ALLA BOARA
Ancient Italian Folk Music for Modern Souls
Saturday, November 19th @ 7:30 PM
“…like a journey that takes you in and makes you forget where you are.”
— The Jambar, June 2020
“Historical preservation and top-notch musicianship”
— Cleveland Magazine, January 2021
Featuring the dynamic vocals of Amanda Powell (Apollo’s Fire) and eclectic compositions from percussionist Anthony Taddeo (Helen Welch / Hey Mavis) these modern arrangements of Italian folk songs are variously surprising, playful, mournful, tender, and bewitching. Woven seamlessly throughout the performance are stories and insights into this rich folk tradition.
Alla Boara’s dynamic work aims to inspire audiences of all ethnic heritages to treasure their musical roots and consider historical songs’ contemporary cultural relevance. Alla Boara has received critical acclaim for its originality and accessibility and was recently featured in La Gazzetta Italiana, and predicted to have a bright future by Cleveland Magazine. They recently were featured at the 43rd annual Tri-C Jazz Festival and for this show at Kerrytown they will be promoting the release of their first album “Le Tre Sorelle.”
COVID-19 Policy for Indoor Concerts at Kerrytown Concert House
- Masks are strongly encouraged and available as needed.
- Please do not attend a performance if you are feeling ill or have any symptoms of COVID-19.
Amanda Powell, soprano, has been praised as “the star of the evening with a performance so tender it could make a stone cry” (Seen and Heard International). She released her debut album Beyond Boundaries in 2015. With a degree in opera performance from the Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA and support from the Jazz in July Institute at the University of Massachusetts and the Cuyahoga Arts and Culture Creative Workforce Fellowship, Powell has studied with jazz legends Sheila Jordan, Billy Taylor and Yusef Lateef. Powell served as Artist-in-Residence and frequent soloist with Cleveland’s Grammy-winning baroque orchestra Apollo’s Fire.
Anthony Taddeo, endorsed by “Out of the Drawer Percussion” and “Byrne Cymbals” as a performing artist, is a percussionist, composer, and performer residing in Cleveland, Ohio. He has studied with world-renowned percussionist Jamey Haddad and at The New School’s School for Jazz and holds an MFA in composition from Youngstown State University. Featured on over 30 albums, Taddeo has toured North America and Europe at festivals such as Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Ciclo 1906 Jazz Fest in Spain, and Cleveland’s Tri-C Jazz Festival. His film score for Making Montgomery Clift recently debuted at the LA Film Festival. Currently, Taddeo leads and composes for his groups AlbaTrio and Alla Boara.
Dan Bruce, performer, recording artist, composer, and educator has contributed to more than twenty-five albums, including his own, entitled A Single Thread and Earthshine. Bruce has worked with Seamus Blake, Ali Jackson, Dan Wall, Lynn Seaton, Rose Colella, The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, and Marquis Hill. His compositions have been featured in The Chicago Composers Collective series and The Jazz Institute of Chicago NextGen Jazz Series, his arrangements have been published in Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine, and The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and The Brad Wagner Nonet have performed his works. Recipient of an Individual Excellence Award in Music Composition from the Ohio Arts Council, Bruce is faculty at Youngstown State University and Tri-C.
Bradford Swanson is a New York-based multi-instrumentalist, producer and engineer. He has toured and recorded with The Bad Plus, Clara Berry, Regina Carter, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, and Amanda Powell among others. He has also taught at Tufts University, University of Massachusetts Lowell and Episcopal High School.
Tommy Lehman is from Akron, Ohio and is a trumpeter, vocalist and producer who has been playing professionally in the Northeast Ohio music scene for several years. Leader of his own projects and sideman for several artists, Tommy has played along with artists such as Nathan-Paul and The Admirables, Chris Coles’ Nine Lives Project, AlbaTrio, Dan Wilson, Theron Brown, Bobby Selvaggio, Peachcurls, and others. Tommy has studied at Cleveland’s Tri-C renowned jazz studies program and the Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut, where he worked with Freddie Hendrix, Steve Davis, Nat Reeves, and Javon Jackson until graduating in 2018. In November of 2021, Lehman released his first full-length album. Tommy is currently attending Cleveland State University.
Ian Kinnaman is a bassist from Damascus Maryland who recently moved to Cleveland after completing his BM in music education from Youngstown State University. While pursuing his studies he had the opportunity to study with Theron Brown and bassist and composer Dave Morgan. He regularly performs with the First Class Big Band, Pantropix, and his own project IKQ. Ian’s bass can be heard in Chloe x Halle’s performance of “America the Beautiful” for Superbowl LIII. He currently teaches privately and at the College of Wooster.
