Program

Have you ever wondered how a composer writes new music? Where do the ideas come from? Is it easy to write music or is a lot of work involved? 

Rachel Bell tours nationally playing Celtic, English, Quebecois, and French music with her bands, and one of her great passions is writing new music rooted in those traditions. In 2020, she published a book of tunes that has now sold over 600 copies. Her tunes are traveling far and wide, even showing up overseas as UK and European dancers discover her joint composition project with choreographer Susan Kevra. 

In this program, Rachel collaborates with one of her bandmates- Karen Axelrod, Becky Tracy, or Andrew VanNorstrand- all notable musical creators in their own right, to present a program of exciting original compositions rooted in the Celtic, French, English, Quebecois, and New England folk dance traditions. Some of the tunes are modern and groovy, while others sound like they've been around for hundreds of years. Sometimes the band pairs up a very old tune with a very new tune. Other times the band asks the audience to help name a tune that JUST came into existence. Throughout the show, the musicians talk about how composing works and the ups and downs of the creative process. There will be hilarious stories about how some of the pieces came to be and heartwarming tales of others. 

Rachel likes to encourage audience members to try out composing themselves, and the program can expand into a hands-on composition workshop for musicians in the area no matter what level they are. Rachel believes that using imagination to bring new music into the world is an empowering form of expression that can bring healing and inspiration. 

Here are some of Rachel's tunes:

https://youtu.be/Y8OUy5JM6Jw?si=aDfeaZxWM1njjtlJ

https://youtu.be/ZVajnWWA6jQ?si=eTHObR-sx9mHFZoZ

https://youtu.be/WD3ISHGlOI8?si=KPmVLK83Yz8sxrYU

https://youtu.be/GxdIUVCmaew?si=W_aBnCGeQ34rK30O

And here is her book:

https://rachelbellmusic.bandcamp.com/merch