You can bow your own way – North American Fiddle
Day 1 Wednesday 18|02
*FULL*
Chopping and accompaniment on the fiddle
Day 3 Friday 20|02
*FULL*
Fiddle-singing
Day 5 Sunday 22|02
*FULL*
Workshop 1 You can bow your own way – North American Fiddle
For fiddlers and viola players who can quickly learn melodies by ear and have some experience with North American music (Appalachian, Cape Breton, Québécois, and New England). Laura will present a workshop focusing on groove in North
American folk music. After learning each tune, she will dig into how the bow is the key to groove and expression. Together, we will explore how to translate different grooves and rhythmic patterns to hidden treasures in the North
American repertoire. Our goal will be to leave the class with a tool kit of possibilities to translate to favorite melodies at home. This is about playing Melodies in a captivating way.
Workshop 2 Chopping and accompaniment on the fiddle
Laura shows you how to find chords, rhythmic patterns, variations to accompany tunes and songs. We will learn a few easy tunes to facilitate learn chord structures and accompaniment but the tunes will not be the focus. This workshop explores the grooves behind hambone, stepping, clogging, podorythmie, and the driving pulse of contra dance tunes. Be prepared to learn the grooves through body percussion, the voice and simple dance-based footwork to feel how different traditions shape rhythm and lift.
Workshop 3 Fiddle-singing
For fiddlers who always wanted to try fiddling and singing at the same time. Viola’s are also welcome! In this workshop, we zoom in on North American repertoire: songs from the Appalachian Mountains, Cape Breton, and New England,… traditional ones and newly composed ones. We might also learn an English song because they have a beautiful fiddle-singing tradition. We will learn several songs, their basic chords, ways to vary the chord colors and several grooves for each song.
For fiddle players with at least intermediate instrument skills.
Workshops can be booked per day. You’re welcome to join multiple sessions with the same teacher, but it’s not required. Each day is independent, so you can mix and match freely.
10:00 – 12:30 & 14:00 – 17:00 (Sunday till 16:30)
Laura Cortese
Laura Cortese has built a distinguished career as an Americana fiddler, songwriter, and vocalist. She is now one of the most in-demand musical collaborators on the folk circuit. Born and raised in San Francisco, CA, she moved to Boston, MA, to study at Berklee College of Music, immersing herself in the city’s vibrant indie music scene and enjoying a busy touring and studio career, which included appearances with Band of Horses at Carnegie Hall and Pete Seeger at the Newport Folk Festival.
In March 2024, Laura Cortese launched an annual collaborative tour in her adopted home of Belgium with a rotating cast featuring some of today’s most exciting roots musicians in North America and the UK. With Laura at the helm, these five musicians will create a unique performance showcasing their strengths as players, singers, and songwriters.
Furthermore, she tours internationally with her band, the Dance Cards – bold and elegant, schooled in the lyrical rituals of folk music and backed by grooves that alternatively inspire Cajun two-stepping and rock’ n’ roll hip swagger. Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards have appeared at venues and festivals throughout the US, UK, Sweden, Canada, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Estonia, Montenegro, Greece, and Bangladesh, pairing sophisticated string arrangements (two fiddles, cello & bass) and rich vocal harmonies with poignant and powerful singing.
Laura has shared the stage and created opportunities for fellow folk musicians throughout her career, including co-founding Miles of Music Camp and the Boston Celtic Music Festival, which just enjoyed their 13th and 20th editions, respectively. Laura has taught violin and singing at Newcastle University in England and the University of Limerick in Ireland. She regularly gives violin, singing, and dance workshops at many fiddle camps: Alasdair Fraser’s Valley of the Moon Fiddle School, Mark O’ Connor’s Nashville Fiddle Camp, Sierra Fiddle Camp (US), Folkworks Youth Summer School in Newcastle (UK) and Fiddlers on the Move.
photo © Filip Verpoest
