Appel Farm Arts & Music Center

New Music Discovery!

appelfarm — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:57:45 +0000

The Artistic Director’s Diary

- Sean Timmons

March 23, 2011

New Music Discovery!

There’s a great thrill in discovering something new. Do you remember that amazing restaurant tucked away in a side street that you seemed to have all to yourself until the food critic gave it rave reviews? It’s still there and doing a roaring trade, which just proves you were right about that one!

There’s so much music out there that sifting through it all to unleash the gems can sometimes seem to be a daunting task! Of course, when you hit the jackpot it’s well worth the effort. One of the recent gems for me was The David Wax Museum from Boston. The music is fun time folk and Americana with a distinct Mexican influence. Their unique sound comes from an eclectic array of musical instruments including accordion, fiddle, jara (small Mexican guitar) and hand percussion, combined with ethnic rhythms and call and response interaction with their audiences.

The Boston Globe named them “one of Boston’s hottest new bands” and Time recently included the band among “Ten Acts That Rocked South By Southwest.”

The band’s founder and namesake, David Wax, took a year-long fellowship in Mexico to study the indigenous music. He began blending his native Midwestern folk music with the instruments, rhythms and song structures of the traditional rural music of the Mexican countryside.

The band’s other core member, Suz Slezak, travelled the world on a fellowship before bringing that experience to bear on the traditional Irish, classical, and old time folk music of her upbringing in rural Virginia. David and Suz have performed as The David Wax Museum since 2007 and are joined by various other musicians on the road and in the studio.

The David Wax Museum will join us for an early set on the Meadow Stage at the Arts & Music Festival on June 4^th.

More info here:

http://www.appelfarm.org/arts-music-festival/performers-schedule

VirtuARTSity-New Arts & Social Media Website Launches

appelfarm — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:17:23 +0000

The marriage of social media and the arts seemed like a natural fit- after all, don’t we think of conversation as an art? Facebook and Youtube are great, but at Appel Farm we wanted to take it a step further. Thanks to a grant from PNC Arts Alive, Appel Farm has been able to build a brand new website that allows you to see a bit more of all the events and learning that goes on here, and also connects the artist in all of us with others who share our interests and talents.

The Appel Farm philosophy states that there is innate artistic talent in everyone just waiting to be discovered! Now, you can go on VirtuARTSity, become a member and post your own photos, artwork, videos and podcasts. You can start or join a group based on your interest, or participate in an ongoing discussion. You’ll be able to connect with other members and send them comments on their postings or cheer them on when they post a new work. You can write your own blog, and connect with others who are blogging. It’s an online community that allows you to express your artistry in any number of ways.

Appel Farm is a place where there are lots of opportunities to get more deeply involved in learning. With VirtuARTSity, you’ll be able to view videos of interviews with performing artists, see some residencies in regional schools and learn new arts techniques. PNC Arts Alive’s VirtuARTSity will continue to grow as we add to the library of videos throughout the year.

Please join us. Come and explore www.VirtuARTSity. org, where you become part of art.

Appel Farm at 50

appelfarm — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:46:32 +0000

On October 23 we will celebrate Appel Farm’s 50th birthday as a summer camp and arts center. There will be a grand party in the dining hall, and we are busily prepping decorations, and choosing menus and wines with our caterer. Stressing about RSVPs, who’s coming and who’s not. Looking out the window at the Fall scene and dusky 5pm light, I reflected on what it means to be at this milestone. Why does this one seem so big?

50 is a celebration of maturity, and when someone turns that corner you expect them to know exactly who they are and how they fit into their corner of the world. 50 is the prime, when a person is accomplished and knowledgeable and still kicking it up a bit. 50 is a time when people start looking beyond their own personal borders and start connecting with the big picture items. We all want to leave the world a better place, don’t we? It’s also a time to start thinking about what to do when the next phase of life happens. A time to extend and solidify social connections that will support and nourish you through many more years ahead.

I think it’s the same for Appel Farm. We have turned the corner into maturity. We are celebrating our past, and looking back with some amazement at how it all evolved. As an organization, we have lots of “life experience.” Camp, Arts & Music Festival, concerts, classes, outreach. We know what works and what doesn’t. We look for opportunities to go into the bigger arena and offer our own unique experiences to as many as we can possibly touch. Scholarship campers, programs for the disabled, the elderly, families in stress, schoolchildren all get a little taste of what Appel Farm does so well. And there are many people and organizations that we have connected with through the years that will solidify our ability to reach out to increasing audiences.

This milestone IS big! It’s a chance to take a deep breath and look back. But more importantly, it’s a time to get excited about the future and where we’re going in the next decades. I am confident that Appel Farm will still be here in 2060, still connecting with people, still a place of learning and growth. 50? It feels like we’re just getting started!

Oh Jubilee!

appelfarm — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 18:39:08 +0000

The Artistic Director’s Diary

- Sean Timmons

September 21, 2010

Oh Jubilee!

As Appel Farm celebrates 50 years this October, music will definitely be in the mix. The Golden Appel Jubilee is set for Saturday, October 23^rd to mark this milestone and honor our founder Albert Appel.

The festivities kick off at 5:00PM with an outdoor dedication ceremony. A highlight will be a performance by performing songwriter, John Francis. John has appeared at Appel Farm as part of our First Fridays @ The Gallery series, in addition to his Arts & Music Festival performance. John’s latest album, Better Angels (produced by John Carter Cash) is due for release on November 9^th.

The centerpiece of the evening will be a short recital by world-renowned violist, Toby Appel. Currently on the faculty at the Julliard School in New York, Toby performs throughout North and South America, Europe and the Far East. He has also appeared at the United Nations and The White House. He is planning something special in honor of his father and the thriving art center that bears his name.

The Ken Ulansey Ensemble will provide music throughout the evening. Ken is a renowned musician and a respected bandleader who also happens to be an Appel Farm camp alumnus. He is a much in demand saxophonist who moves easily in the worlds of classical, jazz, folk, world and klezmer music.

Music has been central to Appel Farm’s history and development from day one. Our core program, the summer camp, grew out of Albert and Clare’s music lessons for the community and their vision to provide and deeper and more meaningful experience for students. Since those early days, each successive summer has resonated to the sound of music throughout the farm buildings and indeed the very fields and wooded areas that make up our campus.

This deep-seated tradition of music in our DNA took on new life with the introduction of the annual Arts & Music Festival in 1989. As Appel Farm approached its 30^th anniversary we looked for an event that would celebrate our past and illuminate our aspirations for the future. The Festival became our signature event as Appel Farm transformed from a seasonal program to the multi-faceted year-round arts center that flourishes today.

Music thrives in the special bond between the performer and the audience in the live concert setting. The Clare Rostan Appel Theatre provides a welcoming space for many magical moments throughout the years. As our celebration continues, October will see some audience favorites return to our concert series with Leon Redbone (10/9) and a double bill featuring Janis Ian and Tom Paxton (10/29).

Looking ahead to the future and supporting the next crop of artists, we introduce Avi Wisnia for our First Fridays @The Gallery series on October 1^st.

It’s a very exciting time for us and we’ve surrounded ourselves with great musicians to ensure that it is just as memorable. We hope you can join us for the celebration!

For more information on The Golden Appel Jubilee: http://www.appelfarm.org/about/50th_Jubilee.html

For more information on concerts at Appel Farm: http://www.appelfarm.org/concerts/index.html

Traveling Guitar Foundation Rocks the Grove

appelfarm — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:37:49 +0000

A few months ago I got a call from Mary Ellen Folsom, the Executive Director of ACA New Jersey. I met Mary Ellen last year when we both appeared on News12 New Jersey in a segment about summer camps. “There might be a chance that a new Foundation might do a celebrity concert at your camp this summer, “ she said. “I met this very enthusiastic guy, Damon Marks, and he’s all about music education for kids.”

One thing led to another, and with great excitement we welcomed the Traveling Guitars Foundation to Appel Farm Arts Camp on July 28 for a jam-packed celebrity concert. And oh, they donated 10 Yamaha and Dean guitar kits to the camp too.

Guitarists Damon Marks (who plays with Jermaine Paul and Bret Michaels) and Willie Browne, Jr. (who plays with Alicia Keys) knocked our socks off with their guitar prowess. Singer/songwriter/guitarists Tina Vero, Emma Norris and Anthony Hall were out-in-front awesome as they showed the campers what it means to be a triple threat.

Our campers were so jazzed that they swarmed the stage when Emma invited them up to sing with her. No shy kids, here! They couldn’t wait to take the stage. Drummer and pianist brother/sister duo Coley and Tannah Morris displayed their chops when Damon got them up on stage for a solo moment. These kids have it going on- they were smooth as silk.

Energy, excitement, autographs and 10 GUITARS FOR CAMP. We had it all on July 28!

Appel Farm wows this DC blogger

jerzeygrrl — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 10:40:32 +0000

I left Elmer, New Jersey tired, sore and boy my feet were dirty but I couldn’t have been happier. I’ll admit, my reason for attending the festival was to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, well and of course to bring you everything that was happening, but really, I was super excited for Sharon. What I found was so much more though. From Enter The Haggis (festival favorites) to jazz poet Napalm Da Bomb, I had the chance to experience a very wide range of artists that were sure to tickle any and all patron’s fancies.
These are my feet at the end of the day, it was veery long. But you’re not here to read about my feet. If you are? Well, then I’m sorry, this isn’t the venue.
But getting back to the festival, I wanted to devote a few minutes to the Meadow Stage that, this year, housed the amazing poets that came to share their talents with Appel Farm’s guests. Napalm Da Bomb and the Jazz Poetics were simply amazing. Napalm’s talents by themselves will blow you away but couple that with an awesome jazz band and you have magic in the grove. I’ll let his performance speak for itself.

I’d love to come back next year to cover the next festival and hopefully I’ll be invited back. Until next time kids, you can catch me on my own blog at http://jerzeygrrl.com. Check it out, it’s fun. See ya next year!

The Avett Brothers close out a fabulous day at the Farm

jerzeygrrl — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 01:23:01 +0000

Alterna-country-Americana-rock act The Avett Brothers closed out the festivities at the Appel Farm Arts & Music Festival with a racous crowd that spanned the entire age range of patrons on the Farm. Tweens, teens, twenty-somethings, parents, toddlers, and geezers alike rocked out to the latest fold music act to sweep the nation. Here’s just a taste of what the Avett Brothers did down on the Farm. Enjoy!

A total recap will come tomorrow, until then kids, it’s been fun. Thanks for having me!

Hugs, kisses, and cocktails,

<3 JerzeyGrrl

Sharon Jones blows the roof off Appel Farm!

jerzeygrrl — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 21:59:33 +0000

WOW, just wow. I can’t say enough good things about Sharon Jones’ performance at the Arts & Music Festival today. It blew my mind. Left me speechless. MADE MY DAY. I still can’t get over how close I got to the EPIC Ms. Jones. An amazing performer, she revved the crowd up with selections from her new album “I Learned The Hard Way”. If you have the chance to catch her live, I highly recommend it. Here’s just a taste of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings at Appel Farm.

Bring the kids!

jerzeygrrl — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:07:27 +0000

You might think that this lovely day is just for the adults, but you would be wrong. Bring your kids on down for storytelling, face painting and lots more! Here’s just a sampling of what we have at the Farm today.

New Videos On YouTube

appelfarm — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 18:40:54 +0000

For those of you who are following the Festival online we’ll be posting vids throughout the day. Uploading some new ones now at 2:40pm. There’s a link to our YouTube channel on the lower right corner of our blog.