Guest blogger and more FKO highlights (Part 4)

I've been invited to be a guest blogger for Design Sessions: Notes On Design this week; you can see my first post here.

Back to some more FilKONtario highlights, told in photos...



Above: Douglas and Juliana ("Pondside").

At each convention, I always strive to take away at least one new, good musical experience. For some people, filk conventions are purely social; for others, the focus is on the music. For me, it has always been a blending of the two.

I enjoy hearing performers I've come across before and liked, but I also seek out new music; it's too easy to get into a rut otherwise, only going to the concerts of people I know, or only going to the open filk circles where I know everyone.

Douglas and Juliana (who also happened to win the Urban Tapestry Interfilk/n'MC package) definitely fit in my "yay, I'm so glad I was in that open filk that evening" category!




Above: Michael ("Beige_alert") plays a lovely flute instrumental in open filk. Michael also sang a German version of Aryana's "Still Beautiful." I think it's very VERY cool how music has been shared back and forth between different countries over the years. Hurray for Interfilk! And hurray for musical sharing of songs and ideas!

This is especially important, I find, when sharing songs written by filkers who don't often travel outside of their home territory. Within Urban Tapestry, Allison's been especially good at finding songs written by other people that we can share when we visit other conventions.

A survey for you filkers out there: What was the last song that you performed that was written by another filker?




Another highlight: The resounding success of Phil Mills and his very first concert, ever. :-) In the photo above, Phil is ably assisted by Tom (in his puffy shirt, yay!), Sue and Jane.



Allison, Jodi and I arrived early for the children's concert and were blown away by the gorgeous music wafting up from Ed Staff's vocal workshop.



Tom and Sue, newly engaged. They plan to have their wedding at next year's FilKONtario. Because of a loss in the family, Dave Clement was unable to participate in the Dandelion Wine concert. Tom gave a wonderful solo concert, however, and called up Sam Baardman to perform "Solar Flare" as the last song.

!

My, but those n'MC types "scrub up nicely." :-)



Sib's excitement about coming back to Montana's. At the beginning of the weekend, she vowed to work her way through every dessert on the menu.



Photo by Phil Mills.


Margaret Middleton had donated a gorgeous quilt to n'MC/Interfilk auction; Peggy Warner-Lalonde won it.


Photo by Phil Mills

Wonderful to hear/see Gwen Knighton again!

Photo by Phil Mills.

Tanya Huff gave her strongest performance ever in her one-shot. Perhaps she was extra-inspired by Henry, a doll custom-made by Teddy (in the UK), presented by Heather Borean (who won the raffle for the doll, had it made for Tanya). Henry is one of the characters in Tanya's Blood Books, a novel series which has been launched as a television series.

Below: Gary McGath and me.

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