Contemporary folk duo Kallet and Larsen to perform April 14 for Norris ‘Music in Gallery’ Series
The Norris Cultural Arts Center’s “Music & More in the Gallery” event series concludes its spring season with a performance by renowned contemporary folk music artists Cindy Kallet and Grey Larsen at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 14.
Kallet and Larsen, individually, are well-known in their own right — together, they have spent well over a decade and a half in a joyful musical collaboration.
Kallet is a singer, guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Larsen is one of America’s finest players of the Irish flute and tin whistle, as well as an accomplished singer and concertina, fiddle, piano and harmonium player. As composers each contributes to the unique, flourishing tapestry of contemporary folk and world music.
Kallet and Larsen’s music is known for its vibrant colors and intricate textures, offering the listener nuance and craftsmanship often compared to that of fine chamber music.
A performance of their songs and tunes of vibrant color and rich texture is perfectly suited to the Norris Gallery, where the gallery’s annual “Watercolor” art exhibit ends its run on April 14.
For a link to online ticketing, visit norris-cultural-arts.ticketleap.com/. Tickets are $20 with a $2 fee. Seating is general admission, but no audience member is more than 20 feet from the performers in the intimate space of the Norris Gallery.
Critics praise Kallet and Larsen. Scott Alarik of The Boston Globe calls Kallet ” … one of folk music’s most respected songwriters … provocative, heartwise, and original … a brilliant guitarist ….” Mike Joyce of the Washington Post calls Larsen ” … a gifted multi-instrumentalist who consistently demonstrates his melodic finesse,” while The New Mexico Daily describes his playing as “positively spellbinding.” Kallet and Larsen also have appeared with host Andrea Seabrook on National Public Radio’s “Weekend All Things Considered.”
The duo’s repertoire includes Kallet’s sparkling original songs, distinctive settings of traditional Irish music, Scandinavian-style fiddle duets, old-time fiddle and guitar tunes from southern Indiana, and new music that Kallet and Larsen invent together. There is plenty of variety and breadth of musical territory, all deeply rooted in folk traditions, and interwoven with the renaissance and baroque counterpoint in which both Kallet and Larsen, coincidentally, were immersed while growing up.
Included are vocal duets, guitar, Irish flute, Irish alto flute, tin whistle, concertina, harmonium, and duet fiddling, and plenty of stories that put the music into a personal context.
The Norris Cultural Arts Center is located at 1040 Dunham Road, St. Charles, on the Norris campus which also includes St. Charles East High School. For more information, visit www.NorrisCulturalArts.com.