Trobairitz Music and Storytelling

Have Harp Will Travel

Take a musical journey through time to explore the music, history and folk lore of the harp. We’ll learn about harps in Egypt and Israel, the music of the ancient Celts, the medieval troubadours, the blind harpers of Ireland, and the colorful music of the Paraguayan harp.

Tales and Tunes of the Watery Realms

These stories and songs tell of the spirits, fair and foul, that lurk in the watery depths. Some, like the selkies, will make charming wives, while others, like the Greek sirens and the German Lorelei, can lure sailors to their doom. Hear the stories and songs about those struck by sea-fever and their adventures on the high seas.

Autumn Tales and Tunes

Spooky stories and haunting ballads capture the mysterious and bittersweet quality of autumn. Learn the legend of ‘Stampede Mesa’ that inspired the old favourite, ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’. Join the ghost fetches in the haunted church yard and learn what happens when a Norse lord refuses to dance with the fairies!

A Christmas Miracle

The Christmas story as told by Matthew was simple, but it later became the inspiration for folk tales and legends. Hear the legend of the real St. Nicholas and learn about unlikely gift-givers on Christmas Eve, as well as the traditional story of Jesus birth. Enjoy singing and listening to your favourite Christmas carols and songs.

Fireside Tales and Tunes

Winter is the time for telling tales and singing songs by the fire. Learn how Glooscap defeated the Giant, Winter and how even the spirit Frost can be conquered with kindness. Hear the bittersweet Russian tale of ‘The Snow Maiden’. The musical component is home-grown and include songs by Gordon Lighfoot, Loreena McKennit and Joni Mitchell.

The True Course of Love
with Betty Bennett, storyteller

The true course of love is never smooth as these stories and ballads will prove. Learn what happens when a king tries to hide his mistress in a labyrinth, or a maiden disguises herself as a sailor to find her true love. Enjoy a program of stories from around the world, woven together with a rich tapestry of music and song.

Wandering in Wales

Wales, the home of King Arthur, the site of the first Celtic settlements and the land of the Tylwyth Teg, (Welsh Fairies) makes a fascinating subject. Learn about the Druids and their power base in Anglesey. Find out what history tells us about the real King Arthur. Hear about magical encounters with the fairy folk and enjoy some lovely old Welsh songs on the harp.

Spirit of Ireland

The Emerald Isle, land of poets, heroes, saints and bards, makes a compelling theme for St. Patrick’s Day. Hear the true stories, as well as the legends, about Brian Boru and St. Patrick. Enjoy the music and the stories about the great harper, Turlough O’Carolan. Listen to some lovely old Irish ballads, sing along with your favourite Irish tunes, and let the fairy dust settle on you in this delightful program.

Tales and Tunes of Malicious Enchantment
with Betty Bennett

These stories explore the dark side of the fairy world, but in the end good triumphs over evil. Enjoy the hilarious story of a troll child and human princess switched at birth, and the moving tale of a mother who bargains with the fairies to win back her stolen child. Yeats poem, “the Stolen Child” and an old Norse ballad “Sir Olaf at the Fairy Dance” find new life in Angelica’s musical renditions.

Ontario’s Story in Song – a tribute to Edith Fowke
with Betty Bennett, Tori Owen and Allan Kirby

Ontario’s settlers brought with them a treasure trove of traditional ballads from their native lands, but they also created new songs about historical events and their struggles as early immigrants. This program presents the ballads and the stories behind them. Learn what the South Australian Chronicle wrote about the murder of F.C. Benwell by the ne’er do-well son of a parson. Hear the true life experiences of lumberjacks as they felled the trees in Haliburton. Find out about the young women’s dilemma when all their beaux left for the North West Territories at the turn of the century. This program pays tribute to historian and folklorist, Edith Fowke, who collected, recorded and preserved these songs for all Canadians – songs that are part of our history and heritage.

St. Brigid of Kildare

In this program we travel to ancient Ireland and appreciate the life of one of Christianity’s most significant contributors-St. Brigid of Kildare. Born of a pagan chieftain and slave mother Brigid was baptized and inspired by St. Patrick himself, and rose to become the first abbess of Ireland. Bold, feisty, faithful and generous, she well deserves to be the subject of this musical odyssey, which features lovely old Celtic airs as well as contemporary sacred songs.