Playing with Traditions • NYSCA -Vlog
Hi folks!
Coming to you from the COLD North Country of Northern New York!! I'm very excited about my new endeavor, "Playing with Traditions - Handcrafted Tunes." Thank you to TAUNY & the New York State Council on the Arts for making this a reality! Stay tuned for periodic progress reports as this musical adventure unfolds. Below is an annoucement from TAUNY and one from me about the wonderful news.
-Gretchen
“Hello, Gretchen Koehler here coming to you from my home, here in the North Country of Northern New York where it was minus 14 degrees F when we woke up this morning, hoping that it reaches zero…BUT actually that’s not why I’m here. I have notes and I want to share with you the progress on my latest project. Over the next many months I will be “Playing With Traditions” and creating some “Hand-Crafted Tunes.”
Many of you may already know that “Traditional Arts in Upstate New York, what we call TAUNY. received some incredible funding from the New York State Council on the Arts to help support this project where I will be interviewing fellow North Country Folk Artists about their creative process. I am probably going to be focusing on their hands and hopefully be able to translate what they do into a new suite of fiddle tunes.
The idea behind this project has come to me because of how I am processing the pandemic. I feel very isolated and I have to be honest, I have not been inspired to try many new things. So the hope is that, by talking to people who do something similar to me, but are not musicians, will help me come at the creative process from a slightly different angle…and hopefully some magic will happen!
I’m happy to report that I have two interviews set up for next week and I will let you know about them as they happen. I’ll be playing little bits of tunes as they come together…and I really do have to say, I think this idea is already working because I am so excited to dive into something new. So this is great!
I will talk to you soon! Keep warm, be well and take care.”
A message from Traditional Arts in Upstate New York
“We are pleased to announce that TAUNY has received funding through the New York State Council on the Arts to support a project of fiddler and recipient of TAUNY’s North Country Living Traditions Award Gretchen Koehler, Potsdam, NY. The project is called Fiddling with Tradition.
Over the course of 2022 Gretchen will collaborate with other recipients of the North Country Living Traditions Award to produce a collection of new fiddle tunes rooted in tradition and inspired by the work of folk artists working in a variety of mediums. The project will conclude with a performance of the new compositions. Gretchen says: “I am thrilled to have this wonderful opportunity to compose new music with inspiration from my fellow North Country artists.”
As the project develops, you’ll be able to follow Gretchen’s creative process through a series of videos that she and we will post. We are looking forward to the journey! Congratulations, Gretchen!”
.