May 11th and July 13th in the Library Meeting Room!

As a musician, I’ve always been fascinated by the influence of the melting pot on our collective experience, whether it be through the food we eat, our shared traditions, film, or the music we’ve heard, shared and continue to experience in our communities. Much of it becomes part of our nostalgia, and for me it has informed my taste and influences. As a Vermonter growing up near Quebec, the influence of Acadian and French Canadian music made an early impression. After hearing Jewish and traditional music from eastern Europe from my mother, I became interested in the Irish and English songs of Vermont and

New Hampshire’s quarry workers, the Massachusetts mill songs of the Blackstone and Merrimack Valleys, and the rich labor songs of New England immigrants from the 1800s and 1900s. As a veteran English and history teacher of refugees in Worcester, one of New England’s most richly diverse cities, I dedicate some of my time to learning music of current and evolving New England diasporas from my students (Afghani, Ethiopian/Eritrean, West African and others). Our relatively small region is rich with the sounds of the entire globe.

In these programs you will hear interpretations of Irish traditional songs and music from the British Isles, Acadian/French Canadian music, music of our Jewish communities, and songs from Africa, Central Asia, and the Far East. I feel the music is a representation of ourselves and the ever-changing population that calls our towns and cities home.

About Daniel Gay:

A Worcester Public School teacher and musician, Daniel performs throughout New England. A music performance graduate of UMASS Lowell and education programs at UMASS Boston and Worcester State University, he’s been featured at festivals in Amherst, MA, Worcester, MA and Atlanta, GA, and can be seen performing original music and unique interpretations of multiple genres of music at venues throughout New England.. Available for performances and lessons as a soloist or duo (with his daughter Imogene), Daniel can be reached at stomptheguru@gmail.com. Instagram: @danielgay1978, Facebook: @danielgaycacophony