http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/08/06/bnews/br21.txt

Baroque, Native musicians exchange notes in Pablo

Posted on Aug. 6
By BRIENNA BOYDSTUN for the Missoulian

Musicians from the Montana Baroque Music Festival shared the stage with
American Indian drummers, dancers and a flutist in an effort to educate the
audience about the two cultures through music at the People’s Center in
Pablo on Wednesday.

“I feel the problems we’re having in the world today are because we don’t
understand each other’s cultures and I think maybe that was the impetus why
the idea came to me,” said Jean Morrison, treasurer of the Sanders County
Arts Council and one of the main organizers of the event.

Baroque is a style of music that came about in the years between 1600 and
1750, and includes works by many famous composers such as Vivaldi, Bach,
Handel and Pachelbel.

Though many people heard about the cultural exchange at the fifth annual
Montana Baroque Music Festival and came to see more baroque music, nothing
literally moved the audience as much as when Native Heart, an American
Indian family drumming group of 15 years, preformed its songs.

“I loved it. I’ve never been around this kind of music before and to be
around it was thrilling,” said Lori Presthus, a baroque cellist from
Portland, Ore. “There’s something about the spontaneity of the music; the
vocalizations were uninhibited like it was coming from somewhere deep.”

Then the dancers came out and the audience had something else to hold their
attention.

Two of the girls n Miranda Mahkuk, 7, and Anastasia Incashola, 17, n danced
traditionally while Roxy Parker, 7, did a fancy shawl dance and Sirraya
Duboys, 17, preformed a jingle dance.

James Bigcrane, a self-taught flutist, then demonstrated the sound
difference between the American Indian flute and the recorder in the
baroque orchestra.

“We look at the United States and think of it as relatively young and look
at the baroque music played in the 1600s and think of it as old,” said Gary
Funk, one of the speakers and choral director at the University of Montana.
“But listen to the music of the drum and this flute and think about how
many centuries ago this was played here; it’s ancient, just ancient.”

“It was wonderful listening to the other performers, the violinists, the
cellists,” said Joshua Christie, a drummer and singer from Native Heart. “I
hope we can do this again sometime.”

For more information, read Thursday's Missoulian or go to Missoulian.com.