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NGI Recipient: Sophie Bady-Kaye

Session Attended: Folk Music Society of New York and others - TradMaD (2017)

Pinewoods is a place outside of day to day life. As an adult, it’s difficult to find the kind of magic escape that summer camp provides when we’re kids. We don’t usually have the option to disappear into the woods for a week to do the things we love and meet people from different places and backgrounds, and forget about everything else in the outside world. Pinewoods provides that opportunity.

TradMAD was truly magical for me. I love traditional music, but I often get caught up in my responsibilities and forget to play or sing or make time to go to a dance. At Pinewoods, there’s nothing to be distracted by, and everyone there just wants to play and sing and dance. I was thrilled to see some of the staff that I’d worked with before, like Edith Gawler, Bennett Konesni, and Becky Tracy, but It was also wonderful to meet so many new and talented folk musicians, some of whom lead styles of music that I’d never gotten to do before.

I mainly went to workshops revolving around song. I play fiddle (and did go to one fiddle workshop) and I love to dance, but for me there’s something very personal and special about sharing songs, whether the singer learned it from family, at a festival, or off a CD. Everyone brings their own style and perspective to a traditional song, and the act of passing it down shapes it in new and beautiful ways.

TradMAD was like briefly stepping into the Fairy realm, and coming back with a thousands songs and stories from the magical folk. I hope I get to cross over there again.