Ben Sollee and Abigail Washburn Performance
Accompanied by the Alash Ensemble
June 1, 7:30pm
In the Atrium Gallery
21c presents a unique musical performance with Abigail Washburn and Ben Sollee.
The duo will be joined by a rare performance by the international award winning
throat singers from Tuva, the Alash Ensemble.
Ben and Abigail have recently performed as part of the Sparrow Quartet, a gathering
of superlative musicians first assembled for several tours of China and the first
ever U.S. government-sponsored tour of Tibet.
Born and raised in Kentucky, 23-year old cellist and singer Ben Sollee has spent
his young life marinating in traditions of Appalachian, folk, R&B, and classical
music. Ben is developing a reputation for his fresh approach to the cello, accompanying
his soulful singing with a unique, three-finger plucking style.
Clawhammer banjo player and evocative vocalist Abigail balances her affinity for
Chinese culture with a love of traditional American music in her compositions.
Currently on their US tour the ensemble Alash is carrying the proud traditions of
Tuvan music into the future. They are among the first of a new generation of Tuvan
musicians who have matured in the musically fertile and adventurous post-communist
period in the Central Asian country of Tuva. Having been students not only of well-known
musicians such as Kongar-ool Ondar, they are also recipients of the musical knowledge
of their own families and regions.