AMERICAN TRADITIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
Part of "American Seasons in Russia"
Under the auspices of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission
Performers | Schedule | Blog | Press
CEC ArtsLink, in collaboration with the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, brings to Russia American performing groups that have made a significant contribution to the preservation and awareness of cultural heritage. With support from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, the exciting concert series Festival of Traditional American Music as part of the "American Seasons in Russia" program will present a view of American cultural life that makes a distinct statement about the diversity of our artists and the vitality of our communities. The performers are true masters of their genres, dedicated to sharing their knowledge and ensuring endurance of these art forms for generations to come.
The U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission (BPC) was created in 2009 by Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev to increase cooperation between the U.S. and Russia. It marks a fresh start in relations between the two countries to contribute to future progress and shared prosperity. “American Seasons in Russia” is a year-long celebration of American arts and culture in Russia supported by the U.S. Embassy in Moscow under the auspices of the BPC. It is designed to bring a wide spectrum of cultural offerings to the Russian public in order to introduce them to contemporary artists from the United States to showcase the breadth and depth of American culture.
Led by Christine Balfa, daughter of the legendary Cajun fiddle ambassador Dewey Balfa, the group has taken generations of inspiration and created a vibrant sound all their own. Balfa Toujours cross many boundaries and perform in a wide array of styles, from rocking dancehalls to crowded festivals to informative concerts, without ever losing the “joie de vivre” that epitomizes their culture. It is for this ability to unite it all and keep the soul intact that the preeminent expert on Louisiana culture, Barry Ancelet, calls the band “the future of Cajun Music.”
(image source: Folklore Productions)
Based out of Covington, KY the Brotherhood Singers are among the very few remaining Quartet style groups that still perform in the old-school acappella fashion. The Singers, which consist of Eric Riley, Ric Jennings, Greg Page, Stace Darden & Demetrius Davenport, specialize in the intricate and emotional four-part harmony "jubilee" style pioneered by such legendary groups as the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Golden Gate Quartet, the Soul Stirrers and the Harptones of Cincinnati.
This group plays renditions of early Creole music, as played by legends Canray Fontenot on fiddle and Jeffery’s father, accordion player Delton Broussard, as well as Zydeco. One of the most influential accordionists and vocalists in modern Zydeco music, Jeffery Broussard continues to be one of the genre’s most dynamic performers. He has continually been an innovator, beginning his career with traditional Creole Zydeco music playing drums in his father’s band, Delton Broussard & The Lawtell Playboys, then moving on to develop the nouveau Zydeco sound in Zydeco Force, now returning to the more traditional Zydeco sound with his own band, Jeffery Broussard et Ses Amins.
R. Carlos Nakai Trio
R. Carlos Nakai is considered the premier performer of the Native American flute. The son of a Ute-Spanish-Celtic father and a Zuni-Athabascan mother, Nakai has traveled the world, enlisted in the U.S. Navy, taught on the Navajo reservation, authored a book, and developed the first recognized tablature for the Native American flute. The Carlos Nakai, William Eaton & Will Clipman trio has been committed to improvisation – the fine art of crafting directly from the heart or through composing. The ancient melodies of Nakai’s native American cedar flutes are enveloped in the sophisticated harmonic and chordal timbres of Eaton’s uniquely handcrafted multi-stringed instruments.
(image source:
Native American Encyclopedia)
A true cowhand who owns a working ranch in the Big Sky country of eastern Washington, Wylie Gustafson happens to be one of the most expressive Country and Western vocalists around. Wylie and his crack Wild West band are just as authentic when it comes to music. Gustafson's songs, most of them originals, are worlds away from the sensitive ballads and slick country-pop that fills country radio these days. Buoyantly upbeat, he concentrates on yippee-ki-yo-ki-ya Western barroom music.
Wylie & the Wild West will be joined on stage by Paul Zarzyski, who calls himself a Rodeo Poet, a title earned from, and informed by, the 35 years he’s spent spurrin’ the words wild across fenceless/open range of the blank page—15 of those years in which he rode bareback broncos on various rodeo circuits including the PRCA.
Christine Balfa and Balfour Toujours (Cajun)
Jeffery Broussard et Ses Amins (Zydeco)
February 29 – March 10
March 3 St. Petersburg, Jazz Philharmonia
March 5 Yekaterinburg, Emerald City World Music Festival, Musical Theater
March 7 Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Philarmonia
March 9 Moscow
, DOM Cultural Center
Wiley and the Wild West (Cowboy)
March 21 – March 31
March 24 St. Petersburg, Jazz Philharmonia
March 26 Arkhanglsk,
Club Koleso
March 28 Kazan
, Club Maximilian’s
March 30 Nizhny Novgorod, National Center for Contemporary Art
Brotherhood Singers (Gospel/R&B)
April 9 – 19
April 12 St. Petersburg, Jazz Philharmonia
April 14 Kaliningrad, Kalingrad Regional Philarmonia,
April 15 Kirov
April 18 Nizhny Novgorod, National Center for Contemporary Art
R. Carlos Nakai Trio (Native America/New Age/Jazz)
April 19 – April 30
April 22 St. Petersburg, Jazz Philharmonia
April 24 Yekaterinburg, Emerald City World Music Festival, Musical Theater
April 26 Yaroslavl,
Jazz Center
April 28 Moscow, International House of Music
March 2012: Living Life Magazine (In Russian)
Profile of The Brotherhood Singers and the Festival of Traditional American Music.
Russian Press Sponsors include
CEC ArtsLink, Inc
tel: (US) 1-212-643-1985
fax: 1-212-643-1996
email: info@cecartslink.org