| Barrage | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Genres | Canadian fiddle Jazz World music Celtic Bluegrass Rock Pop, Calypso Latin Klezmer Traditional Folk |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Website | barrage.ca |
| Members | |
| Kristina Bauch (Violin/Piano) Charles Bullough (Drums) Lindy Donia (Violin/Vocals) Tim Harley (Bass Guitar) Taylor Morris (Violin) Daniel Pentecost (Violin/Bagpipes/Whistles) Phil Smyth (Guitar/Violin) Kiana Weber (Violin) |
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Barrage is a violin-based, modern worldbeat ensemble headquartered in Calgary, Alberta Canada. They are well known, most notably for their innovative blend of violin music and high-energy choreography during their performances.[1] The group's live shows have toured in 27 countries, and their concert specials have been featured on television networks around the world.[2]
Barrage plays an eclectic mix of material from a multitude of genres including, but not limited to, Celtic, Swing, Bluegrass, Jazz, Rock, Calypso, Pop, Canadian fiddle and Latin, as well as contemporary versions of traditional material from countries including China, Ukraine, and India. The group primarily performs in theaters and performing arts centers, but also performs at festivals and for corporate events.[3]
Since 2006, Barrage has been heavily involved in youth music education in North America through their "Energize Your Strings!" program.[4]
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Barrage began as a musical entertainment concept created in Calgary, Alberta in 1996 by musicians Dean Marshall and John Crozman. Together with Jana Wyber, Brian Hanson, and Anthony Moore,[5] they formed Barrage's executive production and creative team, known as "5 to 1 Entertainments".[6]
Barrage originally consisted of seven violinists, along with a four piece backline made up of bass guitar, acoustic/electric guitar, drum set and percussion. In its early days, the group gained attention for pushing the violin's musical boundaries in their attempts to change the public's general perception of what is considered acceptable music to be played using the instrument. Barrage's early performances concentrated solely on experimenting and exploring new musical ideas. Over time, the seven violinists began incorporating choreography and several forms of dance into their shows while playing the violin at the same time, thus creating unique visuals to match the various music styles they were performing. Barrage quickly evolved into its present-day hybrid cross between a theatrical music production and a musical ensemble show.[8][9]
A second cast of Barrage was created in 2001 and was based in London, England. For a short time, two entirely different casts of Barrage were touring and performing in different parts of the world simultaneously. The two casts were later amalgamated, reverting back to a single, eleven member Calgary-based cast.[8]
Barrage has embarked on several major concert tours which have included "A Violin Sings, A Fiddle Dances", "Vagabond Tales", and "High Strung".[10] These tours each spanned several years in length, and collectively played to audiences across 27 countries including Belgium, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, El Salvador, England, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United States.[11] The group has also frequently toured regionally in North America and Europe using the self-titled "'Barrage" show name.[12] On average, Barrage tours for over 30 weeks of the year.[13]
In addition to their extensive touring, Barrage has performed as a resident show at Epcot Center in Walt Disney World Florida, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California, and Chime-Long Paradise in Guangzhou, China.[14]
Barrage has released four studio albums, one live album, one greatest hits album, several music videos, and two concert DVDs.[15][16] They have also published a series of music books.[17] Barrage's concert DVD's "The World on Stage" (1999) and "Vagabond Tales" (2003) were both broadcast multiple times nationally across the United States as prime-time concert specials on PBS.[18] The group has also been featured on a variety of television networks worldwide including BBC (U.K.), CBC (Canada), CCTV (China), and the Disney Network in both filmed and live performance specials.[14]
Barrage has been the topic of several biographical documentaries throughout their existence including "Live in Europe" (1998), "The making of Vagabond Tales" (2003) and "Dig a Little Deeper" (2005), all of which continue to air periodically on television networks around the world.[19] Two of Barrage's music videos, "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "Running Horses", have received airplay in rotation on various music television networks.[20] The group has also produced other music videos and performance clips made specifically for Youtube.[21]
Barrage released their first album, "Live in Europe" in 1998, recorded live at multiple venues during Barrage's tour of Europe that year.[22]
Their self-titled album "Barrage", released in the year 2000, was the group's first studio album. It contains many original songs from the group's "A Violin Sings, A Fiddle Dances" tour.[23] Barrage's second studio album "Vagabond Tales" was released in 2003 in conjunction with the launch of the group's "Vagabond Tales" tour, containing many of the songs that were featured in the show.[24]
In 2008, Barrage released "Scrapbook", a greatest hits album containing popular and well known songs from the group's shows and previous recordings. Also in 2008, Barrage's third studio album "High Strung" was released, containing music performed by Barrage during their "High Strung" tour.[25][26]
The group's latest album, "Winter's Tale" was released in 2009. It is Barrage's first holiday album, containing their unique arrangements of holiday classics. The album also contains collaborations with Danish vocalist Stig Rossen.[27]
In 2006, Barrage changed their show format, moving away from their relatively large scale theatrical music shows to a slightly smaller scale, education-oriented format. The format change saw the cast decrease in size from 11 members to 8 and included the addition of a major educational component to their touring. The current cast frequently works in American schools with its "Energize Your Strings!" program. This program includes a day-time workshop and an evening concert, usually in the school's auditorium or sometimes held at the local performing arts center.[28]
Barrage violinists use acoustic violins fitted with custom wireless L.R. Baggs acoustic bridge pick-up amplification systems during their performances.[29] They exclusively use specially designed "Barrage" model carbon fiber Codabows.[30] Vocals have always been a part of Barrage's performances, and all musicians in the group sing during the shows. Drum set, acoustic/electric guitar and bass guitar have been mainstay backline instruments used by Barrage throughout their existence. From 1996-2005, the backline featured a strong percussion and melodic mallet instrument presence, however this element of the group has since been removed. Barrage has also been known to use piano, keyboards, mandolin, upright bass, tin whistle, low whistle, harmonica, bagpipes, and other instruments at various times in their shows.[9][29]
Barrage's repertoire is varied and extensive, and includes many musical styles. The group's musical director, Dean Marshall, has composed and/or arranged all of Barrage's musical material throughout its entire history.[31]
The cast of Barrage is a group of young professional musicians from a variety of musical backgrounds. The cast has been made up of several different musicians throughout its history. Current and past members have come from many countries around the world, including Canada, England, Germany, New Zealand, Scotland, Wales, and the United States.
From 1997 to 2005, Barrage was made up of seven violinists along with a guitarist, bassist, drummer and percussionist. The current cast of Barrage consists of five violinists with a guitarist, bassist, and drummer.