Teacher’s presentation : 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 16th and 23rd 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.
Who is this workshop for: Open to intermediate and advanced fiddlers. Viola’s and cellos are also welcome!
Description: For fiddlers who always wanted to try fiddling and singing at the same time. In this workshop, we zoom in on 2 or 3 songs from the North American repertoire: songs from the Appalachian Mountains, Cape Breton or New England and from Québec… traditional ones and newly composed ones. We will learn the basic chords, ways to vary the chord colors and several grooves for each song.
In addition to the core curriculum, participants will have the opportunity to participate in optional public activities during the festival. Details of these activities will be announced on June 1st.
Learning material: Student should bring their instrument and something to record.
Location: Village of Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, Québec (address to be announced)
SCHEDULE :
Friday
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: Workshop
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.: Lunch*
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Workshop
*Depends of choosen options
