Melodies and Musings on Lake Guntersville, AL. September 27-29 Featuring Rob Brereton, Lorinda Jones, Aubrey Atwater, and Heidi Muller

WHS will celebrate the fourth anniversary of its Coffee Houses at the Wheeler’s  with an evening of music from the American Songbook, plus folk, country and Joni Mitchell songs, all performed by singer-songwriter Suzanne Sheridan of Westport and dulcimer player Robert Brereton of Sherman, Conn.

The evening is being called “Someone to Watch Over Me,” the George Gershwin classic that is also the title of Brereton’s 1992 album of instrumentals featuring Renaissance dance music, Scottish folk and American jazz. It is also a special occasion for Sheridan, as it comes one day before the anniversary of her marriage to long-time partner Rosanne Gates and two days before her birthday.

“I began as a singer with a guitar,” says Sheridan, “and I’m coming back to my roots, what I care about most – a quieter, more folkie approach to music. The dulcimer,” she adds, “puts out a soft sound and is perfect for the occasion.”

Brereton, who has degrees in classical guitar, music composition and music education, is considered one of the pioneers on the contemporary mountain dulcimer, an instrument that long was associated only with the simple, plaintive music of the Southern Appalachians. Early in his career, however, Brereton worked in a folk instruments store where he learned to modify the tunings of the dulcimer so it could be used to play the more complex melodies of music from the American songbook.

The playlist for the upcoming Coffee House, Sheridan says, will include the Scottish folk song “The Water Is Wide”; Gordon Lightfoot’s “In the Early Morning Rain”; “Carey Get Out Your Cane” by Jonie Mitchell; the country song “There Ain’t No Ash Will Burn”; the American hymn “How Can I Keep From Singing”; ”More Love” by the Dixie Chicks; “Moonglow,” “Blue Skies” and “Someone To Watch Over Me.”

Sheridan began her music career singing jingles and moved on to writing her own songs and performing locally and throughout New England and Eastern Canada. She has a repertoire of songs by Mitchell and Leonard Cohen that she performs on tour. The Coffee Houses model a tradition of kitchen singing that she observed in Canada, where multi-generations of family and friends would sit around eating, drinking and playing music. The instrumentation is simple, Sheridan says, “so the sound doesn’t overpower the songs, perfect for the Historical Society.”

The Coffee Houses all take place in the Society’s Betty and Ralph Sheffer Gallery, a space about the size of a small country road house.   

The mountain dulcimer is a purely American creation, the first ones being crafted by the Scottish and English immigrants who settled in the Appalachians. Music historians say these early arrivals lacked the tools and time to make violins, so they invented a new type of dulcimer using wood from the mountains where they lived. Researchers add that while the mountain dulcimer is related to European instruments of the zither family, it has no antecedents in Scotland or England. The name derives from old English, French and Italian words meaning “sweet.”

Brereton performs occasionally in Connecticut and nearby states. His most recent appearance was at the Merryall Center in New Milford. Next year, on Sept. 27, he will play “Melodies and Musings: Our Appalachian Legacy,” in Guntersville, Ala. Brereton also teaches K-6 music, works with private students and composes, arranges and directs for several choirs near his home. You can learn more about him on his website, www.robertbrereton.com.

When the first Coffee House was launched back in 2012, Sue Gold, the WHS’s executive director, described the goal as “enriching the community and creating an opportunity for Westporters to gather together.” The events take their name from Wheeler House, the historic house that serves as home to the Society.

Reservations strongly suggested,  call 203-222-1424, $20 Donation includes refreshments (Wine and hors d'oeuvres)

 

Happy to be part of this incredible series. I'll be performing with former CT state troubadour (and great friend), Thomasina Levy

There are several workshops going on simultaneously during this week. Everything from Financial Planning to The Evolution of Folk Music...hmmm...I wonder who could be teaching that? Bring all your instruments. This isn't a dulcimer specific event, but that's what'll make it fun!

Beyond A Simple Folk Song is an annual concert featuring folk artists who take Folk Music in new and exciting directions. Here's the line-up:

Thomasina Levy and I have been performing together for decades. We finally have a name for our duo: Route 202. We usually rehearse at Thomasina's house and I've spent many hours on Route 202 driving to her house for our time together. 

Eclectic and fun-loving' are the best words to describe the acoustic duo Route 202 which is comprised of Thomasina Levy and Robert Brereton, two award-winning musicians who have a taste for diverse styles of music. Just as Route 202 meanders through rural areas, suburbs and cities in New England, their music saunters through musical landscapes that range from folk to swing to new age to classical. 

 

This is the annual one everyone waits for. Just a really, really great, fun night. Anyone who's anybody is going to be here. Go to this. Seriously, I mean it! 

I'll be doing a short set with Julia Bailen and Eliot Bailen. Other featured artists are Eliot Bailen, Bob O'Connor, Paul McCormack, Mike Klvana, Don Lowe, The Bailen Brothers Band, Susan Rotholz, and Potters Field. 

BYO Beverages and/or dinner. Munchies provided.

Proceeds go to upkeep of this marvelous Sherman venue.

Annual event with the fabulous Sherman Chamber Ensemble.

Annual Event with the fabulous Sherman Chamber Ensemble. 

More Details to come

More Details to come

More Details to come

More Details to follow

Rob Brereton and Thomasina Levy in their annual concert at the Sherman JCC. This will be a family concert. Please bring your kids! More details to follow.

Join in our 6th Year Central Florida Festival with 72 Workshops to choose from -
Mountain & Hammered Dulcimers, Autoharp, Bowed Psaltery,TinWhistle, & Musical Saw!
Come to beautiful Mount Dora for two days of Learning, Sharing & Musical Merriment

Workshop Leaders for the 2011 Central Florida Dulcimer & Autohop© Festival are:
Gailanne Amundsen, Mike Anderson, Sally Anderson, David Beede, Ray & Cheryl Belanger, Rob Brereton, Linda Brockington, Dan Evans, Doug Felt, Bruce Ford, Tull Glazener, George Haggerty,
Ken Kolodner, Karen Mueller, Maureen Sellers, Ivan Stiles, Linda Thomas, & Rick Thum

 

Details to come

The Journey

Master Class with Rob Brereton- Intermediate to Advanced

Join Rob as he takes you on a musical journey from selecting a piece of music, through arranging the piece and finally bringing it to performance level. Rob will choose a diatonic piece and a chromatic piece and then demonstrate how to arrange once piece in D-A-d and another piece in the 1-3-5 (D-F#-A) tuning (advanced). This class will clearly show you everything you'll need to make your own musical arrangements. After each arrangement is finished, we'll discover various right and left hand techniques in order to make your playing smooth, musical, and ready for performance. Rob will give a mini-concert at noon. This is part of a much larger festival. See the website for more info.

It's always a thrill to play with such fine musicians. This is really the cream of the crop. Hope to see you at one or both of the Sherman Chamber Ensemble's Bluegrass Jamboree!

It's always a thrill to play with such fine musicians. This is really the cream of the crop. Hope to see you at one or both of the Sherman Chamber Ensemble's Bluegrass Jamboree!

TBA

Another favorite of mine. I've taught at the Swannanoa Gathering numerous times and always come back for more. Excellent staff, comfortable lodging and good food. Jams galore!

I'm so happy to be back on the West Coast again! Workshop, concert, private lessons. The website for this festival is now up. Check it out!

Part of the Northeast Dulcimer Symposium week. Date of show is still TBA, but approximate.

If you are looking for a week of music and fun... If the idea of small classes where you actually learn more than a few tunes is something you find attractive... If you are waiting for a week-long event where everyone knows your name without looking at your name tag... Then The Northeast Dulcimer Symposium is for you! Plan now to join us for seven days of dulcimer, fiddle, guitar, percussion, singing and much, much more along the shore of the loveliest lake in the Adirondacks.

Augusta Heritage Center is best known for intensive week-long workshops that attract several hundred participants annually. Thousands more attend our public concerts, dances, and festivals. Augusta’s full-time staff, plus volunteers, seasonal staff, and work-study students, produce a great variety of quality workshops. These world-renowned workshops and festivals have brought together master artists, musicians, dancers, craftspeople, and enthusiasts of all ages. West Virginia has long-standing traditions of both hammered and lap dulcimer that go back to early settlement days. Today, the music of these instruments is evolving to include many genres and styles of playing. Augusta’s Spring Dulcimer Week offers numerous levels on both mountain and hammered dulcimer.

Sina and I had an amazingly fun time at this concert last year. It was a full house and a great time was had by all. Lots of singing and frivolity. Let's have fun again this year! Wine and cheese reception starts at 7:00 pm followed by the concert. Reservations are strongly recommended. To reserve your place at this one-of-a-kind event, please call the JCC in Sherman at 860-355-8050 or email jccinsherman@yahoo.com. Or make a reservation on the web at our NEW website www.jccinsherman.org.

Dulcimer Assoc. of Albany. March 5-6. Rob Brereton and Susan Trump performing PLUS 14 other teachers. A great weekend.

Please join the Sherman Democratic Town Committee starting at 2PM, on Sunday, October 18 at the Lake Mauweehoo Clubhouse for an Apple Pie tasting contest. Be the guest of the Town Committee and all the candidates in this November's election for a delicious taste testing of homemade apple pies and cherry pies and pumpkin pies and more! Andrea O’Connor, incumbent candidate for First Selectman, Kate McConaghy, candidate for Selectman, Steve Roffwarg, candidate for ZBA and the entire Democratic slate will welcome all Sherman voters for an open forum to discuss the important issues facing our town today. We will provide an enjoyable venue where everyone will have the opportunity to meet the candidates and ask them about their hopes and plans for our town’s future. We will be serving several different kinds of pies, ice cream, cider, coffee and tea. Music by The Sherman Allstars (that includes me!) So come to the Lake Mauweehoo Clubhouse and you decide who makes the tastiest pie in town! Sunday, October 18, 2PM.

After the death of David Schnaufer, a fund was established in his name at the Blair School of Music to enhance the dulcimer program. Each September, on the weekend nearest David's birthday, the David Schnaufer Fund sponsors a workshop and concert with a guest artist. I'm proud to the artist chosen for 2009. There is a 5-hour workshop on Saturday, September 26, followed by a concert on Sunday, September 27. I hope to see you at this very significant event honoring one of the greatest dulcimer players of all time.

Sherman Chamber Ensemble presents its annual free bluegrass jamboree, featuring Rob Brereton and champion fiddler Paul Woodiel, SCE musicians and favorite local performers.

Sherman Chamber Ensemble presents its annual free bluegrass jamboree, featuring Rob Brereton and champion fiddler Paul Woodiel, SCE musicians and favorite local performers.

Back again at Heritage. I love the people here. Good food and comfortable lodging. Great faculty and nicely paced. Mountain Dulcimer: Janita Baker - beginning Joe Collins - intermediate Robert Brereton - advanced Hammered Dulcimer: Linda Thomas - nov to beg. int. Bonnie Carol - adv. intermediate Maddie MacNeil - advanced

CALL NOW FOR RESERVATIONS! 860-355-8050 Join us for an evening of playing and singing (oh yeah, and lots of St. Paddy's Day music too) Rob, Thomasina, and Tom will play a collection of music featuring dulcimer, fiddle, guitars, mandolin, concertina, and who knows what else. Lots of Celtic tunes to celebrate St. Patrick's Day as well as music just for fun. Come sing and celebrate! FINALLY Rob gets to play locally! Two tickets: $28 ticket includes reception, artist meet and greet, wine and munchies. Reception begins at 7:30. $20 ticket is for concert only beginning at 8:15

Workshop to be held at the home of Diane Gravlin. This workshop will be a general dulcimer workshop covering the needs of the students.

PLEASE NOTE. THE CONCERT ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 10, 2009 HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE WEATHER. THE SNOW DATE IS JANUARY 17. WE REGRET THAT THE HAMMONDS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PERFORM AT THIS CONCERT. SO YOU’RE STUCK WITH ROB & THOMASINA. A benefit concert for fellow dulcimer player and dulcimer luthier George Haggerty. With Rob will be Thomasina. George was in a very serious motorcycle accident several months ago. His recovery is slow, but steady.

July 27 - August 1, 2008 Teaching and performing dulcimer. An extremely valuable school keeping the folk arts alive.

A festival at Shenandoah University organized by Ralph Lee Smith and Madeline MacNeil. The staff includes Madeline MacNeil (beginners), Janita Baker (advanced beginners), Tull Glazener (Intermediate), Rob Brereton (Advanced), and Ralph Lee Smith (Traditions). I'll post more info as it becomes available.

Thomasina (http://thomasina.net/) and I will be part of the Pocono Dulcimer Club's annual Winter Dulcimer Fest. You can check out the festival at http://pdc-wdf.tripod.com/winter_dulcimer_fest.html

Teacing and Performing at a great little festival. October 13, 2007 Leominster, MA - Strum N Along Autumn Dulcimer Daye sponsored by the Johnny Appleseed Dulcimer Club. Workshops and evening Concert. Contact Cynthia at: strumnalong@yahoo.com (603)673-8497

July 8 - 14 2007 Teaching intermediate and experienced mountain dulcimer. More info at http://www.swangathering.org/Catalog/DU/sgdusched.html

A Hometown Tradition. I live in Sherman and every fourth friday is a Song Swap at the Sherman Public Library. It's a great little town with a lot of *great* musicians. Come with your voice or an instrument and a few tunes to share! http://circleoffriends.scriptmania.com/custom3.html

Steve does live webcasts from his website at http://www.stephenseifert.com Go to this site at 9:00 pm eastern time and click on the button.

November 2 - 5 University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. All encompassing festival including art, music, dance and more. Olympia Resort near Milwaukee, WI

July 8 - 15 2006 Teaching advanced beginner.

June 2 - 4 2006 Teaching all levels. Performance June 3 2006