Happy Independence Day! The next two days--July 4 and July 5 (2008) are filled with public performances at Fort Worden State Park.
We hope you can join us for amazing performances featuring musicians and music from across the continent and beyond.
Complete program schedules and ticket information are available on our 2008 performance page.
Hello there. My name is Kristina and I spent the afternoon walking around to the various Fiddle Tunes workshops, taking in all the sights and sounds. This is my fifth year coming to Fiddle Tunes and what always impresses me is that there are people of all ages here - truly a family friendly festival. This afternoon was a series of workshops called Band Labs where participants have the opportunity to learn and perform group pieces. Below are a few of the photos from this afternoon. Hope to see you at the concerts this weekend!
[The Pine Leaf Boys in onstage performance]
Led by the incomparable Wilson Savoy, the Pine Leaf Boys--a Cajun/Creole band that is rising so fast they're scorching--will be leading a Cajun dance on Friday, July 4, at 7:30 pm at the Fort Worden Mule Barn Tent. Yes, there will be a bonfire and, yes, gumbo'll be for sale onsite. Tickets are ten bucks; youth eighteen and under get in free.
Information and tickets for this--and all--weekend Festival of American Fiddle Tunes shows are available by visiting our Fiddle Tunes performance page. (Watch for a Santa Claus appearance in this video at 2:48.)
Just in time for the 2008 gathering, we're pleased to announce that we've fired up the internets and have created a Myspace page for Fiddle Tunes. This will hopefully get the ball rolling and provide a space where workshop participants, audience members, program donors, and fiddle tunes fanatics can hang out and share in the good times.
We'll post updates there during the Festival itself, as well as on our main site (www.centrum.org/fiddle) and our Facebook page, As with most good things, though, all of this community stuff works best when you all take it over.
So the invitation is out there. Please, be our Fiddle Tunes Myspace friend, won't you? Or join our Facebook. We look forward to seeing, hearing, learning from you!
Centrum has unveiled the lineup for its popular “Free Fridays at the Fort” series, showcasing jazz, blues and fiddle tunes performers, among many others, at the lawn in front of the Fort Worden Commons.
Seating is provided, local and sustainable food is available, and all the entertainment is free. All concerts start at noon. The June 27 event is rain or shine; all others are weather-dependent.
• June 27: Participant performances from the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival (held at Wheeler Theater).
• July 4: No presentation. Join audience members at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes show at 1:30 pm.
• July 11: Dobro Showcase with George Rezendes and Dave Meis.
• July 18: Port Townsend Writers’ Conference reading with Brandon Schrand.
• July 27: Participant performances from Jazz Port Townsend.
• August 1: Jam Session from the Port Townsend Country Blues Festival.
• August 8: Dance/Movement Demonstration from Madrona MindBody Institute
Free Fridays at the Fort are sponsored by the Port Townsend/Jefferson County Leader.
Fiddle Tunes is full - unfortunately, we won't be able to accept any more people into the workshop in 2008. We will keep a waitlist, however, and people on the waitlist are guaranteed a spot in next year's workshop. With this in mind, you still might want to register. Thank you for your interest in this gathering.
[De Temps Antan in rollickin' onstage performance]
French-Canadian roots band De Temps Antan will give a mainstage performance at McCurdy Pavilion on Friday, July 4, at 1:30 pm. The band features André Brunet (fiddle, guitar, tapping), Eric Beaudry (guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, tapping), and Pierre-Luc Dupuis (accordion, harmonica, jaw harp), all current or former members of the internationally acclaimed group La Bottine Souriante. Tickets are available by following this link or by calling Centrum at 360.385.3102, x117. Reserved seating's twenty bucks, with youth eighteen and under free with advance reservations.
De Temps Antan will follow performances that include such musicians as Wendy MacIsaac, David Maclsaac, Harold Luce, Adam Boyce, and Paul Bradley.
The music of De Temps Antan is a rich blend of traditional French-Canadian and Acadian songs, original compositions, instrumental pieces, and French-Canadian response songs, all driven by the energetic beat of French-Canadian ‘podorythmie,’ the foot-tapping that replaces drums in traditional music from Québec. The members of the band offer a fresh and vibrant perspective on the music of their ancestors—and on the joie de vivre that has come to define the music of their province.
