PORT TOWNSEND — Internationally known fiddler Lisa Ornstein and guitarist-vocalist Dan Compton of Portland, Ore., are coming back to town for morning workshops followed by a
1 p.m. concert at RoseWind Common House, 3221 Haines St., this Saturday.
The duo will begin their day at RoseWind with their fiddle and guitar workshops starting at 10:30 a.m.
Advance registration is encouraged.
Would-be participants can find out more details by emailing lisa.ornstein@hotmail.com.
The suggested donation is $20 per workshop or $30 for two sessions.
The two were last here in December.
Known as a virtuoso interpreter of the traditional music of French Canada and Appalachia, Ornstein said, “I love coming to Port Townsend.
“I feel like if we don’t come at least once a year, something’s wrong,” she added.
Ornstein’s pair of one-hour sessions are for intermediate and advanced fiddlers.
She said she has been impressed by the level of musicianship she has found here.
“It is such a pleasure to come to a community with such a lively cultural scene with a lot of musicians.”
Last year’s workshops attracted at least a dozen fiddlers, she said.
Ornstein, who has taught, concertized and toured in North America and Europe, and recorded for both Smithsonian Folkways and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, also promises an old-time workshop to include a “great old Galax, Va., barnburner” and a new composition from Rayna Gellert, followed by a Quebec workshop.
In it, participants will learn a tune from legendary beggar-fiddler Thomas Pomerleau as well as a recently composed waltz.
Multi-instrumentalist Compton, who has been part of Pacific Northwest folk music scene for many years, will offer a one-hour workshop introducing beginning and intermediate guitarists to the DADGAD tuning.
First popularized in Europe, DADGAD has become an alternate standard tuning in traditional folk music.
Their 1 p.m. Saturday concert will also be at RoseWind.
During the concert, Ornstein and Compton will present a concert featuring traditional music from Quebec and Appalachia as well as original tunes.
This music is “both exuberant and intimate,” Ornstein said, much like the atmosphere of the Quebec house parties and Appalachian front porches where she learned to play.
Admission to Saturday’s concert is a suggested donation of $12 to $20, and more information about the performers and other gigs is at www.LisaOrnstein.com.
