December 19th, 2021 - 3pm / Online / guest pianist John Thomas "The Bulgarian Piano"
Join us as we connect on ZOOM to our list of sign-up musicians, and featured guest pianist John Thomas.
John Thomas presents “The Bulgarian Piano: Tradition & Improvisation”, a musical tour of fascinating and diverse genres of folklore, composition, and moderns styles that traverse the mountains, plains and sea of one of the most complicated countries in the European Union.
Bulgaria was virtually cloistered from the world, first during more than four centuries of Ottoman empire domination and later by more than 40 years of Communist political rule. As a result, its traditional folklore melodies, rhythms and harmonies retained the purity of their roots more than the music of any other country in the Balkans. Beginning in the latter part of the 19th century and for nearly one hundred years, Bulgaria’s “classical” composers often expanded their professional expertise through study in western European cultural centers. Their fusion of ancient village melodies and tonal sounds in nature with classical composition techniques created a unique cultural oeuvre of music that continues today in more modern and improvisatory forms.
The concert may include music by the greatest and most revered of the classical Bulgarian composers, Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978); compositions by two icons of the era, Dimitar Nenov (1901-1953) and Lyubomir Pipkov (1904-1974); Milcho Leviev (1937-2019), the internationally known pioneer of Bulgarian “music without borders” mixing traditional themes with American jazz and boogie woogie; Nedyalko Nedyalkov (b. 1970), a soulful composer and master of the flute-like kaval; a rare nostalgic tango from the café era of early 20th century Bulgarian society; and composed improvisations by John Thomas of traditional melodies from some of Bulgaria’s musical regions (Dobrudzha, Macedonia, Pleven (Milkovitsa), Rhodope (Garnati), Sandanski, Thrace).
John Thomas (photo above Igor Myakotin) has been a well-known creative artist in Provincetown and Cape Cod for three decades. He is a pianist, concert producer, music director, composer and actor. John has produced the Great Music on Sundays @5 concert series at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House of Provincetown for more than decades with more than 350 concerts and hundreds of performers. In 2020 and 2021 the concert season was presented online; live concerts will return in 2022. He was awarded a Bulgarian Fulbright Commission grant for study, research and performance for his project “Music without Borders: Bulgaria and America in Melody, Harmony and Rhythm”. He subsequently produced the video concert series “Music without Borders” at the Provincetown Theater, which was featured on Mindy Todd’s NPR program “The Point”. More information and links to YouTube videos at: https://johnwthomas.com
Connect Via Zoom:
Meeting ID: 824 5408 3651
Passcode: OMC
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To Public:
No Zoom account is necessary to be able to connect, but if you want to download zoom here it is: https://zoom.us/download
Performers: For all classical musicians, and singers who want to perform, contact us to sign up! (email: openmicclassical@gmail.com)
Those who want to play music, or sing please do this additional step on Zoom: download Zoom, and enable your original sound.
Quick Tutorials on how to do enable original sound on Zoom:
How to enhance Zoom for music playing if you are on a laptop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExVWUDLuadA
How to enhance Zoom for music playing if you are on an Ipad or Iphone: https://youtu.be/7sFZSQMNriw
If you have any problems related to Zoom, or connecting on the day of the event please call.
Donations for this event are accepted via electronic payment (cards), and check. Please check out our Donate page to choose the best option for you: https://www.openmicclassical.org/donate
"This program is supported in part by a grant from the Brewster Cultural Council, Harwich Cultural Council, Orleans Cultural Council, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency." https://massculturalcouncil.org/
