Musical Poetry: “The Bucolics” Singing Workshop

The “Bucolics” Project with Brendan Taaffe and Maurice Manning, and a host of great singers.

The Bucolics Project encompasses ballads, hymns and fiddle tunes along with spoken word by Kentucky poet Maurice Manning from his 2007 collection, Bucolics. The poems in the book are a conversation between a field hand and a divine being known only as ‘Boss’, living on the knife edge between faith and doubt. Each song is based on an archival field recording from the Appalachian Sound Archives, housed at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. This is a project about renewal and transformation, about drawing from traditional material to create something new but still rooted. Participants will have a chance to learn several of the compositions and speak with the composer. This workshop will precede a full concert held later that night at Berea College.

Brendan Taaffe is a beloved songleader who has been leading harmony workshops throughout Europe and the U.S. for the past 20 years. He has worked extensively with Village Harmony (US) and with the Natural Voice Network (UK). He will co-lead this workshop with the other members of the Bucolics Project ensemble. Stefan Amidon is the son of Peter and Mary Alice Amidon and grew up immersed in harmony, Sarah Kate Morgan is the educational outreach director at Hindman Settlement School, Erin Shea Hogan is an in-demand singer in the Boston area who runs continuing education programs for New England Conservatory, and Sarah Gibson is a sought-after square dance caller based in Vermont.