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Here you will find news about Vital Arts books, products, and performances. |
news archives
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May 2018
Spring is here again at Hebron Hollow! And we are celebrating the bursting of the buds and blooms. Our two cows, Maple and Skylark, are both due to give birth in the next two months. Our hens are laying too many eggs for us to consume; and the green house has been feeding us bowls of spinach and greens every night for weeks. Jordan, after graduating from Williams last June, is living at home and building a state of the art knife making workshop in our heifer barn. Jessica has nearly completed her first year of veterinary school at Tufts University; and Kyra has decided she will matriculate this fall at YALE! Kai is in the seventh grade at Long Trail, and Leif is rocking third grade in Granville.
Among these excitements is another: the LaMothe Gee Family is taking our original musical -- Happy If Happy When -- to NYC for three performances in July! We are delighted to have this opportunity and hope you can come! July 26, 27, and 28, at The Clemente. More information coming soon!! www.planetconnections.org.
Happy Spring!
April 2017
We are celebrating spring here on the farm! We have a new bull calf in the barn and lettuce, spinach, cilantro, and parsley growing in the green house. The grass is shooting up and the cows as well as our horse Cricket can't wait to start eating it!
The most exciting development, however, is that Kimerer, inspired by last summer's concert, is writing her first musical -- HAPPY IF, HAPPY WHEN! "Happy If, Happy When" is a saying that Kimerer and Geoffrey have tossed back and forth for years to remind themselves to take joy in the moment -- not to save their happiness for "if" or "when," but to have it NOW! The story is a fictional tale that tracks the various dreams and desires of a family of seven as they move from a suburban neighborhood to the rural hills of Washington County, New York.
Kimerer is writing the book for the musical, as well as lyrics and melodies for all of the songs -- nineteen and counting! Geoffrey is writing all of the accompaniments and arrangements, and the seven members of the LaMothe Gee Family are playing all of the parts. Please save the date and plan on coming to see this unique family show! July 21, 22, 23, at the Fort Salem Theater in Salem, NY. www.fortsalemtheater.com
August 2016
We are getting ready for our new show!! It will be an original concert of music and dance -- a philosophical musical! It features a series of poem/songs Kimerer has written based on her book Why We Dance, accompanied by Geoffrey on piano and keyboards. The kids also join in with vocal and instrumental harmonies. Between songs, Kimerer dances and Geoffrey stretches out in his signature improvisational style! The concert will prime your mind, warm your heart, and set your fingers and toes tapping! Join us! See the calendar for details.
March 2016
December was a very special month. Our time at Carnegie Hall was outstanding. We were so happy to be there. The Carnegie team took such good care of us. The house was warm and full. And Geoffrey played better than he ever has. It was a magical moment! Thank you so much to all who were there!
It was a challenge to imagine what next in the wake of such an experience! But we will soon to announce the next LaMothe Gee collaboration which will happen this summer.
In the meantime, we are preparing for a series of events this spring. Kimerer will be hosting a Meet the Author session at the Doing the Body conference at the University of Pittsburgh, and Kimerer and Geoffrey will both be appearing in a night of dance, music, and philosophy. Kimerer will also be teaching three master classes in dance at Green Mountain College, and in June, hosting a special Exploratory Seminar on Ecstatic Dance at the Radcliffe Institute in Cambridge. See the Calendar for details!
On the farm, we sold a calf last week--our dear Willow. We are now lavishing our attention on our remaining two cows, Maple and our other calf, Skylark. We have sprouts growing, and spring plans erupting! Soon!
October 2015--Fall and Tickets on Sale for Carnegie Hall
August 20, 2015--A NEW SHOW at the FORT!
The LaMothe Gee Family is doing it again--offering up another family show at the Fort Salem Theater! This show celebrates ten years of life on the farm, and what we have learned about Living the Dream. The show features Geoff on piano, Jordan on sax, Kyra and Jessica on flute, Kai on drums, and Leif dancing. Kimerer narrates the show and sings, and everyone joins in. Please come! Tickets are $20 for general admission, $10 for students and seniors. Call the Fort Salem Theater Box Office at 518 854 9200 to make a reservation.
July 2015
Summer is in full swing on the farm! The new green house is fabulous! We hav e started corn, peppers, potatoes, basil, parsely, various lettuces, leeks and four kinds of squash! In the garden, we are awaiting our first zucchini. Broccoli, beans, cauiflower, and corn are coming. We love the kale! We also have milk--about 5 gallons a day--since Meadowlark gave birth at the end of May. Kimerer is making large hard cheeses for the year to come.
Jordan's knife making gets better and better! Be sure to keep up with the latest at his website: www.jordanlamothe.com.
Kimerer is spreading the word about Why We Dance. Check out this author interview with Columbia University Press: http://www.cupblog.org/?p=16255
Happy Summer!
March 2015 Breaking news: Kimerer at Columbia! Geoff at Carnegie!
It is a big month at Vital Arts. Kimerer's new book, Why We Dance, is now out! The crew at Columbia University Press did a fantastic job with the cover, the layout, and the design. It is a beautiful book! You can find it HERE. Use the promotional code LAMWHY1 for a 30% discount.
Also, Geoffrey has a date to play at the Weill Recital Hall/Carnegie Hall: December 12, 2015, at 2 PM!!! We are so incredibly grateful for this opportunity to participate in the 125th anniversary year program of such a distinguished musical institution! Geoff will play solo piano, including favorites from his five albums as well as works played in the moment and for the moment. Tickets go on sale through the Carnegie Box Office on Kyra's birthday--September 14, 2015! We hope you can make it!
Meanwhile, Jessica and Jordan are far and wide. Jessica is traveling in South Korea with the Wellesley College Choir and Jordan is with a friend in Astoria, Oregon! Safe travels to all.
February 2015
Hello from snowy New England! It has been cold here for the past few weeks, and we are all feeling that feeling of being ready for spring. We have had a good, healthy dose of winter. We have loved every flake of falling white. The cattle have achieved maximum depth of fur. The hens are as puffed out as can be. Even the cats have matured into thick fluff balls, hardy in the snow. So now, we are ready. Next!
There are signs that change is imminent. The light of our lengthening days, for one. The decreased need for headlamps at chore time. The increasing number of eggs in the chicken coop. The birds. The mice. The shrinking wood pile. Our vegetable-free basement freezer. The packets of seeds arriving in the mail. And so too--the approaching publication of Kimerer's latest book!
Why We Dance, the third of three books that Kimerer moved here to the farm to write, is soon-to-be published by Columbia University Press! It will be officially released on March 31. However, it is available for pre-order NOW! Stay tuned for news of upcoming events--including a book party in New York City, on Thursday, April 16, 6-9 PM, hosted by our kind and generous friend, Sarah Teale.
We are also planting seeds for a pair of very special concerts later this year, hoping they sprout soon!
OK, Spring. Come on in!
August 2014
What a summer we are having! We are all home and working on our various projects. The garden is growing. Our animals thriving. The milk flowing.
Jordan has started a KNIFE BUSINESS. He is making hand forged blades that are beautiful and useful and sharp. Check out his creations at JORDAN'S BLADES: www.jordanlamothe.com.
Together we are planning our annual FAMILY CONCERT! On August 23 and 24th, we will be at the Fort Salem Theater, singing, playing and dancing: www.fortsalemtheater.com. The concert will feature Geoffrey on the Fort's new STEINWAY. Jordan will join him on saxaphone, Jessica and Kyra on flute. Kimerer will dance from time to time. The whole family will sing, singly and together, on tunes ranging from originals to jazz standards and Broadway favorites. We are calling our show EARTHBOUND, in honor of this glorious planet that enables us to be. Come join us as we celebrate life on EARTH! The Sunday performance will be at 3 PM for those coming from out of town. Or make it a weekend! There is lots to see and do and experience in this lovely part of the world!
February 2014
This month, Changemakers Press, the publisher of Kimerer's third book, What a Body Knows: Finding Wisdom in Desire, has selected her book for a special promotion! You can buy the ebook edition for (the price of a) song! Yes, that is right. For 99 cents!
Click here for more information and reviews! What a Body Knows
In other news, Columbia University Press will be publising Kimerer's fifth book this fall: Why We Dance: The Vital Art of Bodily Movement! We have all been working hard on this book. Thanks to the whole family.
Meanwhile, Jordan and Jessica are thriving in college and the rest of us here at home are settling into the rhythms of family 2.0. Stay tuned for a family performance this summer when the kids come home! More information coming soon...
August 2013
August is upon us and changes are afoot. Our vegetables in the garden (in most cases) are now bigger and taller than the weeds, and we are enjoying the fruits! One bite of a fresh tomato, and all of the work we have done until now makes sense. We are picking and eating and storing and planting some more.
Meanwhile, we have sold three of our milking cows. With Jordan and Jessica both leaving for college in less than three weeks, we have needed to reduce the work load to what the remaining five of us can handle. We are now down to Daisy--our first milker--who is five years old and still producing abundantly. We also have Jordan's team of oxen, a yearling Jersey who will give birth next spring, and a two-month old heifer, Meadowlark, who is too adorable to let go.
Even though we have been trying to reduce our animal count, forces have ben conspiring otherwise. At the end of May we rescued and bottle-fed five orphaned kittens. They all thrived and we have kept two. And our neighbors are pasturing some horses with Marvin, so we now have three equine creatures to ride. The chicks are about to start laying.
Finally, our family concert in July was a delight for us all. It worked. We shared our singing, dancing, and playing with a full and enthusiastic house, and the experience transformed the birthday I feared into one I celebrated with joy. What a birthday! And yes, for those of you who were wondering, life does go on!
May 2013
Spring is here! And the planting has begun. We started plants inside under a light bulb in early April. They grew well until we set the tray outside, for some warm sunshine, and one of our cats decided to try out the flat as a bed. However, Jordan had just tilled the garden, so we managed to plant the squished sprouts in the earth, along with some more seeds. Miracles do happen. We shall see if this case is one of them. Otherwise, we have now planted spinach, kale, green beans, snap peas, cauliflower, radishes, and beets into the ground. We have one remaining tray of slender corn. More coming soon.
In the first week of April Kimerer picked up a box of 16 day-old chicks at the post office, shipped straight from McMurray's Hatchery. Chicks grow so quickly that you can literally see their fluff turn to feathers. After a couple of weeks under (another) warm lamp, we transferred the bunch to their own box in the chicken coop, where our four hens currently reside. The chicks are so dynamic. Wave your hand and they scatter, as if you were a hawk. Put your hand in with a bowl and they peck at your freckles as if they were food. Hold a chick in your hands and she cocks her head to look at you with one steady eye. Who are you? Soon, we will name them.
Otherwise, the cows and oxen are still munching on hay, eager for that day when they will be able to taste that grass they see growing. We had a baby bull born on March 26, and another calf due on June 2--just in time for Jordan and Jessica's high school graduation!
Wishing you bundles of bright spring green.
January 2013
We are eagerly and enthusiastically welcoming the new year here at Hebron Hollow! 2012 proved itself to be a bit of a challenge.
There were major victories, as we harvested more vegetables than ever before, doubled our cow pastures, made some incredible cheddars with the wild cultures from our own raw milk, and thoroughly enjoyed two litters of adorable kittens, as well as the birth of three healthy calves.
Geoff came out with his absolutely best CD ever. If you haven't heard it yet, do not deprive yourself any longer! Go to the Play page now. It is called "I'll Be There With You."
We also banded together to support Jordan through an unexpected brain surgery. With love and support from all of us as well as people near and far, working in tandem with his own tenacity and will, Jordan made it through. I wrote about our experience here: The Summer of My Son's Brain Tumor.
We closed the year with a rousing thanks-giving celebration for all. Our performance at the Fort Salem Theater was a complete joy for all of us. We love to sing together and to share our singing with others. As the opportunities arrive, we respond.
Stay tuned for more in 2013!!
April 2012: Seedlings and Song
It is spring! We are planting inside and out. We have indoor starts of tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, onions, and herbs. Outdoors, the kale and onions and spinach are popping up out of the ground. This weekend we planted 100 tiny trees! Fifty are white spruce and fifty more are black walnuts. We can't wait to watch them grow. We will have to wait.
Meanwhile Bright is back! After injuring his right hind leg in February, Jordan's steer is back in the yoke, pulling alongside his partner Blaze. It took over 8 weeks for him to put full weight on that leg, and now he moves right through it, knee to hoof, as if nothing ever happened. Oh miraculous bodies.
Our cat Butterfly had three adorable kittens. Our cow Dandelion gave birth to a healthy heifer, Maple. And we are awaiting two more cow births--and much milk!--in June.
Finally, this month Jordan enjoyed the premier of his first music composition, commissioned and performed by the Manchester Music Festival. Here is a performance of the piece given at Long Trail School! Along the Path
"To Dance as a Radical Act" goes viral!
Kimerer's post, based on comments she gave to the students at Dominican University in November 2011, has taken on a life of its own. The post has receveived over 43,000 hits and counting. Check it out: To Dance is a Radical Act. And don't miss the sequel: To Dance is (More than Just) a Radical Act.
Kimerer is now blogging at www.familyplanting.com
Check out the new site that Kimerer has created for her book, Family Planting. Here you will find stories and reflections that didn't make it into the book, and stories and reflections that have happened since. www.familyplanting.com
Family Planting is Available on AMAZON!
Not quite sure how they do it, but a month before the official release, amazon has Kimerer's latest book Family Planting IN STOCK and ON SALE! You may buy it now! Family Planting For more information, check out Kimerer's WRITE page.
Geoff & Russ Play "Iced Tea"
Russ Gold, Geoff's fearless drummer friend from San Francisco, spent a week teaching with Geoff at Long Trail. This song is one they played for the school community to mark the beginning of their rich and productive week: ICED TEA. Check it out!
Kimerer's PBS Interview is now on Youtube!
For Kimerer's half-hour interview with Patti Gras, host of the Houston PBS television program, Living Smart!, Click HERE!
Fall Happenings
Hebron Hollow is in the news!
Local artist Paula Krieg features some of Kyra's "pockets" in her latest blog! See Kyra's Origami Pockets.
Colby Devitt, blogger for the new online reading program, The Reading Kingdom, mentioned Kimerer in a September 21st post.
See also the interview with Kimerer posted in Ilsussidiario, a Milan online newspaper!
Find here a podcast of her latest radio interview with Suzanna Axisa.
Meanwhile, the days are shorter and cooler and crisper. Our tomatoes on the vine stay greener for longer; our squashes and pumpkins are increasingly orange. The leaves flutter red; the morning sky blasts pink; and the grass grows golden and brown.
We are drinking in the colors, appreciating the riot, before a wash of white appears.
Kimerer's Interview with Lance White
Describing their conversation on June 26, Lance White writes:
"Absolutely sparkling in conversation, this show is very 'light', full of timeless wisdom and practical solutions to everyday problems. She is truly an inspiration, and that comes through in her vibrant and inspirational dialogue." Download the mp3: HERE.
Five Years!
We are on the cusp of celebrating our fifth anniversary here at Hebron Hollow. It was May 15, 2005, when our offer on this farm was accepted. By July 1, we had sold our urban house, uprooted our lives, and transplanted our bodies. HERE.
We have grown, as have our dreams and visions, our herds and our herbs!
We are celebrating the abundance. We now milk three cows twice a day. In April, Dandelion gave birth to the delightful Daffodil, and joined Daisy and Precious in sharing with us her own creamy-rich concoction. Gallons of it. Meanwhile, Kyra's hens are now laying--up to ten eggs a day. We have begun to make homemade pasta (lots of eggs!) and our own cheeses (lots of milk!), as well as our own butter and ice cream. The favorite flavor of the moment is coconut almond chip. With new gardens plowed, seeds in the soil, and transplants thriving, we are hopeful for the harvest.
We are also celebrating the beginning of our summer rhythms. Yesterday was the last day of Long Trail School (where Geoff teaches and Jordan goes), and the last day of Hebron Hollow Home School! We are all home again--where we love to be--moving forward in our ongoing work of bringing this homestead back to life.
2010 at Vital Arts!
Welcome to January! The past two weeks have been quite a year here at Hebron Hollow! Geoff kicked it off with a trip to Anaheim, California, January 13-18, for the annual NAMM show, where he demonstrated the cutting edge virtual piano, Ivory 2, by Joe Ieradi and George Taylor. Ivory 2 was the talk of the conference! Ivory 2 adds velocity levels and sympathetic string vibrations to an already painstakingly recreated, amazingly inspiring, playable piano sound!
Meanwhile, on January 15, Kimerer took Leif to Houston, Texas to record a half hour PBS special on her book, What a Body Knows! The show, Living Smart, is hosted by Patti Gras, a dynamic Houston personality! The Living Smart series begins its season in April and runs for six months. Kimerer's show will air in the Houston area during that time, and immediately thereafter, on the web. In the fall, the series will be available for PBS stations all over the country to pick up and run.
On January 21 & 23, Geoff performed as a guest with the Mads Tolling Quartet at Long Trail School, and then at the Maple Street School in Manchester. Mads Tolling is a two-time Grammy Award winning virtuoso violinist who also went to Berklee School of Music. Geoff fit right in!
Then yesterday was the day of Geoff's big student concert at Long Trail School--his first major showing of the work he has been doing with his students since September. As he was getting ready to leave for the day, Jordan came down the hill with.... yes, Precious's new HEIFER! Precious gave birth, two weeks early, in the middle of a January thaw, to a beautiful baby--just in time for the concert!! While Geoff and Jordan drove away, Kimerer, Jessica, Kyra, Kai and Leif took over the care of Precious and small "p." Photos to come soon.
After the nightly milking, Kimerer and crew made it to the concert with minutes to spare, to witness Geoff and the students' amazing success! What a great event it was. The students made music.
Home again, Jessica and Jordan were out in the barn at 10:30 pm, milking Precious and feeding it to small "p" so that we can be sure she is getting her all-important colostrum. With such great care, she's thriving!
Questions for Living!
Kimerer is now participating in an active research project, called Questions for Living! This project features thought leaders from a variety of disciplines sharing the questions they ask themselves that have contributed to their success. Check out Kimerer's questions under the category of "Life Experiences."
New Blog on Psychology Today
Beginning this month, September 2009, Kimerer will be a regular blogger on the online site for Psychology Today! Check out her blog in the Health section, titled (surprise) What a Body Knows! Her first post features small Leif!
Book Event! July 31 at Red Fox Books
Kimerer held a second local book signing at Red Fox Books in Glens Falls. After an article previewing the book signing was published in the PostStar newspaper, her book was third on the list of the store's top sellers for the week!
Geoffrey in France: KR home-studio: Le magazine de la creation musicale
Geoff was featured in a recent issue of this top French music magazine. The interviewer called Plectrum the "world's first poetic sound library." Geoff says that's high praise indeed.
Kimerer launches What a Body Knows!
It was a big weekend at Vital Arts! The Friday before Mother's Day, May 8, Kimerer hosted an author appearance at Northshire Books in Manchester, VT! For the full story, visit her blog: LAUNCHED!
On May 9, she appeared in an interview with Benita Zahn on Albany's channel 13 morning news program! Click here to see the interview in a segment called "Slice of Life"!
What a Body Knows Is Now AVAILABLE!
Vital Arts is delighted to celebrate the publication of Kimerer's book, What a Body Knows: Finding Wisdom in Desire! The book is now for sale at your favorite online or brick and mortar book source!
For more information, please visit the new and updated WRITE section of our website. Enjoy!
Geoffrey & Kimerer performed in concert on February 27 & 28 at the Fort Salem Theatre in Salem, NY. The evening featured a performance of their acclaimed dance, Genesis, choreographed for, and performed by Kimerer's pregnant body. The evening also included a solo set of Geoffrey's original piano music. [Photo by Jon Katz]
Plectrum Plays Starring Role in Disney's Animated Feature Tinkerbell When Walt Disney Video needed a soundtrack to support the magical story of Tinkerbell, they turned to Joel McNeely, the Emmy® Award-winning composer and conductor with more than 100 motion picture and television credits. When McNeely needed inspiration for creating a magical, instrumental score, he turned to Plectrum. "I find the program to be endlessly musical and useful, " he said. "It is my go-to library when I’m looking for something really special." McNeely used the Fingertip Pianos as a bed for the main theme of the film. Then, for the sound of the music box that plays a pivotal role in the narrative, McNeely used the Musicbox Celeste from Plectrum's Metals category. With McNeely's gorgeous score for Tinkerbell supporting the animation, Disney had a hit movie. As the Financial Times of London reports: "When Walt Disney released Tinkerbell direct to DVD last month, the film became an instant hit, with more than 2 million copies sold in three weeks to fairy-obsessed children and their families." (Matthew Garrahan, Nov. 24, 2008) McNeely shared this MP3 clip with us, and we'd like to share it with you. Plectrum sounds from the Struck Strings and Metals categories make up much of the rhythmic and harmonic bed over which the celtic violinist soars.... beautifully... Geoffrey Discusses Sound Design @ WaveArts WaveArts, the creators of Power Suite 5 and Master Restoration audio plugin software, invited Geoffrey to share some of the ways in which he used the WaveArts sound processing tools to help produce the sounds for Plectrum. These tools are powerful, and Geoffrey recommends them highly! Click here to read the "Featured Artist" Interview with Geoffrey at Wavearts.com.
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