Hi Folks. Let’s start with the big news!! I am the 2007 recipient of the Victor Martyn Lynch Staunton award recognizing outstanding achievement for artists in mid career. The award is given annually to one Canadian artist in each of seven different disciplines. I am the recipient in music this year. I am thrilled to say the least! The award and cash prize of $15,000 will be presented in Quebec City on January 23.
Putumayo World Music in New York is set to release Celtic Playground with a track of mine from the recording Cradle on the Waves. This is the third time that Putumayo has licensed a song from me. They are a fantastic company with distribution in 22 countries. Putumayo requested that I perform in New York to promote this new recording. On the digital front my American distributor Allegro is uploading my catalogue to a host of e-commerce sites.
It is hard to believe that another year is drawing to a close. Life has been very full with juggling family, my career and running Rock Barra Retreat. As usual I was on the move with performances and voice workshops in Halifax, Maine, Boston, St. John’s, Toronto and a spring tour to Ireland. Ireland was great fun. My tour was organized around a performance and workshop at the Wise Woman Weekend in Leitram. This is Yeats country, a very special part of Ireland. After the festival I toured Galway, Kilarney and Dublin. I plan to tour Ireland again in the spring.
The highlight of this past summer was performing at the Jazz and World Music Showcase hosted by the St, John’s Jazz Festival in Newfoundland. Guitarist Ian Toms and I represented Prince Edward Island at that event. St. John’s is one my favorite cities, especially when the sun is shining. We saw some terrific music and were delighted to get to perform for jazz festival directors from across the country. Ian Toms, bassist Ross MacDonald and I will start recording an album together over the winter. I’ve been putting together a set of gorgeous songs from the ‘American song book’. Jazz and Airstreams are two great gifts that America has given the world. With this recording I will be celebrating both.
I’ve had such fun putting together this new set of jazz tunes and my guitar skills are really coming along. The songs I’m choosing are mostly from the ’40s… No Moon at All, Cry me a River, For All we Know, Waiting for the Train, These Foolish Things. In my opinion the song writing from this era is unparalleled… smart lyrics, beautiful melodies… songs that appeal not only to the jazz buff but music lovers of every stripe. In shows over the past year I’ve been weaving an eclectic tapestry of Celtic and jazz songs. Audiences love these old jazz tunes even stripped down to just voice and my simple guitar accompaniment. I can’t wait to get into the studio with the masterful guitar work of Ian Toms. Toms and I have been performing together for just over a year and I am thrilled to be working with this incredible musician. Check out his solo recording.
We had a great summer at Rock Barra Retreat with a host of workshops: sound yoga, sandstone sculpture, seaweed cooking, kundalini yoga and dance. Chef Michael Smith created the culinary event of the season with an outdoor feast celebrating the fine foods of Prince Edward Island and the beautiful land at Rock Barra… from the chanterelles in the woods to the oysters on the beach it was a magical day. Chef Michael offered his services as a fundraiser for Rock Barra and with money raised from this incredible meal we were able to do extensive work to the roof. Thank you Michael!
Over the summer we added a couple of great pieces to the sound sculpture garden. My husband Brett worked with some teens to restore an old dory. The boat was moved to the cliffs edge and sports a large wind harp in the shape of a sail. We also created a thunder drum in the shape of a bird with a six-foot wingspan. The sound garden has become a major focus at Rock Barra.
The word is really getting out about our retreat. Hope to see you there next summer. We have some wonderful workshops lined up already.
Over the winter I will be teaching weekly classes in Sound Yoga at The Guild in Charlottetown. My friend and sound healing /improvisation partner Kate Poole and I went to the Kripalu Centre in New England in September to study The Yoga of Sound with Russill Paul. He is a terrific teacher and I will work with him again as soon as the opportunity arises. For those of you who have requested a recording or DVD of my Sound Yoga work, I thank you for your patience and hope to find the time to get to that project soon.
In January I will travel to Quebec City to accept the Lynch–Staunton award and visit friends in Montreal. I hope to begin recording in February. I am not setting a release date for this recording, but rather taking as much time as it requires. In March we are heading to New England and on south to Trinidad and Tobago. Spring will see a shows and workshop in Halifax and Antigonish Nova Scotia and a spring tour to Ireland.
I send you warm cyber wishes for a great winter.
Cheers,
Teresa
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