SAXTONS RIVER, Vt. – Cellist Eugene Friesen and singer/songwriter Elizabeth Rogers will bring in the holiday season at Main Street Arts with a CD-release concert Saturday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
The duo will bring a soulful collaboration to a repertoire of Celtic-infused holiday songs and instrumentals from their new recording “Down in Yon Forest,” featuring such classics as “The Ivy and the Holly,” “I Wonder as I Wander” and less well known songs of the season.
Rogers’s crystal-clear soprano and Friesen’s cello, with Irish whistle, guitar and harp, will breathe new life into old songs.
Cellist Friesen has performed on six continents, playing his own blend of original and improvisational music. He is a four-time Grammy-award winner as a member of the Paul Winter consort and is on the faculty of the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is the author of “Improvisation for Classical Musicians.” He is active internationally as a concert and recording artist, composer, conductor and teacher and has worked and recorded with such diverse artists as Dave Brubeck, Martin Sexton, Toots Thielemans, Betty Buckley, Dar Williams, Will Ackerman, and Dream Theater.
Born and raised in Manhattan, Rogers now lives in southern Vermont. She sings original and traditional music that tells the stories of the large and small themes that run through a life. Her voice has been compared to Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell, and her music has been described as “transformational folk.”
From Main Street Arts, the duo will be heading to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Manhattan for holiday performances.
“We are delighted they have chosen Main Street Arts as the kickoff for their holiday concert tours,” said Abigail Golde, chair of the Music in Quarter Time classical music series at MSA.
Tickets for the concert are $20, with reservations available by contacting MSA on line at www.mainstreetarts.org or calling (802) 869-2960.
A reception for the musicians and light refreshments will follow the concert.
Main Street Arts is a non-profit community arts center whose mission is to be a catalyst for arts and community, fostering creative expression through artistic experience accessible to all. It is handicapped accessible.
