Musicians Perform Music from as Close as Appalachia to as Far Away as Turkey
Drawing upon a variety of ethnic folk styles ranging from Irish jigs and haunting gypsy melodies to down-home American reels, the musical duo, Simple Gifts, will perform in concert at Wilmington College Monday (March 2), at 7:30 p.m., in Hugh G. Heiland Theatre.
The event, which is free of charge, is the final program in the College’s 2014-15 Issues & Artists Series.
The award-winning duo, featuring Linda Littleton and Karen Hirshon, is known for combining tradition with innovation as the two musicians play 10 different instruments during the course of a concert. They spice their arrangement with distinctive rhythms of Balkan dance music, the lush sounds of Scandinavian twin fiddling and original compositions written in a traditional style.
Also, sweeping fiddle creeps into a Romanian dance, spoons show up in an Irish reel and a traditional West Virginia tune is enhanced by a Turkish drum and Indian shruti box. Based in the hills of central Pennsylvania, the duo plays an amazing array of instruments: mandolin, banjo, recorders, bowed psaltery, hammered dulcimer, baritone fiddle, guitar and percussion.
Simple Gifts is also known for its outgoing stage presence, which has been described as “warm, personal and accented with humor.”
“These women deliver their music with rare intensity and contagious enthusiasm,” one reviewer wrote. “It’s obvious that Simple Gifts loves the music they play and knows how share their excitement with the audience.”
