The sounds of traditional Celtic music, classic Irish drinking songs and more will fill the air of Alamosa’s Cole Park on Sun. Aug. 14 as Tripping Upstairs takes the stage.
Tracy Doyle, chair of the music department at Adams State Coll., plays flute for the band. A Massachusetts native, Doyle earned her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Univ. of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Louisiana State Univ. in Baton Rouge. Doyle was a founding member of the Solaria Wind Quintet, played principal flute with the Solano and Camellia Symphony Orchestras, California Wind Orchestra, North Bay Opera, and performed with numerous other ensembles, including the Vallejo Symphony, Capitol Jazz Project, USAF Band of the Golden West, and Napa Symphony Orchestra.
Tracy’s husband James Doyle, a professor at Adams State who teaches percussion and jazz, plays the bodhran, the Irish traditional frame drum. Doyle earned degrees from the Univ. of Central Missouri and Louisiana State Univ., and went on to serve as principal percussionist with the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West for six years. As a classical, jazz, and rock musician, Doyle has toured throughout North America, Europe, Southwest Asia, and East Africa and his performances have appeared on PBS, CNN, NBC, ABC, and CBS as well as numerous NPR broadcasts.
Although he is a classically trained violinist, ASC composition and theory instructor Matthew Schildt plays fiddle in Tripping Upstairs. A native of Long Island, N.Y., Schildt received a bachelor’s degree in Music Technology and Music Composition from Lebanon Valley Coll. and his Masters and Ph.D. in Music Theory/Composition from Kent State Univ..An active composer, Schildt has written works for a variety of ensembles. Schildt’s composition “Drift,” for string orchestra, received the Kent State Univ. Creative Arts Award in 2002. Schildt played piano on the soundtrack to the PBS documentary “Still Waiting: Life After Katrina.”
Singer-songwriter Alison Kitchen has been favorably compared to Joni Mitchell, and she sings and plays guitar with Tripping Upstairs. Baritone Mark Wagstrom adds his vocals to the mix as well, and ASC music student Marc Eaton, from Sweet Radish, will sit in with the band on mandolin. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will take place in Richardson Hall on the Adams State Coll. campus. Soul Foundation plays classic style soul, funk and r-n-b on Sun., Aug. 21 at 6p.m.
Sweet Radish, a down to earth acoustic string band, plays at the Valley Farmers’ Market in downtown Alamosa this Sat., Aug. 13, from 10am until noon in the parking lot near Centennial Park near the northeast corner of State Ave. and Main St., between Main St. and 6th St. and between State Ave. and Hunt Ave. in Alamosa
ALMA’s gracious members and business sponsors support the free summer “Sundays @ Six,” concerts and other ALMA events.
