[NEOPAL]Celebrating Folk Music's Elder Women

[jkmiller]

Celebrating Folk Music's Elder Women

Coming Into My Years (CIMY), a mini-festival celebrating elder women
in folk music, will present Peggy Seeger and Kristin Lems, March 24 &
25, at Detroit Avenue Arts Parish Hall on Cleveland's Near West Side.

When singer-songwriter Kristin Lems hits the stage on Friday, she
will be accompanied by a longtime
collaborator, 86-year-old Peggy Lipschutz.  Peggy will not
back up Kristin on bass, banjo or fiddle, however; her
instrument of choice is a box of colored chalk, applied to
sheets of paper on an outsize easel.

The English-born painter and graphic designer began
developing this unique art form, which she calls "chalk
talk" or "songs you can see," almost 60 years ago.
Performances are not improvised, but carefully planned -
choreographed as it were - and rehearsed.  Peggy's often
audible chalk strokes match the beat of the music.  Her
drawing, unrecognizable at first, takes shape as the song
unfolds.  As the song ends, a last line of chalk completes
the drawing, and its meaning becomes clear.  The
drawings she creates will be raffled off during the evening.

The Village Voice has called Saturday night's performer, Peggy
Seeger, "the First Woman
of Folk," while the Belfast Telegraph describes her as "one
of the most complete artists around today." Peggy Seeger is the
sister of Pete Seeger and the wife of the late Ewan MacColl, who
wrote "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" for her.  Peggy Seeger's
repertoire
includes traditional songs from the U.S. and the British
isles and hundreds of original songs.  She is best known for "I'm Gonna Be an
Engineer," a rollicking ballad about a young woman who
defies convention by learning a highly paid skilled trade.
(In England, the job title "engineer" refers to a
machinist.)

On Saturday afternoon the audience can observe and ask questions, as
Seeger and Lems sit down for a conversation about music, life and
politics.  Although the two have corresponded and admired each
other's work for decades, this will be the first time they have met.

A schedule of the weekend's events is below.

For more information:  216-321-9983 or jkmiller at igc.org


Coming Into My Years

Schedule:

*  Friday, March 24  8:00 p.m., Kristin Lems in Concert
with Peggy Lipschutz
*  Saturday, March 25 1:00 p.m.,  Peggy Seeger &  Kristin Lems:
A Musical Conversation, hosted by Deborah Van Kleef  (Free)
*  Saturday, March 25  8:00 p.m.  Peggy Seeger in Concert

All events take place at Detroit Avenue Arts Parish Hall,
6205 Detroit Avenue, just east of Cleveland Public Theatre,
on Cleveland's Near West Side.

Ticket prices:
*  One concert $15 in advance and $18 at
the door
*  Both concerts $25 in advance and $30 at the
door.

For ticket outlets and background on Peggy Seeger and Kristin
Lems, go to www.detroitavenuearts.com, call 216-321-9983, or
email jkmiller at igc.org.