Published on October 6th, 2014 | by Katie Glassman
Summer highlights…..one foot in front of the other….
What a special summer! Wait, is it really fall already?! There were a few opportunities which I have not had a chance to share. It seems that if I recap, somehow, I will feel ready to enter into fall. So, here are a few highlights…..
In June, Snapshot had the honor of playing on Tedx Mile High at Ellie Caulkins Opera House. I’ve been listening to and gaining inspiration from Ted Talks for years. To see the inner workings of the crew and become part of the Ted team, was a memorable experience. Click above for our 12 minute performance. We had a great time performing and really enjoyed visiting with people afterwards at the CD signing.
After signing CDs, I hopped in the car and drove to the National Oldtime Fiddlers Contest in Weiser Idaho. This was my 20th year going and it still remains to be my favorite week of the year. Jamming with lifelong friends and hearing all of my favorite fiddle tunes! This was the first year of the Swing Division. Below, I’ve posted the video from one of my rounds (music starts at 1:20). I came in 2nd place and was so inspired to hear our champion, James Mason, swing it up!!
Swing Division Round 1
In July, Snapshot played the Wildlife Music Festival in Edgewood, New Mexico. The wildlife sanctuary is a grand service to native wildlife. We enjoyed jamming with our friends from the Hot Club of Cowtown and the audience was wonderful. Right before we hit the road, we got the Wildlife tour and met the porcupines, wolves, bobcats and other furry friends.
Also in July, I taught my 10th year at the Midsummer Days Dream String Camp. The students learned fiddle tunes and improv by ear all week. The camp concert was the highlight where I premiered my piece Pretty Pictures. It was the first time it had ever been performed live with a string section. WOW! Thank you Regan Kane, Keynes Chen, Katy Buckbee, Natalie Koob, Charlie Mertens, Marcelo Sanches, Aniel Caban and Jay.
In August, I had the honor of playing with the Western Flyers (Joey McKenzie and Gavin Kelso) at the Library of Congress in Culpepper Virginia. This campus houses all of the audio and video archives for the Library. Talk about a life changing experience. Our host, Rob Stone, took us on a private tour where we watched obscure films, listened to the master records of recordings and saw the immaculate process used to restore and preserve film and audio in all formats. It was a breathtaking experience to see the meticulous time, effort and dedication these people put forth to do it all the right way!
In September, Snapshot had a run of shows through Wyoming, but the most notable was in Wray Colorado. The 118th Commemoration of the Battle of Beecher Island. Beautiful historical auditorium, sweet dinner, goats, cows, chickens, ducks. The crowd was enthusiastic and hungry for music! In the morning, we drove through thick fog. Once it cleared, we followed along side the Oregon Trail as Eric Moon read us historical recounts of traveling along the Oregon Trail.
There were many, many more exciting shows, concerts, weddings, festivals. But, if you’ve actually read this far, you’ve probably had enough anyhow. My next blog will be in a few days with some fall updates. Might I add, that I am very excited about the projects I’m currently involved in.
“Happiness runs in a circular motion, life is like a little boat upon the sea, everybody is a part of everything anyway, you can have it all if you let yourself be.” Donovan