Seven-String Guitar Museum on Wheels with Oleg Timofeyev and Dan Caraway
May 24 | 7:00pm | Doors open 6:30pm
Tickets $20 in advance; $25 at the door
“Seven-String Guitar Museum on Wheels” is a project by Oleg Timofeyev the world’s Number One expert on the history of the seven-string guitar, and his partner, the Iowan guitarist Dan Caraway. The two musicians have been playing together for more than two decades. As a duo, they appear on two international CD albums, “Ispaniada” (Hänssler Classics, 2008) and “The Russian Guitar, Box Set” (Brilliant Classics, 2016). In 2010 they founded a quartet of the Russian seven-string guitars, that toured nationally and in Europe, and released its own highly acclaimed CD “Tribute to the Mighty Handful” (Delos Records, 2016).
The idea of the Guitar Museum on Wheels is relatively recent. In their concert of English, Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian Music, Oleg Timofeyev and Dan Caraway showcase their 7 (seven!) historical seven-string guitars, ranging in age from 100 to 250 years. Every instrument has a unique story, and the two artists make them speak in the most eloquent and informative way. This project is highly educational and entertaining, bringing together history, instrument making, theatrical reenactment, and, of course, beautiful music.
Oleg Timofeyev is a musicologist, guitarist, composer, documentary film director, and the world authority on the Russian seven-string guitar tradition. He holds an M.A. in Early Music Performance from the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. from Duke University. The recipient of two IREX Fellowships, two Fulbright Research and Teaching Fellowships, he has won the coveted Noah Greenberg Award for his CDs “Music of Russian Princesses at the Court of Catherine the Great.” In addition, he has made more than twenty CD solo and ensemble recordings featuring the music for the Russian seven-string guitar, to critical acclaim worldwide. Dr. Timofeyev has taught at universities and conservatoires in the US, Russia, and Ukraine. In addition to a book on Russian-Romani guitar playing (Centerstream, 2018) and a critical edition of collected works by Matvei Pavlov-Azancheev (with Stefan Wester, DGA Editions, 2020). Oleg’s monograph on the seven–string guitar in Russia came out in 2023 (Cambridge Scholars Publishing). Oleg Timofeyev is the world’s Number One expert on the history of the seven-string guitar in the Russian Empire, and on the role of Czech, Polish, and Ukrainian musicians in the development of this instrument.
Dan Caraway is a musician and teacher living in Dubuque, Iowa who believes we all have music “in us” and making music can be fun and rewarding for everyone regardless of age or experience. He studied with several of the region’s best classical guitarists and began teaching professionally in 1993 offering private and class instruction at Grinnell College, Cornell College, Iowa City Guitar Foundation, Dubuque Art Center, Dubuque Guitar School, as well as various after-school programs. Dan has been active as a performer, including solo and performances with the Iowa Guitar Trio (Iowa City); Russian Guitar Quartet; the Fast Clydes; Hard Day’s Night (Beatles cover band); and various other performances in the region.
To see and hear some of these gorgeous, vintage Russian 7-string guitars:
Alejandro Brittes Trio Concert & Workshop
June 7
Workshop: 3:30 – 5:00pm | Tickets $40
Concert: 7:00pm | Doors open 6:30pm
Tickets $20 in advance; $25 at the door
Alejandro Brittes is a master accordionist, composer, and researcher exploring Chamamé, a music genre born from the encounter between the ritualistic musicality and worldview of the Original Peoples of northeastern Argentina, central and Southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay—the Guaranis—and the Baroque Music taught in the Jesuit Missions in the region. Chamaméhas been declared as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. In 2023 Alejandro made history as the first Chamamé accordionist to perform at the United States Library of Congress.
Alejandro´s concerts establish a connection with the earth, and he uses his accordion as if it were a bandoneon (a type of concertina popular in Argentina and Uruguay). According to Alegjandra, the left-handed accordion bases connect us with the earth, and the right-handed button-keyboard melodies elevates us to the Universe. Alejandro Brittes Trio consists of Alejandro (accordion), Carlos de Césaro (contrabass), and André Ely (7-string guitar).
To learn more about Alejandro Brittes visit https://en.alejandrobrittes.com/
The band will also be offering a pre-concert talk and workshop. To learn more and sign up, click the button below!
Lauluaika Workshops & Dance
August 23
6:00pm Potluck | 7:15pm Dance
Workshop Details Coming Soon
Lauluaika (“Song Time”) is a Finnish folk band based in the Twin Cities. The group was formed in 2016 out of a shared commitment to learning, preserving, and teaching Finnish and Finnish American folk music—specifically music played at dances in the old Finn Halls. They also enjoy discovering newly composed pieces that capture the spirit of their Finnish heritage.
Lauluaika carries on the musical traditions of the Finn Hall Band—another Twin Cities-based group. Their repertoire includes Finnish couples dances such as the waltz, polka, humppa, jenkka (schottische), masurkka, polska, and hambo, as well as lively group dances. They invite audiences of all ages to actively learn and participate through dance instruction and social dances, music workshops, and jam sessions.
Joyful and curious, Lauluaika members play a wide variety of instruments and have come to the group from a range of musical backgrounds. Some are lifelong Finnish music practitioners with deep family roots in the tradition. Others made their way from other musical styles and practices, attracted by the invitation to learn a new style, as well as curiosity about Finnish dance music.
Lauluaika actively performs throughout the Upper Midwest, as well as in Canada and Finland. In addition to spreading the music into Finnish and other Nordic communities of listeners, dancers, and musicians, the band also actively seeks opportunities to exchange musical and dance traditions with other folk artists.
Lynx Lynx in Concert
September 3 | 7:00pm | Doors open 6:30pm
Tickets $20 in advance; $25 at the door
Vidar Skrede and Patrik Ahlberg join their Scandinavian fiddle forces together in this Norwegian-Swedish folk music duo – lynx lynx. The variety of strings includes fiddles, Hardanger fiddles, guitars, and even a mandolin. The mix of tunes is put together by both their original and traditional Nordic fiddle tunes.
This is what music sounds like between two Scandinavian transplants in the Midwest coming together to share their fiddle tunes.
Patrik Ahlberg is a multi-instrumentalist from Sweden. He regularly plays and performs music of both the United States and Sweden. His current projects include duets of contemporary tunes and arrangements with Nashville fiddler George Jackson, a duo with Norwegian hardanger fiddler Vidar Skrede, and a solo exploration of Swedish fiddle tunes on the classical guitar.
Vidar Skredeis a Nordic folk musician and teacher from Haugesund, Norway, currently living in Milwaukee, WI. He is a performer and a teacher of Harding-fiddle, fiddle, and guitar. He has a background in traditional music from his home area, Rogaland (South West of Norway) and has a master’s degree in performing Nordic folk music at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm.
Vidar has numerous bands, projects, and record albums behind him, both in Scandinavia and in America. He has received nominations and awards for his albums in both Norway and Finland. He has toured all the Nordic countries, Scotland, Canada and the United States, and he has performed with a wide range of artists, such as Arja Saijonmaa (FI), Kevin Henderson (UK), Liz Carroll (US), Bruce Molsky (US), Natalie Haas (US), to mention a few artists outside of his own tradition.
Vidar is a leading musician on the Nordic folk music scene and is well known for his own tune creations across the scene; played and recorded by many artists besides himself.
