Two fascinating ensembles came to us in October and November. Both house concerts exceeded our expectations in terms of quality, diversity, audience appeal, and attendance.
Alash from Tuva in Central Asia, on an extended tour of North America, stayed with us five days in a community residency for which we partnered with Northern Adirondack Central School and SUNY Plattsburgh. The quartet of master throat-singers, who also play an array of indigenous string and percussion instruments, consistently wowed everyone in their performances and workshops.
Folklassics Duo blew into Saranac on a mini-tour of Vermont and the northern Adirondacks. The unlikely partnership of accordion (Jeremiah McLane) and classical piano (Annemieke Spoelstra) proved very surprising and successful in its high degree of refinement and total charm. Their program featured treatments of international folk music by eminent classical composers, including Bartok, Granados, Hovhaness, Piazzola, and Satie, as well as a poignant original composition by Jeremiah McLane.
