This week, Inside Appalachia, the Appalachian Prison Book Project has been sending books to incarcerated people for nearly 20 years. Its most popular book is the dictionary. Also, the Seeing Hand Association brings together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning. And, crossing a river by ferry can be a special experience, and hard to come by. On the Ohio River, a retiring ferry captain passes the torch to his deck hand.
Silkroad Ensemble Brings Eclectic Stylings To W.Va.
Harper, composer and producer Maeve Gilchrist.Courtesy of Maeve Gilchrist Press Kit
Listen
Share this Article
The eclectic Silkroad Ensemble is bringing their talents to the stage in Morgantown, West Virginia this week. Founded by Yo-Yo Ma in 1998, the ensemble brings together music from many cultures to spark cultural collaboration for a more hopeful and inclusive world.
The Silkroad Ensemble will be bringing this creative energy and spirit with them in their upcoming performance called “Uplifted Voices” to Morgantown at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24 at the Lyell B. Clay Theatre at the Canady Creative Arts Center.
As Maeve Gilchrist, Celtic Harpist and composer, says, the Silkroad Ensemble “is an incredible collection of musicians from all over the world.” Gilchrist brings a Celtic influence to the ensemble as Celtic harpists run deep in her family.
Her piece, “Far Down Far,” she says, is a deconstruction and reconstruction of a Scotts-Irish reel, inspired by what you would find in Irish communities in America at the turn of the century. In her piece, she claims she writes out much of the notation but also allows for improvisation and input from the performers, giving way for more personal nuanced inflections during performance.
Find out more about Gilchrist, her compositions, the Silkroad Ensemble and their upcoming performance in this interview with WVPB’s Matt Jackfert.
This week, Inside Appalachia, the Appalachian Prison Book Project has been sending books to incarcerated people for nearly 20 years. Its most popular book is the dictionary. Also, the Seeing Hand Association brings together people who are visually impaired to learn the craft of chair caning. And, crossing a river by ferry can be a special experience, and hard to come by. On the Ohio River, a retiring ferry captain passes the torch to his deck hand.
Almost all of the 250 employees working at the Morgantown office had their jobs cut in April, before about 100 were reinstated last week to comply with a court order. Without further intervention, the remaining NIOSH workers will be formally terminated on June 2.
The Vandalia Gathering has been going on for nearly 50 years with a mixture of music, arts, storytelling and dance. People come from all over the region to enjoy the entertainment on the state capitol grounds. Admission is free.
