Moving my blog over to shawnmativetsky.com

Dear friends,

With the recent update of my website, I now have the ability to integrate the blog directly into the website, so that is what I am doing; it just makes sense. I will no longer be posting updates here. Thank you to all of you for your interest in my musical adventures. Please click along to my website for the continuation of this blog in the future! If you would like to update your RSS subscription, this is the new RSS URL: http://shawnmativetsky.com/blogs/blog.atom

I hope to see you over at shawnmativetsky.com!

Shawn

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Percussion Duo Concert with Marla Leigh Goldstein

Just before the start of my summer tabla workshop, I had the pleasure of working with talented Californian frame drummer, Marla Leigh Goldstein. We have known each other for a number of years, but never had the chance to play together in concert! She had organized a frame drum workshop in Ottawa, and so was able to come over to Montreal to visit for a few days, before heading off to the Cooperman Drum factory in Vermont. We performed at Timpano Percussion on Friday, June 28, and then she gave two workshops the following day.

For this special occasion, I composed two new tabla / frame drum duets. Bol, inspired by traditional bol paran repertoire, and Dancing Hands, inspired by the kathak dance tradition. Marla also brought in some of her compositions, for frame drum and flute. We had a blast putting this concert together, and hopefully we'll be able to present it again sometime soon!

Having fun in rehearsal, before the concert.
Marla on flute.
In concert!
Bol exchange!




Tuesday 9 July 2013

Annual Summer Tabla Workshop 2013!

Wow, this past week just flew by so quickly! As I have for the past three years, I held my annual summer tabla workshop during the first week of July, at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. This year, the participants all came from the Montreal area. I had two groups - one of pure beginners, who had no prior experience with tabla, and an intermediate group of students with a few years of experience. Each group had four 90-minute classes, spread throughout the week, and both groups joined together daily for a two-hour group practice session. We also met for two video-viewing sessions, where I showed videos of concerts by some of the great maestros, and as always, we concluded the workshop with a Guru Puja.

The participants this year had such great enthusiasm and energy. We were also joined by two guests from the UK, Caroline (my Gurubahen) and her partner Neil. Neil participated in the beginner class, while Caroline helped out with some of the teaching.

This year, for the intermediate class, I decided to follow an 'accompaniment' theme, and so for one of the classes, I invited my santoor buddy Jonathan Voyer to come, and be accompanied by the students in Rupaktaal, Sitarkhani, and Teentaal. The following class, Neil sang some bhajans, which gave the students a chance to accompany in Kaherva, Dadra, and Bhajani theka. The experiment was a great success, and I will surely integrate this type of activity again in the future.

One of the many group practice sessions.
Lighting the incense for Guru Puja.
Marc doing puja. This is his third year at the workshop!
Kai getting his offerings, walking around everyone's tabla. 



In case you would like to see more, I have posted many more photos on Facebook.

Until next year! Thank you to Caroline Tabah for the photos!

Monday 8 July 2013

One More Show with Kiran!

Just a few days before bansuri artist Kiran Hegde returned to India, Marie Saintonge organized one last concert, at an art gallery in Saint-Hyacinthe. The show was really well attended, and the gallery had quite an exceptional acoustic! Kiran and I were joined by special guest Ziya Tabassian, who is an excellent percussionist, specializing in Persian tombak. The trio format was a nice change of pace, and the tombak/frame drum and tabla work really well together!

It was sad to have Kiran leave, as it was a great two months of musical adventures together. Looking forward to his return to Canada next year!

Ziya accompanying Kiran during the jor.

Yes! The tihai came on sam! :)


Tabla - bansuri - tombak trio!

With Kiran, after the concert.

The whole gang!

Marie and Caroline!


Thank you to Caroline Tabah for the photos!