Castlebay Performance: Historic Music at Chapman-Hall House

Castle Bay will be performing songs and music of the that the Chapmans and Halls would have enjoyed on Sunday, August 4th, 2024, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Free and open to the public! Tours of the historic Chapman-Hall House, noon – 4 pm, $10 per adult, free for kids.

Since 1984 Castlebay has presented of musical work which celebrates Maine’s
maritime heritage and environment blending history, legend and experience into
their personable performance style.
Julia Lane’s ancestors have lived in Maine since the 1600’s, engaged in the
traditional fishing, shipping, and lumbering industries for generations. Fred
Gosbee’s family were lumbermen, coming to Maine from the Maritime Provinces
in 1922. For over thirty years, Lane & Gosbee have been researching their own
heritage through music by exploring the traditional music connections between the
Celtic lands, the Canadian Maritimes and Maine. These regions share in the
richness of this heritage as revealed by the many variations of ancient songs, tunes
and stories carried by families moving through the area by land and sea as well as
new vernacular creations made in the old style.
In Maine there is a wealth of traditional music, ranging from ancient ballads to
working songs. Lane and Gosbee research archives and collections and interpret
this music through the lens of their own Anglo-Celtic cultural legacy. Having
explored various international archives, museums and libraries, they have distilled
and repaired their findings and present them in an entertaining lecture with musical
examples sung unaccompanied in the traditional style. Exploring social history
through music, they will tell the stories not only of the songs, but also the intrepid
collectors who preserved them and the singers who carried on the tradition.
In concert, the duo presents these musical stories of romance, ramblers and rogues,
woven with history and humor. Castlebay’s wide knowledge and deep cultural
roots, their vocal and instrumental skills, and their personable performance style
have been appreciated in museums, libraries, schools, arts centers and festivals
internationally. Castlebay has released over two dozen recordings and their music
has been used for video soundtracks and theatrical productions. Their new
book,”Bygone Ballads of Maine- Songs of Ships and Sailors”, contains many of
their findings and includes lyrics, tunes and relevant lore. For more information
please visit www.castlebay.net.