Kaade

Performances and Productions by Kaade
From a very young age, I was exposed not only to the classic fairy-tales, like the Brothers Grimm and Aesop, but also stories from a variety of spiritual paths. Before I had entered elementary school, my mother would read books to me from her courses in British literature, such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Paradise Lost . I would hear first-hand accounts of interactions with faeries and otherworld beings from my great-grandmother and other family members. So most of my life has been a storytelling adventure- from writing mythic stories at age five, to studying drama in high school and performing at state thespian conferences under the tutelage of playwright Jerome McDonough, to studying ancient and modern languages and receiving degrees in English and Linguistics.
Ultimately, I realized that my first language is not language at all, but music. I am particularly drawn to the flutes of the world, the magic of interacting with wood or bamboo to shape the very air itself. I have also been drawn to explore ancient and widespread instruments such as the jaw-harp, whose simple form belies the incredible variety of genres and techniques for which it can be used. I love instruments rich in overtones, which are so powerful in altering consciousness, like Tibetan (seven metal) singing bowls and the kantele, the lyre-harp of Finland used by shamans and for reciting the ancient epics. I have studied aspects of period performance from musicians in the Texas Early Music Project as well as the broad community of performers in Renaissance and fantasy festival circuits. I have researched my stories and musical repertoire throughout the United States and in Ireland and Scotland
My performances draw upon my skills in music, language, and theatre, as well as my experience working in libraries and archives, which has given me many methods to research the history, folklore, mystic arts and musical repertoire relating to the subjects of each of my performances. From these I create a storytelling experience that approaches mythic concepts from different cultural and artistic angles. My specialty is stories of the "Otherkin": Faeries and other creatures and spirits, whose stories tell us as much about ourselves and the various cultures of humankind as they tell about the hidden aspects of the living world around us.
Solo Programs
Experience the impact and intimacy that the combination of live storytelling and music can produce. These are solo acts which I have developed and performed at various festivals and events. I have a variety of costuming and props to make these immersive experiences appropriate to the focus of your fantasy, cultural, or historical events. Contrary to many Victorian and Disneyesque concepts of "Fairy Tales", many traditional tales from Faerie-lore are socially complex and at times violent and risque. I create my shows with an ear to the stories and music that I personally appreciate and with a respect for the intelligence of my audience. For performances for younger audiences, I do fewer stories per show, but with more time to explain and describe the places and times in which these stories take place, and to allow for questions and audience participation.
Within These Hills
According to legend, after the arrival of the tribes of man to the shores of Ireland, the beings who preceeded them- known as the Gentry, the Sidhe, the Tuatha De Danann- went quite literally underground, dividing the hills and their ancient stone fortresses among their kings and queens. This program explores the stories and music of some of these hills, bringing the tales of the Daghda and Wandering Aengus, Fionn MacCumhaill, and the harper Turlough O'Carolan together with the music of these hills.
Crossroads
These are tales- inspiring, amusing, and tragic- of interactions between faeries and human musicians, and the traditional melodies that resulted from these encounters: Bards hired to play for faerie dances, the Good People who gave tunes to fiddlers they favored, and how the Sidhe Queen Boand gave birth to the three strains of bardic music. Hear tales of Faerie musicians like Sennbec and Cascorach, legendary bards like Thomas of Ercildoune and the Black Rogue, and historical figures like the lilter Biddy of Muckross and members of the Doherty family of fiddlers who learned music from the Good People.
Around the Otherworld
Although many of the popular conceptions of Faerie Lore derive from Western Europe, rich oral and musical traditions of the Otherkin can be found throughout the world. In fact, according to many traditional accounts, the Faeries themselves have been in contact with those of other cultures for ages. This program is an exploration of mystic creatures in tales and tunes from seven different cultures around the world. Creatures we might visit in a given program might include the Yunwi Tsunsdi of the Cherokees or elves of the Picuris Pueblo, the Mmoetia of Ghana, the Mu and Menehune of Hawaii or the Luve-ni-Wai of Fiji, Duendes and Pomberos of Latin America, the dancing faeries of India, Djinn of Turkey or Morocco, the Patu-Paiarehe of New Zealand, Huldre of Norway, the Lamiak of the Basque people, East European Vilas, or to whatever Otherkin my current research takes me.
Music of the Celtic Otherworld
Who are the Celts, anyway? This show explores Faerie music from each of the modern Celtic nations: Brittany, Cornwall, Galicia, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland, and Wales, and outlying areas of Celtic influence such as the Shetland Islands, Nova Scotia and Appalachia. Through the sounds of Celtic languages and diverse musical genres from these cultures, I travel through tales of a spiritual world closely interwoven with our own, showing the distinctiveness and interrelatedness of these unique cultures.
Cry of the Banshee
In Ireland and the Scottish Highlands, the Banshee (from Bean Sidhe , Faerie Woman) is much more than a messenger of coming death. The Banshees were muses for the ancient bards, lovers to heroes of the epic cycles, and the first matriarchs and constant guardians of many highland clans. In this presentation, I present music and tales of Banshees, including several melodies notated by various witnesses who heard her keening cries.
Things Going Bump
This show focuses on music and stories of trickster spirits and the Unseelie Court. Hear about first hand accounts, and traditional music inspired by creatures such as Pookas, Buccas, Trows and Trolls, Sylphs, Pixies, and Changelings.
Arcturus
The Arctic derives its name from a word for the Bear, and throughout the Northern lands, tales of the Old Man of the Mountain abound. Hear music and stories from North America, Scandinavia, the Baltic, Eastern Europe, and the Ainu people of Northern Japan.
For fans of Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, I can produce an extended version of this in character that explores myths and music from the northern cultures that inspired his stories, including Karelian witches, legends of the Aurora Borealis, and, of course, the Polar Bear Dance.
Be That Empty
Performed entirely on instruments containing bamboo and reeds, I first presented this program for the Texas Bamboo Festival. Every show is unique, as I use fortune-telling bamboo, as pulled by audience members, to determine the stories and order of each performance. These include stories, music and instruments from the Middle East, East and Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and Pacific Islands to give one of the most musical group of plants the respect it deserves.
Classes in Bardic Magic
"Ah, music, a magic beyond all we do here!"- Albus Dumbledore.
I first produced these programs for book release parties of the Harry Potter series. I have enjoyed the way J. K. Rowling has melded so many of the creatures and concepts from folklore and mythology into a cohesive storyline. These stories have brought together people form different cultures, young and old alike, who appreciate the possibilities of the imagination and well told stories.
This series of programs immerses the audience in the world of Hogwarts by presenting lessons, drawn from actual historical sources, about the relation of music to magical arts. Neither "Wizard Rock" nor "Filk" music, these tales and tunes drawn from early music and world music sources present material that can be appreciated by anyone with a love for mythology, or hearing instruments they never knew existed. I present these in full costume as a guest professor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with visual learning materials and prizes (in lieu of house points) for students with insightful answers to class questions. My intended audience for these classes are people who have read the entire Harry Potter series, as I base these programs on the books as opposed to the movies. Younger siblings may not necessarily grasp all the concepts I present here, although there is no inappropriate material, and the music itself can be enjoyed by anyone. For your event, I will be happy to collaborate with other presenters to make a seamless, immersive experience.
An Introduction to Bardic Magic
Before there were enchantmets, there was chant. Before there were incantations, there was cantus, the song. Epic literatures demonstrates how the earliest concepts of magic were by means of music. In fact, much of the earliest epic literature itself, including Beowulf , the Illiad , and the Elder Edda , were sung long before they were first written. This lesson presents music with magical properties: a Gaelic song to stop hailstorms, an Italian dance to alleviate the bite of a mysterious spider, an Irish melody taught by a mysterious stranger to cure sunstroke, as well as music historically attributed to witches and a tale of the great wizard singing duel of Karelia.
The Care and Tuning of Musical Creatures
Knowledge of magical creatures is only complete with an understanding of the music each creature creates. Included in this program are descriptions and melodies of underground creatures like Icelandic trolls, Shetland trows and Irish Sidhe, Scottish music learned from merfolk and selkies, Renaissance tunes of faeries and sprites, A Boy's Lament for his Dragon and the story of how the Chinese phoenix created a description for musical scales.
Bardic Lab- Magical Organology and Tune Learning
This is a hands on program. First focusing on Organology- the study of musical instruments, I will discuss the magical origins and properties of instruments such as the Finnish kantele (a lyre used by Baltic shamans and wizards), and Tibetan seven-metal singing bowls and tingshaws, and each student will have a chance to play each of these instruments. Next, using materials from my publication, A Pocketful of Magic , I teach students how to play a couple of melodies from magical creatures on either ocarina or tinwhistle using music with fingering illustrations. Ideally each student should receive their own instrument and book, so at each event their will need to be a system to sign up for this practicum lesson.
Academic Presentations
These are lectures I am developing for undergraduate courses and music and folklore conventions. These are designed for people with some background in practices of early or traditional music and/or folklore.
Preservation of Older Musical Forms in the Tunes of Faerie Folklore
Within the repertoire of music associated with faeries, certain melodies can be found that suggest older musical forms, unusual in the larger folk idiom in which they exist, such as the Dorian mode found in French Cante-Fable songs, older rhythmic patterns in Scottish faerie melodies, and Norwegian fiddle tunings specific to Huldre-calls. I also explore the cultural diffusion of "The Fairy Dance" throughout the British Isles and beyond, and the possible relation between an Elizabethan nymph song and the Icelandic "Trolldans."
Ballads as Oral Documents of Faerie Folk-Belief
Folk ballads serve as one of our best sources for an understanding of the actual beliefs in faeries, as opposed to the literary inventions created from these sources. This lecture explores how people viewed the nature of elves and other creatures of these ballads, including King Orfeo, Thomas the Rhymer, Herr Olof, and the relation of Scarborough Faire and other riddle songs to faerie beliefs.
Ensemble Productions
Live performance art should be interactive and envelop all the senses. I use techniques of resource mapping learned from my service in Americorp, to design group performances to showcase the best of each performer, and bring out the best in the audience, as well. If you or your group would like to be involved with any of the following, please contact me. Many skills are useful in producing these, and the dedication of novices is as welcome as experienced performers.
Dancing with the Faeries
This program is designed to introduce a wide audience, including young children and people with special needs, to various rhythms and dances, using traditional Faerie music of Ireland and Scotland. I am looking for session musicians (many of the tunes are well-known session tunes) and a group of dancers, versed in any Celtic style, including Irish step dancing, sean nos dancing, or highland dancing, who can choreograph to hornpipes, reels, jigs, slip-jigs, and waltzes, and can teach at least one of these to a diverse group of people- all while wearing wings or other faerie accoutrement. You must be willing to bravely play the fool so that audience members won't be afraid to seem foolish. Anyone interested in designing wings or other costume aspects for this production please contact me as well.
The Inn of the Dancing Cranes
I first produced this piece with the help of visual artist/film-maker Jeanne Stearn and members of the House of Commons Co-op. Based on a chinese tale of a wizard, a kind inn-keeper, and three dancing cranes, this ambient production is set entirely within an inn along the silk road. Performers and audience members sit amongst each other, and as different servings of a vegan feast are served, different stories, music and performances come from unexpeced places. Types of skills which are useful for this include storytellers amd actors, musicians on instruments and vocal styles that could be foound along the Silk Road, belly-dancers, jugglers, and of course cooks (I can provide all recipes, or work with cooks to provide suggestions.)
Dragon White, Dragon Red
Using the story of one of Merlin's first prophecies, the battle between the white dragon of the Saxons and the red dragon of the Celts, this provides the framework for an Arthurian version of "Dueling Banjos" where two or more performers, one group from the Celts, and the other from the Germanic peoples of the Saxons and Vikings, fight a battle of storytelling and music, trying to outdo each other in tales of heroism, mythic beasts, ancient gods, and legendary beauties.
Wolfamontis
Wolfamontis, the "Wolf Month", is an old Germanic name for December. This festival environment includes plenty of audience participation, food, music, and games in recreating aspects of several ancient winter celebrations. These include stories and music of winter spirits and other beings who traditionally came out to celebrate near the solstice, such as the huldres, trolls, and trows, readings and re-enactment of Finnish bear-feast rituals, Yuletime werewolf traditions (with group howlings) and the procession of the Wild Hunt. This provides a good framework for open mic contributions from the audience, drum circles and dancers.
The Brugh
With this piece still in development, I intend to challenge and make demands of both performers and participants. This is a tale of the dark and difficult, but ultimately empowering, aspects of the fey, in the vein of such writers as Holly Black, Charles DeLint, and Guillermo del Toro. As the participants (as this is not to be a passive "audience") enter the space of the Brugh- a Faerie hill- they are presented, as a group, with a challenge: find the changeling, free the abductee, restore a balance. Every performer has his or her own repertoire of tools to offer, be it a faerie lore or music, symbolic objects, or means of encouragement, that gives the participants clues and strength to accomplish the tasks at hand. Through a series of challenges including riddles, games of wit and skill. and interactions with the characters within the Brugh, participants reach their larger goal through smaller ones. Live action roleplaying and divination mean that no two performance will be the same. The participants will leave the Brugh with tools and insight from the Faerie realm to empower them in their own lives.
Upon Nine Waves
"Sometimes we forget what we are."
Thus begins this tale of a sailor, a selkie, and the spirit of a ship, and how remembering our true natures is the only way to preserve what we cherish. This intertwining of three distinct stories occurs along the sea routes from North Scotland to the Baltic and draws from the music and traditional stories of sea-beings in the places along the way. This small ensemble production requires each performer to be both actor, musician, and lead or chorus vocalist, and uses blocking and choreography techniques reminiscent of both Thornton Wilder and Tibetan opera, an always changing environment where all performers are present throughout the performance using minimal props to evoke the sea, the shore and the ships.