Uisge Beatha is a prize-winning composition by American composer Michael Bell using contemporary Celtic and contradance melodies. The name is Gaelic for water of life and shortened becomes the English word Whiskey. The composition is a creative dialogue between two of Michael’s fiddle tunes Crossing the Equinox and Dancing on a Skateboard.
L’Esperance Mandolin Ensemble was founded in 1990 to continue the tradition of mandolin in America represented by the great American mandolinists Giuseppe Pettine, William Place, Jr. and Hibbard Perry. From Folk to Baroque, our program presented at the First Unitarian Church of Providence on May 14, 2016 celebrates the marriage of folk and classical music from Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi to Beethoven and including contemporary composers Jim Dalton and Michael Mayerfeld Bell.
Mandolin: Michael Cappelli, Virginia Child, Jack Cook, Yvette Cote, Julia Doyle-Kingsbury, Duane Golomb, Keith Higginson, Chang Lee, Viki Merrick, Ron Parker, Terry Smith
Mandola: Vincent Bucci, David Burt, Harvey Marcotte, Will Melton, Joanne Taddei, Frederick Work
Mandocello: Jess Dettmann, Alex Hatzberger, Michael Scott
Guitar: Christopher Sanzo
Mandobass: Hiatt Knapp
Percussion: Kyle Forsthoff
Musical Direction: Joshua Bell