What's Crisol de Cuerda?
CRISOL DE CUERDA is a gathering, a camp, where creativity, knowledge and freedom converge. It is a space and a time for music lovers that are interested in both tradition and innovation, for those who search for new inspirations and those who are ready for a new experience; surprising, enriching and unforgettable.
By the Arlanzón river, in a village by the same name and just 20 min away from Burgos city, fiddlers and other musicians of all ages and all musical levels will meet to share, learn and let their creativity run free. There will be violins (fiddles), cellos (big fiddles), guitars, singers, flutes, and many others. LEARN ABOUT IT HERE!
Masters on these instruments will offer you guidance in this journey, with an approach to music that is both practical and fun. All of this happens immersed in a natural environment that enables us to fuse Nature, music and dance in a powerful synergy, adding priceless value to Crisol de Cuerda. A unique educational project that is welcoming and safe.
We are lucky to have Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas with us, and many more masters. CHECK THEM OUT HERE!
The Spirit of Crisol
The Spirit of Crisol wants to bring together all the ideas and concepts that pushed us to organise a camp with the characteristics that follow but the first and most important is passion; passion for music.
To those not familiar with the term fiddle, what makes the fiddle different from the violin is not the shape of the instrument itself, but the musical language one chooses to speak with it. We will explore the possibilities of expression on the violin that are different from the typical ways in which we are used to hearing it (this philosophy can be applied to every instrument). The goal is not to play folk music on the violin, it is to speak the language of the soul with it, no matter what the musical style you want to play.
Our goal is also to have a course in which everybody can delight in their love for music and reject the implicit competitiveness that sometimes exists when learning to play an instrument.
There will be different levels of learning available, but everyone will interact, no matter whether they are beginners or advanced players – we don’t believe in boundaries; Crisol is inclusive.
Alasdair Fraser is the Alma Mater of the course; he is one of the best fiddlers of today’s folk music scene and a motivating teacher who directs similar projects in Scotland (Sabhal Mòr Ostaig), California (Valley of the Moon Fiddle Camp and Sierra Fiddle Camp) and also Australia (Stringmania!).
Our main cello teacher is Natalie Haas, a young and vibrant cellist who has a great sense of creativity. Natalie has been touring with Alasdair since 2004 and they’ve released 6 studio albums together. She also teaches at the above-mentioned courses. Her lessons are more and more popular every year, and she is helping to release the cello from its classical structures and bring it to a new sphere, treating it as a principally chordal and rhythmic instrument.
Music transcends borders and cultures. Accordingly and along the years, we have invited musicians from different traditions to teach us about their musical languages and ways of playing so that we will have a full and complete learning experience by the end of the course. We have also added dance and singing as we consider them an essential part of our tradition.