Kantara in Morocco Mar. 2007

Kantara began the Moroccan portion of the tour in Rabat and checked into a beautiful hotel downtown. We walked around the medina and saw the sun set over the ocean our first night in town. The next day, we met with music students and professors from Rabat. We were supposed to give a master class, but Kantara ended up getting schooled instead. The Moroccan musicians taught us some really tricky rhythms (in 11/8!) and tried to teach us one of their most popular melodies. We did our best, but I’m not sure we ever really learned it with the correct nuances and rhythm. It was still really fun to meet such talented and kind musicians in Morocco. They came to our concert at the Mohammed V Theater in Rabat and it was nice to see that they appreciated our fusion music too.

After performing in Rabat, Kantara journeyed to Casablanca for the final concert of our tour. While we were in Casablanca, we did last minute gift shopping in the medina, visited the music conservatory and jammed with the professors, and did lots of relaxing in the Hyatt Regency. One of my favorite moments on tour happened while watching TV in the hotel room. The American musicians were trying to find an English speaking station when we stumbled across ourselves on the national news! It was even funnier because they aired footage of us goofing off backstage. Brian was playing “Sweet Child of Mine” and a random Moroccan kid who wasn’t in the band was playing the mandolin. Almost every concert had news and media coverage, but it never occurred to us that we would make the top news. It was surreal to see ourselves on television and then to get recognized in the street. After performing at the Moulay Rachid Theater, Kantara celebrated the end of a long successful tour.

It was hard to say goodbye to Kantara, but I know I will see them soon. We are getting together in May to do a US tour and to record a full length album. I’ll post more info about the upcoming tour soon.

Kantara in France Feb/Mar 2007

This was my first extended visit to France! Kantara stayed at the Consular General’s house in Marseille where we enjoyed a gorgeous view of the Mediterranean sea outside of our bedroom windows. We performed at the Consulate in Marseille and also at a hip club called Espace Julien. I was able to enjoy two amazing days of seaside strolls and downtown shopping before I was struck by a powerful bug (or food poisoning). Unfortunately I got sick on the day of our concert at the rock club. After an emergency trip to a clinic, I felt better in time to “participate” in the performance. Even though I barely got through the show, everyone else in the band thought it was the best performance of the tour. Thanks for making me feel better guys.

Kantara in Tunisia Feb. 2007

This was my third time back in North Africa, and I was looking forward to the relaxed schedule and warm weather. Even though Kantara had performances at the Ambassador’s residence and a concert at a venue called Sadika’s, it felt like a vacation. I treated myself to fresh squeezed orange juice at the cafes, shopped in cute jewelry stores, and took walks through town just for fun. The Virginia members of Kantara also had some legendary jam sessions in Brennan’s living room.

Kantara in Italy Feb. 2007

After recording with Ian in London, I left directly to begin rehearsals with Kantara in Florence. It was so wonderful to have Kantara reunite! We were polite to each other for approximately one minute before the teasing and wrestling began. The first spitball war began on the train from the airport to the Consulate.

While we were in Florence, our host treated us like royalty. We stayed in opulent rooms with 30 foot vaulted ceilings decorated with gold trim and gorgeous murals. We rehearsed in a ballroom and dined at a banquet table. Even though we were very comfortable, we still worked really hard to prepare for our tour.

After our first performance in Florence, Kantara toured in Reggio Emilia and Milan. We had the good fortune to be in Milan during fashion week, and we were surrounded by the most beautiful and beautifully dressed people. We stayed in the same hotel with a bunch of runway models, and it was shocking to see such tall thin girls in person. On our free day in Milan we viewed the Last Supper painting in the Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie. It was so amazing to see the masterpiece in person, and I left with a newfound appreciation of Leonardo DaVinci. On another one of our free days, we went to Venice and were lucky enough to visit in the middle of Carnival. I’ve always dreamed that Venice would be a magical romantic place, and the city more than surpassed my greatest expectations. It made me swoon to see the Carnival costumes, the crazy crowds, the street performers, the gondolas, and the beautiful architecture.

Italy was so kind to Kantara. I was sorry to leave, but looking forward to adventures in Tunisia.

Recording in Jan/ Feb 2007

I was looking forward to lots of time off after the 2006 tours, but I actually spent a lot of time in the recording studio. I ended up playing on six different records! Three of my recording projects were done with a humble Grammy winning arranger named Fletch Wiley. In addition to working on other people’s albums, I finally started recording a few of my original tunes. One of these days I’ll have a CD to call my own.

After recording in the states, I traveled to London to do some recording with Ian. We recorded a couple of tunes from the acoustic tour, in addition to recording my tune, “Runty”. The Tull band also recorded tracks for “Bluegrass in the Backwoods” as a gift for me. It was fun to work with Ian in the studio, even if he does hear and point out every little mistake I make. Ian is a whiz at recording technology! He made the studio engineer feel redundant when he stepped up to help at the control board. I can’t wait to hear the mixed tracks.

This picture is from the cute London studio.

Acoustic Jethro Tull in Germany/London Dec. 2006

My first adventure in Germany took me to the beautiful and idyllic Maria Laach. Acoustic Tull was scheduled to perform for the televised German President’s concert, and I thought that it would be fairly simple to rehearse and shoot 15 minutes of music. I was surprised by the number of rehearsals we had, and I rather enjoyed having my hair and make up done by a professional. I looked nothing like myself, and the German promoter exclaimed “Oy, yoy, yoy!” when he saw me. (A compliment?) The band spent a few fairly restful days at Maria Laach and I enjoyed a couple of walks to the lake, evenings in the hotel pub, and the good company of the band and our new German friends. I also got to meet a new guitarist, Florian Ophale, who had toured earlier in the year with Jethro Tull. After the concert, the band was invited to a party with the president of Germany. The picture above shows me and Ian meeting the president.


This is the monastery where we filmed the concert. It was beautifully decorated on the inside with the most perfect Christmas trees I have ever seen.


I took this picture on our walk to the lake.



The view from my hotel window.


Flo posing with a smart car.


Right after our show in Germany, we traveled to London for a charity performance at St. Bride's. I stayed with Rev. George Pitcher at his country home in Sussex and his family made me feel so welcome. His wife was a fantastic cook and his sons were absolutely charming. I was so inspired at their home that I composed “Bach or Whatever” for the violin and wrote a Christmas prayer for the Tull performance. Rev. George also took me to see the hundred acre wood in the “Winnie the Pooh” books and showed me around St. Bride's. At St. Bride's I stayed in the rectory and was free to wander the streets of London on my own terms. I walked around and visited the markets, wandered into book stores and cafes, and gazed at St. Paul’s cathedral in its full Christmas glory. The concert at St. Brides was sold out, and it was truly special to perform with Tull in such a spiritual context. We read from the Bible, played Christmas tunes, prayed, read Christmas poems, and played some of Tull’s classic tunes in the mix. The picture above is the sanctuary/ concert stage at St. Bride's.


I took this picture of St. Paul's cathedral during a night time stroll through the streets of London.


This is the famous steeple at St. Bride's. Apparently, tiered wedding cakes were modeled after the beautiful steeple of the appropriately named church.

Kenneth Cole, NY December 2006

I had the pleasure of visiting the design studio of Kenneth Cole earlier this month. He came to an orchestral Jethro Tull performance and took pity on me when he saw me wearing a spandex, abstract leopard-print dress with a pleated skirt. (See my pictures from the America tour if you don’t believe me). It was a girl’s dream come true to try on different looks and get fashion advice from a famous designer. In addition to being very generous with his time and practically giving me a gorgeous new wardrobe, Kenneth also invited me to perform at his Christmas party. At his party, I watched Kenneth get mobbed by people wanting their picture with him. Joan Rivers got his picture at his arrival, and he couldn’t take more than one step without a new person at his arm and a camera aimed at his face. I composed a piece for his party on the spot called “Kenneth, will you take a picture with me?” and then I did exactly that in the picture above.

More pictures from Europe/Scandinavia Nov. tour

I took this picture myself of me with Martin Barre. He's an amazing guitarist in addition to being a sweet person.


The streets of Copenhagen were decorated for Christmas.


I loved this lonely tree in a Copenhagen courtyard.


In Copenhagen


Our two-story tour bus.


The rubber duckie in the fountain of our fancy hotel made me smile.


I took this picture with our lighting prodigy. He was only 17 years old and did an amazing job. I affectionaltely called him "young'un".


I stumbled upon this cathedral while walking the streets of Tilburg.

Acoustic Jethro Tull in Europe/ Scandinavia Nov. 2006

I was really excited to play acoustic Jethro Tull because I grew up playing acoustic folk music. The selections were conducive to fiddling, and it was a fun challenge adapting orchestral music to the smaller acoustic arrangement. Martin Barre also played guitar on this tour, and I enjoyed the honor of playing with him.

Unfortunately I was away for Thanksgiving. It was lonely celebrating a great American holiday in Tilburg. No love from the Englishmen or from the locals. I was on my own to find turkey (no luck), and I couldn’t even get cranberry juice at the bar! Even though Thanksgiving was bleak, I enjoyed the beautiful cities we visited. I loved Malmo in particular. The shops were decorating for Christmas and an accordian player was working the street corner. Everyone rode bicycles and the streets were paved in charming cobblestone. I also enjoyed being in Helsinki, Finland for a day. It was amazing how the sky darkened at 3:00 in the afternoon! I also loved traveling in a two story tour bus and going across the English Channel in a ferry. We don’t have rides like that in America.

More pictures from America Sept/Nov tour 2006

Taking bows with Ian in Atlantic City.


On stage with Ian in Atlantic City.


Me with Ian after the show.


Shopping at a toy store in New York.


It wasn't Halloween, but it was close enough. We celebrated in full costume at this sound check.


On stage with Ian


I actually had a drink named after me at the Warner Theatre. A quote from Ian described me and the drink. " A non-alcoholic fruity cocktail in honour of our special guest violinist who is a tea tottler, doesn't drink, doesn't party, reads difficult books, teaches conceptual physics, is a devout Christian and happens to be one of the hottest babes in the known universe..." Thanks Ian.


I loved the "cow art" that decorated the streets of Madison, Wisconsin.


On stage with Ian.


Eating sushi with the band and orchestra after playing at the Rose Theatre in New York.

Orchestral Jethro Tull in America September-October 2006

I had gotten used to being the only girl in the band, and it was treat to do the America tour with an all girl (and one guy) orchestra in tow. We were a big happy family traveling in two tour busses. It was fun to sleep on the moving bus and wake up in a new city every day. My favorite city was Madison, Wisconsin. I bought a big pink hat and some clunky cow-girl boots in their down town stores. I also walked the farmer’s market and ate my body weight in cheese samples.

Boy did we have adventures! I explored a haunted theatre, learned how to salsa dance, dressed up for an early Halloween party, and suffered an embarrassing bowling tumble. I met fashion designer Kenneth Cole, inspired Ian to dance a jig on stage, and went wading through a muddy pond on a dare. I had a drink named after me at the Warner Theater (non-alcoholic of course), learned how to wear a du rag, and made a dictionary of crazy Englishman sayings. I stepped inside my first casino, had a dressing room next to Winton Marsalis’ office, and went jogging in Central Park.

The tour had so many rich moments that I couldn’t possibly list them all in a short blog entry. The rockin’ members of the orchestra truly made the tour special, and I enjoyed every drop of their company. I expect to hear great things about them in the future, and I’m so happy to have met them all.

The picture shows me with some of my friends in the orchestra.

More pictures from Israel September 2006 tour

On stage with the Orchestral Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull.


I was checking my monitor levels here.


I couldn't resist asking Ian for a picture with me at Jaffe. I tried not to bug him for a photo, but my parents would have killed me if I didn't get one before the end of the tour.


Yuri, our Israeli promoter (and my favorite pen-pal) bought me this cup of pomegranate juice in Jerusalem.


Seeing Jerusalem was overwhelming. Yuri was an excellent tour guide and did a good job of showing us the highlights of the city in a day trip.


I took this picture from the balcony of my hotel room.


This was the beach that I could see from the hotel.


I saw this hanging tree in a courtyard in Jaffe.

Orchestral Jethro Tull in Israel 2006

This was my very first tour with the orchestral Jethro Tull. Ian and I met through a mutual friend, and we had a lengthy cyber correspondence. He was very brave to hire me without ever seeing me (or hearing me) in person. I was thrilled to meet him in person, and amazed by how much we had in common. He likes hot peppers and little black cats just as much as I do. I met the rest of the band in London for rehearsals, and they put me at ease right away. After one day of rehearsing with the band, we flew to Israel and rehearsed with the Ra’anana Symphony. Our lovely promotor also took the band on a tour of Israel and treated us to traditional Israeli cuisine. There was so much to see and do, that I desperately want to return to Israel when I have more time.

This picture was taken of the stage before the show.

Kantara in Tunisia June 2006

This tour fell on my summer teaching break from Woodberry. I was really looking forward to returning to Tunisia, especially since we would be performing with several guest musicians and the Vienna Opera House Orchestra in the Carthage ampitheatre. Unfortunately, I arrived in Tunisia feeling ill. Brennan Gilmore (guitarist, mandolin player, vocalist, and good friend since college) had to take care of me when the condition escalated. He called doctors to the house, checked on me when I couldn’t stop being sick, and eventually spent the night with me in the hospital/ clinic. He translated for me in the hospital and calmed me down when I had a panic attack and tried to leave. Luckily, the sickness passed quickly and I was well enough to attend the dress rehearsal and perform in the concert.

The picture abovewas taken during a rehearsal break. From left to right: Zack Blatter, Tom Rosenkrantz, me, Brennan Gilmore, Pedro Eustach, Riadh Ferri.


We performed here- in the ruins of the Carthage ampitheatre.


Practicing with Brennan.


I loved seeing camels on the beach.


Kantara spent a day in the studio to record our demo.


I promise that I am not making this up. While we were in the studio, I watched a mother cat nursing her two big kittens. A turtle started running towards the cats, climed over one of the kittens, and partook in the nursing! I wish I had a video camera. At least I was able to take this picture with live witnesses to the event.


We spent a lot of time at the home of a glass blower named Sadika. Here I am relaxing on her sofa.


This is the front of Sadika's shop.


Tunisian rugs are so beautiful. I bought a little green rug for Brian.

Kantara in Africa/Italy March 2006

I completed this tour in North Africa and Italy while I was still teaching full time at Woodberry Forest School. The tour fell beautifully on my spring break, and I took a break from teaching private lessons. The tour started in Florence, where we were hosted by the consulate general. (The picture is of the view from the balcony in Florence) While we were in Italy, we performed in Colle Val D’Elsa, Modena (at Pavarotti’s conservatory!), and Bologna. In North Africa, we performed at the Theatre Municipal in Tunisia and did a master class and performance at The University of Sousse Institute of Music.

Off stage, Kantara is the craziest band I’ve every worked with. We had raging food fights, danced in the streets, had spitball wars, and wrestling competitions. Before the tour, I thought that music would be the common thread, bonding me to the Tunisian musicians in the band. In reality, I think it was a shaving cream battle that endeared us to each other.

Kantara plays Arabic-Applachian music with the goal of encouraging positive communication between American and Muslim people while pioneering a unique sound. Check out the website kantaramusic.com.



This picture was taken on our free day in Milan.


The beautiful cathedral in Milan.


Smart cars were all over Italy. They never failed to make me laugh.


We arrived in Tunisia during the "green season". I was surprised to see sheep and green meadows in North Africa.


A view from a roof top cafe in Tunisia.


Brian looks good behind Riadh's desk at the conservatory.


We performed at the Municipal Theatre in downtown Tunisa. The interior was extremely formal and we were shocked to see that the stage was decorated with bales of hay! I guess they wanted to bring out the "Appalachian flavor" of the group. Brian helped the stage crew remove the hay before we performed. I also got a kick out of having a make-up artist paint a new face on me. I hardly recognized myself at the end of the ordeal. It was also hilarious watching my husband getting made up.


We took this picture after a house concert for the American Embassy in Tunisia. We wanted a good group photo, but we didn't really get anything professional enough. We must have taken a hundred pictures of the band that night but someone was always goofing off, making a face, smacking someone, or not looking at the camera.