A Celtic Fiddle Workshop with virtuoso fiddler LAURA CORTESE

Saturday , October 08, 2005
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Location: Elderly Instruments
workshop ($35.00)

The 1998 New England Regional Scottish Fiddle Champion, Laura Cortese subsequently graduated in 2001 from Boston's acclaimed Berklee College of Music, where she studied...fiddle. She has studied with Alasdair Fraser, Buddy MacMaster, Martin Hayes, and other fiddle greats. As a stepdancer, she performs regularly with Maryland's Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble. At home in Boston, Laura plays fiddle for dances and teaches fiddle and dance both in private lessons and at Wellesley College, where she is on staff.

It has been over two years since Elderly has offered a fiddle workshop, so we're glad that Laura's coming to town. Titled "Fast Learning by Ear," this hands-on workshop will cover Celtic tunes and style. The workshop is intended for intermediate- to advanced-level players, for those who are familiar with their instrument and who w3ant to learn tunes by ear. No written music will be used in the workshop.

Laura will teach students how to embellish their favorite tunes (so have your favorites in mind) and she will also share new tunes to add to their repertoire. Students will learn jamming standards that will be new to the group, in addition to jamming techniques, including rhythm and chords for melody players.

Laura recommends that students bring along recording devices, in order to take the tunes home with them after the workshop is concluded.

Laura Cortese has performed at the famed Newport Folk Festival, Michigan's Wheatland Music Festival, Boston's Club Passim, Freight and Salvage, the Anchorage Performing Arts Center, and numerous Celtic festivals across the country including, recently, the Saline Celtic Festival, where she played with the stellar Irish band Siucra.

Laura has taught dance at the prestigious Augusta Heritage Festival in Elkins, West Virginia, and she has taught fiddle at the Boulder Creek Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddle School. As a singer, fiddler, and dancer, Laura has worked with various artists including Americana superstar Tim O'Brien, the Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, the Celtic fiddle trio Halali, and experimental old-time recording artists The Jolly Bankers. She has shared the stage with world-class musicians including Bela Fleck, Suzy Bogguss, John Doyle, Liz Carroll, Allison Brown, and Mark Schatz.

On Friday, October 7, at 8:00 pm, Laura is performing at The Ten Pound Fiddle Coffeehouse, 855 Grove Street in East Lansing (at the corner of Library and Grove). (Interesting: after playing The Ten Pound Fiddle, the following week Laura plays The Purple Fiddle in West Virginia....Fiddle gigs for a fine fiddler.)

"Laura Cortese is an extremely dynamic and intelligent artist full of fun and joy." - Alasdair Fraser

"Laura is a natural born headliner, a crowd pleaser that helps a club establish a reputation for being THE place to be for an unadulterated good time." - Bob Stane, The Coffee Gallery Backstage

"Technically brilliant yet warm hearted fiddling....sprinkled with urbane splashes of cool jazz and hot pop." - Boston Globe

"And in this day and age of fiddlers galore, Laura is a stand-out...A Scottish fiddler, able to set the bow on fire or bring a tear to the eye...." - Bill Reid, East of The Hebrides Entertainment

Check out recordings we carry featuring Laura Cortese