Tag: Benzie County

The Art of Collaboration: Lauren Everett Finn

This article was written in preparation for our Spring 2023 concert, Complementary Colors. It was on a spontaneous visit in early 2020 to the Glen Arbor Arts Center that I happened upon a work by Lauren Everett Finn. Her piece was displayed along with… Continue Reading “The Art of Collaboration: Lauren Everett Finn”

A Celtic Summertide 2019

In the summer of 2018, we performed a concert at Frankfort’s Oliver Art Center featuring traditional and original music from Ireland, Scotland, Nova Scotia, & the United States. That August 2018 concert was such a resounding success and received such a positive response from… Continue Reading “A Celtic Summertide 2019”

The Old Ash Tree

One of my fondest memories of moving to our home in northern Michigan was waking up on the morning after the move, looking out the window, and seeing the old ash tree at the edge of the front lawn. It was majestic and stately,… Continue Reading “The Old Ash Tree”

O’Carolan Reimagined

When I began studying lever harp in 2010, one of the volumes of harp music I purchased was a collection of tunes by O’Carolan*. Exploring the tunes while also teaching myself to play the harp, I eventually read more and more about the composer,… Continue Reading “O’Carolan Reimagined”

A Story that Lingers, a Tune that Wanders

Picture the scene: The year, 1880-ish. Ballysadare (Irish: Baile Easa Dara) – a tranquil bayside village in County Sligo. The poet William Butler Yeats, who had spent many summers here as a child, returns for another sojourn. In his wanderings about the village, he… Continue Reading “A Story that Lingers, a Tune that Wanders”

A Celtic Summertide: The Art of Collaboration

If you’ve attended a Manitou Winds concert, recently, you’ve no doubt experienced the wonderful voice of Emily Curtin Culler. Whether singing an aria from a Baroque cantata, a classic German lieder, or a traditional Irish lullaby, Emily’s voice has tremendous dynamic range and is… Continue Reading “A Celtic Summertide: The Art of Collaboration”

Variety: It’s the Spice!

Our September 24th concert was an experiment: a test to see just how much variety could be crammed into a single concert program performed by a single ensemble. To up the ante, we also added an element of chance; allowing the audience to play… Continue Reading “Variety: It’s the Spice!”

Winter Songs & Carols: The Art of Collaboration

For our 2016 collaborating artist, Ellie Harold, winter is often a season of inner discovery. With the weather outside inhospitable for her paints and canvas, where else might an artist turn but inward?

Summer Waltzes Out

This post was written in preparation for our September 2016 summer program. “The Secret Life of Barns (Cedar)” by Ellie Harold, 2016 Collaborating Artist For our Summer Fantasies concert, we invite you to join us in a colorful journey for the imagination as we… Continue Reading “Summer Waltzes Out”

Summer Fantasies: Three Reveries

Within our Summer Fantasies concert program, there are three pieces I’ve dubbed “reveries”. I refer to them this way primarily as an intentional nod to their French origins, but also because each was inspired by or intended to evoke a dream-like fantasy.