D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
January 2010
Library Books a Concert Series
In years past, traditional music was shared around the hearth or in the kitchen with friends and neighbors. In these warm and intimate settings, music helped create and sustain communities. In keeping with this spirit of the house concert, the Public Library in Silver City is introducing the Library House Concert Series. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, the concert series grew out of requests from library patrons for more diverse programming and as a means to provide an alternative concert venue for local musicians as well as master musicians from outside the area.
Irish traditional fiddler and fingerstyle guitarist Randal Bays will kick off the series on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m. Bays is an American musician whose mastery of the intricate art of Irish fiddle playing has earned him an international reputation among fans of Irish music. His 2005 release "House to House" (with Roger Landes) was selected by the Irish Times as one of the top five traditional recordings of the year.
On Sunday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m., Bayou Seco, Silver City's own Ken Keppeler and Jeanie McLerie, will perform. They have been making music together since 1978, always with an ear to the regional traditions that capture their interest.
The final program in the series will be on Sunday, March 28, at 2 p.m. and will combine theater and music. In a premiere Silver City performance, the one-act play Hunger will be staged between musical segments by AlmaZazz! The play is a tragicomedy about a Silver City woman who returns to Ireland as a romantic tourist, only to find the fierce ghost of her mother living beneath the ruins of a famine cottage. The play is from award-winning writer Victoria Tester's series of 15 "New Mexico Ghost Plays." (Tester is also writing a new series for Desert Exposure, "Going to Palomas," which debuts in this issue.) AlmaZazz! is a new duo featuring Silver City musicians Eileen Sullivan on fiddle and Judy Mitchell on accordion, inspired by the lively dance tunes of the Old World and the delicate airs of Ireland, Scotland and the Shetland Islands.
All programs are free and open to the public. Doors open 30 minutes before performance time. Space is limited and seating is on a first come, first seated basis. For additional information, call 538-3672. Public Library, 515 W. College Ave., Silver City.