Newmont Military Band Concert

Join us for a skip back in time with the Newmont Band. Performing on period instruments, the band plays music of the 19th C as it would have originally been heard on the town greens. This will be an outdoor concert (bring a lawn chair), in the event of poor weather the concert will be held inside Union Church. All donation at this event go to benefit WCCMA’s Capital Campaign for the Claremont Creative Center. www.claremontcreativecenter.org

About the Newmont Military Band

The Newmont Military Band was formed 1995 to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Rachel Harlow United Methodist Church, Windsor, Vt. Our original instrumentation followed that of the many cornet bands in existence in the late 1890s Several years later Newmont incorporated woodwind instruments, so following the conventions of the late 19th century, we became a “Military” band . Most of the brass instruments played by the musicians in the NMB were manufactured during the 19th century, only a few are more modern but follow designs of that era. Our music was borrowed from the archives of the American Band of Claremont, New Hampshire, The Library of Congress, The Chatfield, Mn Lending Library, The Band Music PDF Library, arrangements by some our own band members, and individual donations from our band members based on archival research. As it is authentic or reproduced late 19th century music, it is scored differently than music played by modern bands and we hope you agree it has a different overall sound.

Our program is representative of the music played on the town green in the late 19th century. There are songs of the war Civil War), love songs, marches (including Sousa’s!), dances, and songs from the old folks. Many of our musical selections are chosen from American Band and Windsor Military Band programs documented in the Claremont Advocate and the Vermont Journal between the years of 1890 and 1905. These concerts included music composed by New Englanders, and sometimes the composer himself would conduct (E.E. Bagley, C. L. Brigham).The Newmont Military Band has performed at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont, Windsor (Vt.) Heritage Days, the Franklin Pierce Homestead in Hillsborough NH, The Gettysburg, Pa. Band Festival several times, The Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg, and numerous other historic venues..

The members of the band come from Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. They are your neighbors and friends, and are from all walks of life.

Folk Singing Workshop and chat with Ida Mae Specker

Join us for an online folk singing workshop and chat with celebrated musician Ida Mae Specker. No experience is necessary, all ages welcome. This workshop is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

As a solo performer, Ida Mae fuses original, contemporary, and traditional material, bringing heartfelt new life and relevance to the chain of American folk music. Her EP of original music, ‘Billy in the Heartland,’ was released in December 2019. During the winter of 2020-2021, Ida Mae guest-hosted Vermont Public Radio’s folk and world music show “All The Traditions,” which she recorded from her home. In December 2021, Ida Mae was awarded a grant from the Vermont Arts Council to record live in-studio performance videos highlighting her solo work. Ida Mae is currently in the process of recording a new EP of original music and traditional folk songs to be released in Spring 2022. In addition to performing her original material as a solo performer or with a full band, she is a member of traditional old-time string bands Terrible Mountain Stringband and The Speckers (fiddle, vocals), and is a member of the all-female, folk-punk trio The Break Maids (drums, fiddle, vocals).

Ida Mae loves being a part of the blossoming local music scene in Vermont and is always pursuing new opportunities to collaborate and develop as an artist.

Singing workshop with Dobet Gnahoré

Join us with visiting artist Dobet Gnahoré for a singing workshop. A light dinner will follow. Sliding scale donation suggested: $5-25

This program is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.

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BIO

While Africa has blessed the world with many recognized female artists, Dobet Gnahoré has proven herself to be a truly special talent. Hailing from Côte d’Ivoire, Dobet is a virtuosic singer, dancer, percussionist, and songwriter who has taken the modern Afropop sounds of her country in exciting new directions. A 2010 GRAMMY winner, Dobet Gnahoré is well – known for her jaw – dropping dance moves, powerful stage presence and richly emotional vocal style. With her sixth album Couleur , released on the Cumbancha label in 2021 , Gnahoré breaks with her past acoustic styles to create a fiery album filled with danceable grooves, electronic beats, nimble electric guitar lines and catchy melodic hooks. With her latest album, Dobet explores the concept of freedom: The freedom to blend the urban energy of modern Africa with its vibrant ancestral rhythms; The freedom to sing in multiple languages, from the diverse indigenous languages of her native land as well as in French and English, to better convey her optimistic message and reach broader audiences; The freedom to pay tribute to the women of today and tomorrow, to use her words and image to empower a new generation of da ring, strong and independent African women. Couleur was recorded in Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire during the first Covid 19 lockdown under the artistic direction of the young beatmaker and producer Tam Sir. Dobet wrote the lyrics and composed the songs with input from Tam Sir and her longtime collaborator Colin La roche de Féline. ‘I want to be able to dance to my music,’ asserts Dobet, and with Couleur that mission is definitely accomplished. Upbeat, dynamic, and filled with unstoppable grooves, Couleur is a fun and catchy album exploding with hope and positivity. Dobet’s father Boni Gnahoré is a master percussionist and artist who co – founded the legendary pan – African performance ensemble and artistic collective Ki – Yi M’bock. Growing up in this creative setting w as a utopian artistic experience for Dobet and a rigorous training ground that provided her with the skills in music, dance, theater, fashion and poetry that serve as her foundation to this day . Dobet signed with the Belgian label and booking agency Contre Jour in 2003, with which she produced four albums and toured around the world. Dobet’s fifth album Musiki was released in 2017 by the French label La Café. After years of touring, Dobet maintains a strong work ethic, confessing, ‘When I’m not traveling, I get a little depressed.’ In 2010, Dobet earned further renown when her collaboration with American singer India.Arie on the song ‘Pearls’ earned them a GRAMMY win for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. That same year, t he UK’s Guardian newspaper crowned her with the ‘best performance’ accolade at the prestigious WOMAD festival. Her most recent album, Couleur, draws its energy from the creative fire and passion that Dobet brings to all her work. The lyrics are simple and direct, with universal themes such as the power of women, words of motivation and encouragement when your spirits are low, cries for redemption when you don’t live up to your ideals, and struggles with love and jealousy. Couleur solidifies Dobet Gnahoré ‘s position as one of Africa’s brightest stars and most striking talents