Originally from Fairhope, Alabama, Justin Parish has become a respected figure as a vocal technician, composer, and vocalist. His desire to create led him to first study at Ithaca College, later earning his bachelor’s degree in Music Composition and Vocal Performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
For nearly a decade, Justin has resided on the scenic South Shore of Massachusetts where he has remained dedicated to helping singers of all ages, styles, and backgrounds find their voice. In addition to maintaining his own studio, he proudly teaches at the Conservatory School for the Performing Arts in Stoughton, MA. Holding a teaching certification from New York Vocal Coaching, Justin brings a nuanced, compassionate, and experienced approach to mentoring his students. Under his guidance, these aspiring artists consistently excel, reaching new levels of self-confidence, winning competitions, earning placements in prestigious schools, and securing positions in the industry.
As a composer, Justin‘s works are characterized by their evocative, colorful soundscapes, reflecting his love of texture, harmony, and connection to both culture and emotion. While he resides in Massachusetts, his roots remain on the Gulf Coast, a reminder of the diverse influences that shape his musical sensibilities.
Beyond the world of music, Justin finds solace in the natural beauty of the world, often accompanied by his canine companion, Sunny. You can often find him wandering hiking trails, embarking on long road trips, or relaxing on the beach.
Kongero is: Anna Wikénius, Sofia Hultqvist Kott, Lotta Andersson, and Emma Björling
Kongero is a highly esteemed, world touring Swedish Folk’appella group singing powerful, evocative, haunting music. A concert with Kongero will take the listener on a fabulous journey, an all-embracing Scandinavian folk music experience. Amazing vocal polyphony, groovy, and powerful. We released our 6th album “Live in Longueuil” in the summer 2021 and it’s been so well-received!
We push the boundaries in trad/folk/world music as well as in a cappella and chamber music. We feel it’s important to share this passion with others. By conducting our workshops and master classes we make great music and long-lasting connections with singers wherever we go. To share is to gain something new, and by sharing our tradition, knowledge, and passion we get lots of positive energy, love, and powerful musical experiences.
This journey has, since 2005, resulted in extensive touring all over Europe, Canada, Barbados, and Singapore. We have done official showcases at Folk Alliance International, Nordic Folk Alliance, Nordic Showcase, Bourse Rideau, and we are an official participant of Global Music Match 2022.
KARDEMIMMIT – The Sound of The Finnish Forest
Kardemimmit takes you to a journey into the Finnish Midsummer’s magical night where the sun doesn’t set at all. The air is filled with the ancient mystery of time standing still and the nature is heartbreakingly beautiful at the peak of its bloom.
Kardemimmit is a band of four awesome women playing the Finnish national instrument, kantele. The band members are Maija Pokela, Jutta Rahmel, Anna Wegelius and Leeni Wegelius. Kardemimmit is in charge of their own music – they compose, as well as arrange, write lyrics and produce. Alongside 15 and 38 stringed kanteles, singing has a big part in Kardemimmit’s musical universe where original pieces with a modern approach still have a strong foundation in Finnish, Eastern European and Scandinavian traditions. The Finnish reki-singing style, 19th century dancing music and Perhonjokilaakso kantele playing style, Eastern Finnish archaic improvisation and ancient runo singing are all present in Kardemimmit’s music.
NEDELKA F. PRESCOD is a vocalist, arranger, songwriter/composer, teacher, and a mother. NEDELKA has performed or shared the stage with such living legends as Kenny Garrett, Danilo Perez, Fred Hersch, Jason Moran, Jowee Omicil, and with the Omar Thomas Large Ensemble. NEDELKA can be found on the recording projects of, and has recorded with, Kenny Garrett, Danilo Perez, Marcello Pellitteri, Jowee Omicil, up and coming hip hop artist, Radamiz, as well as her independently released solo recording project, Manifest (2008) and her recently released single, “The Light”,available on Bandcamp. NEDELKA has performed backing vocals for Alicia Keys, Jonathan Nelson, Jason Nelson and Dorothy Norwood. NEDELKA is also a former longtime member and mezzo soprano/contralto soloist of the recently dissolved, Roy A. Prescod Chorale, a community ensemble committed to presenting lesser known oratorios to the local community and throughout the Caribbean and Central America.
As an independent solo artist, NEDELKA has performed domestically and internationally in various genres. Her preference is the art of beautifully singing any song. As a young activist (1990’s), NEDELKA, founded and worked with the Progression Community Youth Choir in Brooklyn, NY desiring to offer youth an outlet and opportunity to explore and further their musical interests while addressing local and current issues. In 2008, NEDELKA co-founded and is still the artistic director of Conscious Uprising, an endeavor dedicated to elevating social consciousness and serving the community through the arts. Currently, NEDELKA thoroughly enjoys creating uniquely-crafted, socially-conscious performances that she shares with the community, believing that artists have the responsibility and power to bring awareness and positive change to their times.
Moira Smiley is a Singer / Composer who creates and performs new work for voices. A musical polyglot, and vocal shape-shifter, her voice – and composing – are heard on feature films, BBC & PBS television programs, NPR, and on more than 60 albums.
She accompanies herself with banjo, accordion, piano and percussive movement, and when she’s not leading her own group, moira smiley & VOCO, Moira has toured with Indie artist tUnE-yArDs, Irish super-group, Solas, The Lomax Project and Billy Childs’ “Laura Nyro Re-Imagined”. She’s also toured with Paul Hillier’s Theater of Voices and KITKA. Recent solo performances include TED, Stravinsky’s ‘Les Noces’, the London Proms Festival, features on BBC Radio3, and ABC Australia’s Books & Artsprograms. Moira’s recordings feature spare, vocally driven collections of warped traditional songs, original polyphony and body percussion. She is a well-known choral composer (recent commissions included for Los Angeles Master Chorale) and arranger, with millions of singers around the world singing her works. In 2018, she released a solo album and choral songbook called ‘Unzip The Horizon’.
“The most exciting vocal group in a generation,” Windborne’s captivating show draws on the singers’ deep roots in traditions of vocal harmony, while the absolute uniqueness of their artistic approach brings old songs into the present. Known for the innovation of their arrangements, their harmonies are bold and anything but predictable.
With a 20-year background studying polyphonic music around the world, Lauren Breunig, Jeremy Carter-Gordon, Lynn Rowan, and Will Rowan share a vibrant energy onstage with a blending of voices that can only come from decades of friendship alongside dedicated practice. The ensemble shifts effortlessly between drastically different styles of music, drawing their audience along on a journey that spans continents and centuries, illuminating and expanding on the profound power and variation of the human voice.
BBC Traveling Folk describes Windborne as “subverting expectations and redefining the genre [of vocal music]… just absolutely phenomenal!” Audiences and critics lavish praise upon the singers not only for their technical mastery, but for the passion, engagement, and connection with each other and the audience that imbues each performance with a rare power.
But there’s another, crucial dimension to Windborne that guides and roots their artistry. They are adherents to folk music’s longtime alliance with social activism, labor and civil rights, and other movements that champion the oppressed, the poor, and the disenfranchised. Their songs burst with lyrics that, while penned decades or centuries ago, still ring true in modern times, and Windborne’s dynamic harmonies breathe new life into these songs.
Music has always been a deep-rooted passion that I never dared to touch upon until the war in Syria taught me that life is worth living. My passion for music became the most precious and empowering aspect of my life. I still remember how I always spent my time dreaming of singing while commuting by bus between Aleppo, where I studied architecture, and Homs my hometown.
Homs is a small town where various kinds of boundaries are placed on female potential and creativity. Growing up there, I wasn’t allowed to think of music as a future career. The influence of family, society and culture forced me to take music as a hobby, and as such, I was forced into choosing a different path. When the war broke out, I witnessed my family lose everything, and friends and people dying. At that moment I understood that my dream of having a career in music was the only thing worth living for and the only thing that no one could take away from me, and achieving it became my first priority.
I fought my way and made it to Berklee College of Music, the first step in my dream. I want to be an example for those who have been through war and strife to believe that nothing is impossible.
Miles of Music Island Camp is a week-long retreat exploring traditional folk music, modern songwriting, and how they work together. The week includes classes, dances, jams, great food and plenty of free time on a gorgeous private island in New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee. We teach fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, bass, singing, and occasionally other instruments, and we also have instruction for non-instrument-specific musical skills like songwriting, ear training, ensemble playing, and performance. All ages and abilities are welcome.
Our staff and guest artists are a mix of renowned touring professionals, players steeped in regional traditional music styles as well as up-and-coming original musicians. With 120 creative people including instructors, guest artists, kitchen staff, boat pilots and students, we become a vibrant village for one week. There are moments of jamming and dancing in large groups as well as opportunities to steal away for one-on-one song sharing or tunes on the porch.
Voci Angelica Trio is an international band with members hailing from three continents. Listeners describe the music as “a haute folk sound that mesmerizes and enthralls,” where each note “sears itself into a goosebump on your arm.”
Straddling the genres of world folk and classical music, the trio creates an ambitious blend of cultures, reinvigorating traditional songs for contemporary audiences. Vocal harmonies elegantly intertwine with lush cello lines and percussion to create a musical fusion that transcends political and geographic borders.
The trio’s self-titled EP and second album, “Taking Flight: Live from Japan,” both invite listeners to journey through unfamiliar musical landscapes. As Voci continues to unearth musical gems, its musicians have become more attentive to the current situations in the diverse countries they explore. Live performances are a celebration of the group’s cultural wayfaring, showcasing the differences and similarities of our shared humanity. In 2017, the trio joined the roster of the Boston Celebrity Series Neighborhood Arts Program which presents free concerts for local communities. In 2013, the trio won an Iguana Music Fund grant from Club Passim to purchase a sound system for their school educational program with Young Audiences of Massachusetts. Voci Angelica’s mission has also led to the USA’s East Coast, Midwest and Southern regions; Canada; Japan; and South Korea.
Members:
Jodi Hitzhusen, voice/percussion
Meena Malik, voice/percussion
Aristides Rivas, cello
