$20 advance/$25 at the door/18 & Under – Free

Fortune, My Foe! takes listeners on a lively journey celebrating the friendship and community embodied by traditional music. This independent program brings songs of struggle, merriment, and hope from medieval Spain to modern Ireland with voices and a dazzling variety of rare woodwind instruments, supported by cittern, classical guitar, and a bit of old-world percussion.   Spun by the Roman goddess of fate (Fortuna), the Wheel of Fortune was a common image in medieval art, representing the unpredictable nature of life, and how the fortunes of even the rich and powerful could change in an instant.

Gain strength from stories, sing-alongs, and foot-stomping instrumentals which for hundreds of years have sustained people through the darkest times. In the spirit of friends united, join this band of musicians spreading courage and cheer through music, for an uplifting and extraordinary experience.

Members of the ensemble

Cameron St. Louis is a woodwind player, singer, and inventor from Seattle. He first learned to play Irish and Scottish traditional music under Laura MacKenzie while attending Carleton College, which unlocked a worldwide community of friends and fellow musicians in the Celtic genres. Cam is known for his handmade pennywhistles (Barter Loch Woodwinds), innovations in bagpipe design, driving flute style and powerful vocals. He enjoys playing with Seattle’s acclaimed Scottish Gaelic band, Keltoi, and the genre bridging rock band Ockham’s Razor.

Richard Hill has been teaching and singing in Scottish Gaelic since 1989, is a founder of Slighe nan  Gàidheal and Fèis Seattle and is also well known in Seattle’s early music scene. He won top honors for traditional Gaelic singing at the Mòds in Vancouver and Toronto and has taught for An Comunn Gàidhealach America and Voiceworks-Centrum, Bellingham, WA. Rich currently teaches through the  Colaisde na Gaidhlig (Nova Scotia), is a Gaelic tutor for Princeton University, and is the lead singer for the celebrated Seattle Gaelic band Keltoi.

Laura MacKenzie has learned Scottish and Irish music from many noted tradition bearers on both sides of the Atlantic. She has received numerous honors, fellowships and awards for her participation and dedication in this realm of music. Laura performs on an array of wind-powered instruments including wooden flutes, whistles, concertina, several types of bagpipes, gemshorn and voice. Enjoying a richly varied career grounded in traditional music, Laura has performed and recorded with diverse ensembles in a significant variety of contexts.

Dave Bartley performs on guitar, cittern, mandolin and even more stringed instruments. Dave has played for social dances of many types, from ballroom and swing to international, Balkan, ceili, and contra across North America and overseas. He has performed with the Seattle Symphony, toured with rock bands, and written about 400 original tunes. Along with Cam and Rich, Dave is a member of the distinguished Seattle band Keltoi, and is honored to be playing Early and Celtic music with “Fortune, My  Foe!”.

Fortune’s Special Guest, Katharine Grant has been singing to herself all her life. Songs she can sing anywhere anytime are what help her navigate through life with a sense that she is never truly alone — the ancestors have seen it all and live on as support to those alive today. In the Seattle area, Katharine performed under renowned medieval musician Margriet Tindemans along with Richard Hill, who was her entry into the Gaelic world.

Online tickets will be available till 11:30 pm on the day before the show. Afterward, you may purchase tickets for $25 at the door. Youth 18 years and under receive free admission at the door.