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Join Peia for her “To the Well” film release and concert: the culmination of several months of grant study in the Gaeltachts (Irish speaking regions) of Western Ireland. Peia will focus on the songs and stories she gathered during her studies, as well as some old favorites. She will be joined by Irish & Appalachian fiddler Andrew Finn Magill.
“TO THE WELL”
“I could sing in over 20 languages yet I knew not a single song from my family nor one word from their ancestral language. I lacked true north and something in me remained searching and rootless.”
With equal parts thirst, gratitude, and the kind of urgent, grief-soaked willingness to peer into a deep well after long pilgrimage, Peia stood on the west coast of County Kerry, Ireland and held the songs of her ancestors in her mouth like so much bread after generations of famine. The result of years of study, this is the tale of finding the source of an erased origin: a holy well of songs still as alive and vibrant as the good green hills, as sturdy as the standing stones.
It is said culture can be forgotten in but two generations. Every modern person in the so-called west suffers from the legacies of colonization: a sense of separation from place-based lifeways that erupt from the land itself, manifesting in the forms of dance, foods, rituals, ceremonies, folk arts – and song.
Amnesia is a hallmark of our species, but so is remembering.
And to remember, we must listen deeply.
For Peia’s To The Well Film Release and Concert Tour, we invite you to come and to drink deeply from an ancient shared source. While we are all descendants of lands that gave shape and sound to our cultures, we also need courage to confront what is reflected in the water. To go to the well is to take the long road back to ourselves. It is not an endeavor to do alone: this kind of healing happens in community. For this journey, we will accompany you with some new and favorite songs, yes, but also a viewing of the short film followed by some Q&A from the audience.
ABOUT PEIA
Peia Luzzi is an American born song collector, writer and multi-instrumentalist based in the mountains of Appalachia. Like water from a deep well, she draws inspiration from her ancestral roots of Irish and Old World European folk music. Peia’s voice dances nimbly from Child Ballads and 17th C. Gaelic laments, to Waulking Songs, and Bulgarian mountain calls. She has traveled & studied extensively over the past 10 years to reconnect with her own ancestral song tradition. Uncovering melodies wrinkled & wise with time, while taking care to honor their language and stories, Peia brings a piece of herself to each song she carries.
Along with song gathering & writing songs that speak to the heart of our present experience, Peia’s passion lies in guiding others to discover their own authentic voice & expression. A powerful voice in the rising global community of people who are committed to restoring a balanced relationship with the Earth, Peia expresses her holistic vision and passion through her music, educational workshops and advocacy for social and environmental rights groups.
“Peia’s voice soars like the wind
as she sings a love letter to our Earth
and an ode to humanity.”
– Huffington Post
EVENING FORMAT:
hosted at First Church of Christ Scientist
1205 Pandora Avenue (NOT Sunset Labs)
Film screening: 20 minutes followed by 15min Q&A w/ Peia
Intermission
Concert: 60-75 minutes
Tickets: General Admission: $25 Advance / $30 at the Door
OCT4 VOCAL WORKSHOP
The night AFTER the concert, Peia is facilitating her AMAZING vocal workshop entitled “Song of the Ancients” – details & tickets are available via that event page, here:
The LAST time we hosted Peia here in 2019 was simply MAGICAL – check it out!
