Hawa Kassé Mady Diabaté and Fode Lassana Diabaté are on their way from Mali to Cape Breton! These revered musicians, Jelis, or Mande singing storytellers, will be traveling throughout Eastern Cape Breton this week, giving school workshops, concerts and meeting with various communities. Among their list of activities: they will be hosted at Glace Bay’s UNIA Hall this Wednesday evening. Our thanks to Theresa Brewster and all the UNIA members for their gracious hospitality.

Check out this story in the Cape Breton Post about Wednesday’s wonderful event! And come out to The Boardmore Theatre this Friday to take part in the world premiere of a new performance created specially for Singing Storytellers by Hawa and Lassana!

We would like to thank everyone in our local community who came out to help launch Singing Storytellers at the Cape Breton Regional Library, Downtown Sydney. Thank you to all of the speakers, singers and storytellers for their help in creating this wonderful event! Also, thank you to all of our partners and funders who made this possible!

You can listen to the program on CBC Mainstreet Cape Breton with Wendy Bergfeldt by clicking here! And read about it here in the Cape Breton Post!

Have a look online at the Celtic Colours International Festival website – for the Singing Storytellers “Learning Opportunities” and performance events that are featured there:

• Singing Storytellers at the Library: We invite the public to join our symposium for a day filled with films, workshops, talks and demonstrations about the lives, music and verbal artistry of bards in our world. 10am-4pm, Thurs, 9 Oct, McConnell Library.
• A Life in Story and Song: An evening featuring Irish traditional singers Seán Ó Sé and Lillis Ó Laoire, and a film created by ethnomusicologist Matthew Allen. 7pm, Thurs, 9 Oct, Sydney Curling Club.
• Capt. John Smith Goes to Ukraine: A play – a multimedia event! – featuring bandurist Julian Kytasty and poet Bob Holman. Before John Smith sailed for Virginia, he was an adventurer in the Mediterranean where he fought the Ottoman Turks, was captured and sold as a slave – as you will learn in this comedy/musical/historical epic-in-an-hour! 2pm, Sat, 11 Oct, Boardmore Playhouse/Cape Breton U.
• Bards of the World: A concert featuring singing storytellers from Mali to Ukraine to Ireland to Cape Breton! 2pm, Sun, 12 Oct 2014, Boardmore Playhouse/Cape Breton U.
• Whitney Pier Welcome: This concert that features performers of bardic traditions related to the diverse cultural ancestry of Whitney Pier’s multicultural community! 2pm, Mon, 13 Oct, Ukrainian Hall.

Many other Singing Storytellers workshop and performance events are in the works! Check out the Preliminary Program – and keep checking back to this site for updates. In the coming weeks, we will post news about Singing Storytellers Special Events!

To all Singing Storytellers symposium and project participants!

Great news! Celtic Colours International Festival has arranged a discounted rate for vehicle rental through Enterprise! PLEASE book your rental vehicles (whether in Halifax or Sydney or wherever), with Enterprise, citing the Celtic Colours promotional code –  you will be given a significantly discounted rate! Your rental through Enterprise, using the promotional code, is an important way that Singing Storytellers can support our sponsors and partners – and you get a deal on your car rental! This helps everyone!

Find out more about the Celtic Colours promotional code and Enterprise vehicle rental here!

Looking forward to welcoming you to Cape Breton soon!

Dear colleagues, greetings to you on behalf of the Singing Storytellers organizers!

Online Registration is now available on our website.

***All presenters must be registered no later than July 21st, 2014 – or will be removed from the final program, which will be created shortly after July 21st, 2014.*** Note that the schedule of presentations will be revised from that of the preliminary program.

With kindest regards – looking forward to welcoming you to Cape Breton this October!

Marcia Ostashewski, PhD
Canada Research Chair in Communities and Cultures
Cape Breton University

Celtic Colours International Festival, one of Singing Storytellers major partners, has posted their program! Some of our Singing Storytellers Symposium program events are featured:

• Our first full day of workshops and performances at Sydney’s Public Library, and the evening’s special session, A Life in Song and Story. Admission for these events is covered by your symposium registration!
• Celtic Colours is hosting a Bards of the World concert, the final event of our symposium! This concert will be held at 2 pm, Sunday, October 12th at CBU’s Boardmore Theatre. A ticket for this concert is included in your symposium registration!

The Whitney Pier Welcome! concert was also prompted in a new venue by Singing Storytellers! Enjoy “Celtic Colours Ukrainian-style!” and a special Taste of Ukraine meal after the show! These events take place on Monday, October 13th (Canadian Thanksgiving), the day following our symposium. It will be well worth your while to stick around for at least one extra day to take in these events – and other Celtic Colours happenings! (access the 2014 Festival Schedule here)

Singing Storytellers own program will be finalized after July 21st, and updated online then. Looking forward to welcoming you to Cape Breton this October!

Singing Storytellers and its multiple outreach activities have been getting plenty of media attention! Here are some recent news articles.

Singing Storytellers prompted the participation of a new community venue for Celtic Colours International Festival! news article title: “Celtic Colours Ukrainian Style!”

Singing Storytellers bard recently back from Ukraine – in Cape Breton for recording project!  news article title: “Musician has hope for Ukraine.”

Our thanks to the Chronicle Herald and Cape Breton Star for their coverage – and for the public interest and engagement with Singing Storytellers!

We are pleased to announce that the Singing Storytellers Preliminary Program is now available on our website!

***Please note that some aspects of this preliminary program are pending approval of funding and cannot be confirmed until all grant applications have been adjudicated. Information will be updated as it becomes available over the coming weeks.***

Once the program has been finalized in a few weeks time, a PDF of the final program will be made available for download. A booklet of presentation and workshop abstracts will also be made available.

Please continue to check our website and our Singing Storytellers Facebook page, for more information.

We’re looking forward to welcoming you to Cape Breton this October!

With kindest regards,                                                                                                          Marcia Ostashewski,                                                                                                                                                     Canada Research Chair in Communities and Culture,                                                      Cape Breton University                                                                                                                                                    and the Singing Storytellers Organizing Committees

We have begun notifying applicants of the proposals that have been accepted for presentation! Please allow a few days for all of the notifications to be circulated.

The deadline for pre-registration by presenters whose proposals have been accepted is 15 July 2014. However, if you would like your presentation to be considered for advertisement in the Celtic Colours program magazine, we need confirmation of your participation no later than 25 April 2014.

If you plan to attend, we strongly recommend that you book your accommodations and other needs very soon, as Celtic Colours season sees a tremendous influx of tourists to the area! and a shortage of rooms and rental cars.

Please continue to watch this blog and our FaceBook page for updates – of the preliminary program posting, registration, potential travel subsidy opportunities and other news.