The Greencards, an American Composer, Prairie Winds open festival

From staff reports
The Manitou Music Festival, under the auspices of the Glen Arbor Art Association, will kick off its 2006 season with the traditional Dune Climb Concert in collaboration with the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Sunday, July 16, at 7 p.m.
The headlining act this year is The Greencards, a “new grass” acoustic band whose members crossed continents to collide deep in the heart of Texas, quickly making a name for themselves in the Austin music scene. Their passion was so strong they crossed oceans and continents to chase down the driving rhythm and high harmonies of bluegrass in the land where it was born. But because of their backgrounds they couldn’t help but infuse their brand of bluegrass with a different, more global energy.

After releasing their first album, Movin’ On, Aussies Kym Warner (mandolin, vocals) and Carol Young (bass, vocals) and Brit Eamon McLoughlin quickly made a name for themselves and masterfully played one of the most energetic sets of the 2004 Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Though they’re steeped in the tradition of bluegrass, The Greencards weave influences as disparate as Bob Dylan, Ricky Skaggs and The Beatles into a compelling new brand of acoustic music. They honor the past, but refuse to live in it. That’s why they continue to push at the boundaries of bluegrass and Americana music.
The Greencards’ second record, Weather and Water, is a seamless blend of old and new. The opening “Ghost of Who We Were,” featuring Young’s aching vocals is a plaintive tour de force that echoes Alison Krauss at her melodically melancholy best. “Almost Home” is a fluid instrumental that showcases the band’s musical prowess. The centerpiece of the album — chronologically, musically and emotionally — is “Time.” This standout track, a meditation on past experiences, mixes dreamy harmonies and a melody that rolls along like a lazy river.
Fitting, because this season the Manitou Music Festival will honor the theme “Weather and Water” throughout its concerts.
An American Composer: Edward Joseph Collins
The Manitou Music Festival’s opening chamber concert on July 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Glen Lake Community Reformed Church will reunite three performers: violinist Michelle Makarski, pianist Maria Meirelles and cellist Debra Fayroian, who also directs the festival. The trio will collaborate in a performance of Brahms Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, Op.101. This concert is also devoted to the music of American Composer, Edward Joseph Collins (1886-1951) with his suite for cello and arabesque for violin. With elegance and sweet remembrance the evening is a classical reunion of musicians and brings together a composer and his youngest son who resides in Leland
“This concert came from a discussion last summer with (the composer’s son) Ed Collins,” says Fayroian. “I was impressed with beauty of his father’s compositions and I did some research on him. Fayroian goes on to call Collins Sr. a very important composer in American classical music. He taught in Chicago, Berlin and the famous Bayreuth festival in Bavaria. Fayroian intends to feature some notes on the composer at the concert.
Prairie Winds & More
The Prairie Winds makes a return appearance to the Manitou Music Festival on July 27 at 7:30 p.m., also at the Glen Lake Community Reformed Church, with a multi-media concert featuring a performance of the French silent film, Cavalcade d’Amour (1939) with music by Darius Milhaud. Absorb the sounds of the exquisite music by French composer Darius Milhaud while viewing this short romantic comedy film (which they’ve promised Fayroian is G-rated). The film is divided into three sections, each depicting a romance occurring within the walls of the Chateau de Champs. Other works on the program will include the Carmen Suite by Georges Bizet and music of Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla.
Since their debut in 1996, The Prairie Winds have captivated audiences throughout the United States with performances that present the finest wind quintet literature in concert programs that entertain as well as enlighten. In addition to their busy touring schedule, the quintet also has an active radio presence: recent broadcasts include full-length concerts for Chicago’s WFMT-FM “Live from Studio One” program and for listeners of Minnesota Public Radio. These musicians blend powerful musical technique with humor and intriguing background information to create what one critic called “a unique approach to the shaping of the concert experience (that) is sure to keep them in demand.”
What’s also new this year is the Manitou Music Festival using the Glen Lake Reformed Church over previous venues for its classical concerts. “It’s a larger area and we don’t have to share the space with other events,” Fayroian points out. “It’s a better listening environment too. The sound is beautiful.”