Wednesday Folk Traditions Presents Talamana Trio
PORTER-PHELPS-HUNTINGTON FOUNDATION, INC.
130 RIVER DRIVE HADLEY MA 01035
For Immediate Release
Contact: Susan Lisk (413) 584-4699
WEDNESDAY FOLK TRADITIONS at the
PORTER-PHELPS-HUNTINGTON MUSEUM CONTINUES ITS 43rd SEASON WITH
TALAMANA TRIO
June 26, 2024
HADLEY—The 43rd season of Wednesday Folk Traditions concert series continues at The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum on Wednesday, June 26th with Talamana Trio. Blending Indian and Middle Eastern music with American jazz and folk music, and lyrics from visionary poets, the Talamana Trio performs a powerful and original rhythmic musical experience. Concerts are held Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm, outside in the Sunken Garden at the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum, 130 River Drive, Route 47, Hadley MA 01035. Admission is $12, $2 for children 16 and under. Picnickers are welcome on the museum’s grounds starting at 5:00 pm. The museum and its grounds are a smoke-free site. For further information please call (413) 584-4699 or view www.pphmuseum.org.
Talamana Trio consists of Laila Salins on vocals and shruti; Jim Matus on laoutar (a lute/guitar hybrid) and back-up vocals; and Robert Markey on sitar. Their debut recording, Cloud Call, was released in August of 2023. The word “Talamana” is a Sanskrit word denoting cosmic order and rhythm.
Robert Markey began playing sitar in 1974, studying the North Indian (Hindustani) music tradition in India with Peter Row and Gokul Nag. In addition to the traditional ragas, he has studied the music of many of the surrounding cultures, recognizing that historically they all influenced each other, and, as musicians traveled, they taught and learned from each other. Robert Markey is a longtime supporter of Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum. For many years he performed at the A Perfect Spot of Tea series, and has been a featured artist for the Wednesday Folk Traditions concert series many times. Robert Markey is also an accomplished visual artist. "Beautiful People in the World," Portraits From My Travels by Robert Markey was on display in the Corn Barn in 2017, and can be viewed on the Museum’s website.
Jim Matus is a composer, guitarist, and laoutar player, specializing in progressive world fusion, jazz, rock and improvisatory music. From this musical tradition, he designed a new instrument, the electric laoutar - a lute and mandocello hybrid - with a uniquely rich sound. A founding member of Talamana Trio, Jim Matus plays with many local bands and teaches at Deerfield Academy.
Laila Salins is a Latvian singer, composer, and actress who specializes in story-telling. Her music focuses on redemption and transformation narratives of history and myth inspired by a diverse career in musical genres and cultures. She has performed in chamber music, opera, music theater, art-rock, folk music, jazz, and tango. A founding member of the Talamana Duo, she has performed and recorded her work for an international audience.
On July 3rd a special program, Stories of Slavery and Independence, begins at 6:30 in the Sunken Garden. A Stopping Stones remembrance of two enslaved African Americans, Caesar Phelps and Margaret (Peg) Bowen, is followed by a performance of freedom songs with Amherst Area Gospel Choir leader Jacqueline Wallace, and a reading of Frederick Douglass's speech "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?".
Wednesday Folk Traditions continues on July 10th with Zikina, featuring Gideon Ampeire, Mike Cardozo, Roston Kirk and Kade Parkin. Rooted in Ugandan musical tradition and East African instruments, their music infuses Ugandan folk music with contemporary influences. Gideon Ampeire’s East African vocals are ensconced within the sonic landscape of the enanga, adungu, and kalimba- creating a powerful musical journey which flows seamlessly from intense grooves to joyous dance beats to dreamy textures.
Wednesday Folk Traditions is funded, in part, by grants from The Adams Foundation, the Amherst and Hadley Cultural Councils, local agencies funded by Massachusetts Cultural Council; Robinson and Cole; Easthampton Savings Bank; Gage-Wiley and Company, The Walmart Foundation, and with generous support from many local businesses.
The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum is located at 130 River Drive, Hadley MA on Route 47 just two miles north of the junction of Routes 9 and 47 North in Hadley. For information concerning tours or special events, phone (413) 584-4699 or check the museum website: www.pphmuseum.org
The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Foundation acknowledges that it occupies the unceded lands of the Nonotuck people. The Porter-Phelps-Huntington House was built in 1752 by Moses and Elizabeth Porter and was central to the 600-acre farmstead known as “Forty Acres.” Today, the property is surrounded by over 350 acres of protected farmland, forest, and river frontage. The Museum portrays the activities of a wealthy and productive 18th-century household including numerous artisans, servants, and enslaved people who made "Forty Acres" an important social and commercial link in local, regional and national cultural and economic networks. Since 1799 there have been no structural changes to the house. In the 19th century the house evolved into a rural retreat for family and in the mid 20th century became an early example of historic preservation. The museum is listed on the National Historic Register and contains a collection of the belongings of seven generations of one extended Hadley family. Open May 18th through October 15th, Saturday through Wednesday. For more information check out our website at: www.pphmuseum.org or call the museum at (413) 584-4699.
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