Travel The World With VPR In 2013

2013 is going to be an exciting year for lovers of gardening, food, nature, and folk music! Join VPR for one of our three Citizens of the World Tours next year:

Exploring the Gardens of Italy
with Charlie Nardozzi
May 21- 31, 2013

Join VPR gardening expert Charlie Nardozzi as we explore the north and south of Italy visiting formal, opulent gardens and informal hidden garden gems. Along the way we'll uncover citrus groves, vineyards, and organic vegetable farms. Of course, a journey of exploration involving food wouldn't be complete without cooking classes and wine tastings at area vineyards. We'll visit out-of-the-way places including  a buffalo mozzarella farm, a limoncello liqueur-making operation, and Herculaneum, a lesser- known sister town to Pompeii with more intact ruins. We'll explore beautiful gardens, cook, eat, and laugh our way from Tuscany to Capri.

Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands
with Jane Lindholm
June 5- 13, 2013

For a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity join Vermont Edition host, world traveler and published travel author Jane Lindholm on a tour to the true equator and explore the history, culture, music, and food that makes Ecuador so special. We’ll sail the Galápapos Islands on a small, private ship and encounter the magic of the wildlife close up, an extraordinary experience for any generation.  Ecuador is the most bio-diverse country on the planet, and a journey not to be missed!




The Maritimes and Celtic Colours Festival
with Robert Resnik
October 9 -18, 2013

Join All the Traditions host  Robert Resnik on a tour for lovers of folk music, fabulous scenery, and extraordinary food: a musical journey to the Canadian Maritimes!  We’ll arrive in Cape Breton just in time to see all the highlights of Celtic Colours 2013, one of the world’s most celebrated Celtic music festivals.  In addition to enjoying concerts by folk music legends from all over, we will tour the Cabot Trail, eastern Canada’s scenic jewel, and will take a sea journey to beautiful Prince Edward Island, one of the shellfish capitals of North America!  Guests will have the option of taking an overnight train to and from Halifax, Nova Scotia, a treat for lovers of leisurely travel.  A beautiful and gloriously musical time is guaranteed for all!

Travel is a transformational experience. VPR's Citizens of the World Tours visit some of the most exotic locations on earth with expert hosts who give you insight into the landscape and culture you won't get with any other tour company. Plus, you'll always be traveling with friends because our tours attract people like you - public radio listeners.

Detailed itineraries and pricing will be posted very soon at VPR.net/tours. For more information, contact Ty Robertson at 802-654-4309 or trobertson@vpr.net to be placed on the mailing list.

All The Traditions Moving To Sunday Evenings

A note from All The Traditions Host Robert Resnik:

Happy New Year! I wanted to let you in on some exciting news that I announced on All The Traditions today: beginning next Sunday, January 8th, we’ll be moving our weekly kitchen party to Sunday evenings from 7-10 p.m.!

In the 40-plus years that I have been hosting radio programs in our area, this is the very first time that I have ever had an evening show! The show will continue to feature the best folk music from Vermont and around the world, plus live performances and my weekly calendar of upcoming concerts and events. Plus, the new time may also provide opportunities to add some occasional live performances by local and touring musicians.

I hope you’ll join me for this new adventure! You can read more about the other changes to VPR’s Sunday schedule here.

Best wishes for a happy and musical new year!

Robert Resnik

Sing a Song of the Lake

This past Thursday evening, the last piece neatly settled in place for VPR's musical celebration of Lake Champlain. Like the Lake itself, the legacy of songs about it are a rich blend of history, culture, and - most important of all - the diversity of people connected to this special region.

Singer, songwriter and historian Deb Flanders joined Robert Resnik in the VPR Performance Studio for conversation and an enchanting set of songs including classics like The Butcher Boy and 10,000 Miles, along with a few newly written tunes.

VPR's music showcase is part of the Champlain 400 project.

On July 5th, All The Traditions will feature the voices and music of the French Canadian fiddling/guitar duo Lisa Ornstein and Andre Marchand; singer/songwriter Alan Greenleaf; and this intimate recording session with Deb Flanders.

Later in the summer (August 2nd at 4pm) we'll share highlights from all of these performances, with a lively set of traditional and original songs about the Lake from Robert Resnik and Marty Morrissey.

A Quadricentennial celebration calls for music of equal scope and magnitude, and these talented musicians deliver!

Music for the Quadricentennial

Staffers know it, so do many listeners. And word has gotten around, so local musicians definitely know it. At VPR we're very fortunate in the fact that the performance space in the heart of our Colchester building is one of the acoustically finest recording studios in the state.

I spent yesterday in there, interviewing and hosting several musicians for a showcase we’re producing for the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial anniversary. Not sure when it will air, but if you keep an eye on the website we'll let you know as soon as possible.

The day started off on the right foot (and the left, and the left-right-left!) with Lisa Ornstein and André Marchand, the French-Canadian fiddler and guitarist/singer duo. They were in town for an evening concert at UVM, but they took a little time to stop by and share some of their wide repertoire of chansons, dances, reels and other traditional tunes. They’re great. Lisa has a longstanding connection to this area, as a protégée of the legendary fiddler Louis Beaudoin. Among André’s credits is several years with Quebec’s Juno-winning La Bouttine Souriante. We all got a laugh from Lisa describing her move from Canada back to the family home, after graduating: “It was in Maine. Northern Maine. So far North in fact that when I moved back I had to go NORTH from Québec City to get there!”

Next up was one of my favorite local acts, Marty Morrissey and VPR's own Robert Resnik. With more than 30 instruments and 50 years of experience between them (25 of those years playing together), these two really know how to share some learning, have a great time, and get everyone else involved in the fun too. And why not? There’s a lot to keep a songwriter entertained here: a rich maritime and military history, wildly unpredictable weather, breathtaking natural beauty (every season!), Champ, farming culture, and…yep, even rock snot. And other invasive species.

After a short break we were joined by singer/songwriter Alan Greenleaf. A farmer himself, fittingly, he had spent the earlier part of the day playing at the opening weekend of a local farmer’s market. He offered a final set of songs ranging from the whimsical to the poignant, covering everything from the flood of 1927 to the austere landscape of our northern winters, and that hallowed Vermont summertime tradition, the Strolling of the Heifers.

This was just one of those days where I felt lucky. Blessed to live where I do, fortunate to be involved in special gatherings like this, and grateful to have the ears and eyes to be able to take it all in.

Thanks to Robert, Nora, Chris, and everyone else who made the recording session possible.

The final words for the day come from Mr. Greenleaf: “I never get tired of looking out the window. This is a beautiful place we live in, Vermont. It’s worth a lot of songs.”

Look for a complete overview of our Quadricentennial programming on the Champlain 400 page at VPR.NET.

----

Cheryl Willoughby

VPR Dir. of Music Programming