken and Elke's website here : kenkolodner.com/ken-and-elke.html "Bring a Torch", "The Orange Rogue" & "Lango Lee", performed by Elke Baker (www.elkebaker.com) and Ken Kolodner (www.kenkolodner.com) at the Institute of Musical Traditions (www.imtfolk.org), Rockville, Maryland, USA on December 3, 2012.