As series de cursos a distancia Zona da Zanfona Digital xa están aquí e as inscricións abertas na web xeral de aCentral Folque. Este 2025 serán de novo catro cursos por mestres internacionais de recoñecido prestixio e solvencia en temas específicos arredor da zanfona, en inglés con sotaques rexionais e para todos os niveis:
- Clémence Oppin: “The music from Nivernais, the Achille Millien’s legacy” sobre a música de Nivernais no centro de Francia
- Anxo Pintos: “The zanfona in Galicia – History, Style & Practice” para zanfona na música tradicional galega
- R.T.Taylor : “From bal to jam (2)” sobre música para foliadas zanfoneiras internacionais
- Marc Egea: “A hurdy-gurdy method in 13 lessons” para traballo de coordinación da man esquerda e dereita.
Acontece en domingo cada dúas semana desde o 27 de abril ao 8 de xuño con sesións de dúas horas e material extra para estudiar nos vindeiros meses
[English]
Central Folque organizes for this year of 2025 four online masterclasses for hurdy-gurdy players in preparation for the 21th Zona da Zanfona. Festival Internacional. These workshops will be given by international musicians on specific topics about the zanfona:
Clémence Oppin: “The music from Nivernais, the Achille Millien’s legacy” about the music of this area in Central France between Berry, Bourbonnais and Morvan; Anxo Pintos: “The zanfona in Galicia – History, Style & Practice” with repertoire and nuances in the music from Galiza in the North West corner of the Iberian Peninsula; R.T.Taylor : “From bal to jam (2)” for beginners and people hungry for a vast repertoire; Marc Egea: “A hurdy-gurdy method in 13 lessons” to master both hands on the instrument.
Twice a month every fortnight starting on the 27th of April until the 8th of June we will meet for direct learning in an intensive two hour session with each teacher for a brief introduction to context and history; explanation of style; proposal of exercises and tunes; questions and live talk. The sessions will take place on Sundays from 6 pm to 8 pm (Central European Summer Time or UTC +2).
For every workshop, extra material will be given for further study. Language will be English with regional accents.
+ info for each ssession:
- Clémence Oppin: Nivernays swing. 27th April
- Anxo Pintos: A Galician way. 11th May
- R.T.Taylor: “From Bal to Jam” (2). 25th May
- Marc Egea: A Method in 13 lessons. 8th June
Registration here
The music from Nivernais, the Achille Millien’s legacy with Clémence Oppin from the Nivernais region.
Sunday 27th of April. Online
First of the online masterclasses for the Zona da Zanfona Digital series in 2025 with an experienced player and teacher now living in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes area. This masterclass is specially orientated to players who want to broaden their knowledge of traditional vielle a roue style from Central France to get to know all the nuances and “swing” of this regional style located between Berry, Bourbonnais and Morvan.
About the masterclass
This will be a lecture/workshop about the collector and floklorist Achille Millien (1838 – 1927) and his musical legacy. As soon as 1877, Millien began the systematic collection of folk tales, legends and folk songs of the Nivernais region. This considerable work, the results of which are still largely unpublished, makes Achille Millien an exemplary reference in the world of contemporary ethnology.
We will follow his travels in the Nivernais: listen to (a little part) the songs he writes, deep into the scores transcribed by his friend Jean-Grégoire Pénavaire, and see how to transpose his legacy on the hurdy-gurdy and the regional style of Nivernais.
Nivernais is a literary and cultural area located in the centre of France, between Berry, Bourbonnais and Morvan. The playing of the hurdy-gurdy varies slightly depending on the region. For example, hurdy-gurdies in Berry and Bourbonnais are tuned to D, while in Morvan they are tuned to G. Berry is renowned for its two-beat bourrées, while Morvan has three-beat bourrées (which are not the same as those in Auvergne! The “swing” is different there.
The Nivernais region is a cultural crossroads. Its cultural roots are primarily literary, notably thanks to the collections of Achille Millien and Jean-Grégoire Pénavaire.
We will share the experience of the collector’s heirs : to listen a song, to play it on hurdy-gurdy and use that music to recreate a new tune for dancing : what tone, what variation / ornamentation on the melody and the coup de poignet, what rhythmic signature we can choose, etc…
All abilities of player are welcome, we will put ourselves in Pénavaire’s shoes : listen to the music and play it to transcribe what we can at that moment!
About Clémence Oppin
A hurdy-gurdy player since 2001, Clémence Oppin developed a passion for the traditional music of the Central France area at a very young age. After studying at the conservatory, where she gained her first stage experience, she continued her studies at the Sorbonne University. In 2013, she graduated as a music teacher for middle school. Since 2017, she has been teaching hurdy-gurdy and obtained her State Diploma in 2019.
She plays, most of the time, folk dance music and, most of it, with her hurdy-gurdy. She is now located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region since 15 years ago. Her style is also inspired by different traditional cultures from the centre of France.
As a musician and as teacher, she shares her passion for music with the public and students.
The Zanfona in Galiza – History, Style & Practice with Anxo Pintos from Vigo, Galiza.
Sunday 11th of May. Online
Second of the online masterclasses for the Zona da Zanfona Digital series in 2025 with one of the leading musicians in Galiza in the folk scene and teacher directly or inderectly of all the modern Galician hurdy-gurdy players. This masterclass is suitable for beginners and intermediate players who want to know, understand and play the Galician music adapted for the instrument.
About the masterclass
Dive into the fascinating world of the hurdy-gurdy in Galicia in a unique master class designed for musicians, students, and lovers of traditional music.
- Part 1 – Context: A visual and musical journey through the traditional music map of the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. We will explore the legacy of the last blind itinerant musicians, historic songbooks, the key figure of Faustino Santalices, and the Galician folk revival led by groups like Milladoiro, Berrogüetto, and others. You will also discover valuable online resources like APOI, Folkoteca, and more.
- Part 2 – Style: A detailed explanation of how traditional Galician music —especially bagpipe music from the Pontevedra province (county)— can be adapted to the hurdy-gurdy: modes, scales, ornamentation, and stylistic techniques. We will also look at traditional genres and rhythms like the muinheira, xota, and alalá, among others.
- Part 3 – Practice: A live music session! A few tunes will be performed, some of them designed for the audience to join in (instruments welcome but not required). Other representative songs will be discussed, even if there is no time to play them live. Because hurdy-gurdy playing is also about listening and feeling.
- Part 4 – Q&A: An open space for questions, curiosities, and conversation around the hurdy-gurdy, Galician music, and its rich context.
About Anxo Lois Pintos García
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, and one of the leading figures of the hurdy-gurdy in Galicia. He began his musical training at the age of 8 at the Vigo Conservatory, studying with masters such as Suso Pereira and Antón Corral. He co-founded influential groups including Matto Congrio, Berrogüetto, Lizgairo, and the Galician Folk Orchestra SonDeSeu. His career has been recognized with numerous awards, including the German Critics Award (1996 and 2001), the Martín Códax Music Award (2013), and a Grammy for Best World Music Album with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble (2017).
As a hurdy-gurdy player, he is known for pioneering and systematizing a technique that made it possible to learn and perform traditional Galician repertoire. He taught for eleven years at the Vigo Municipal School of Arts and Crafts (EMAO) and currently teaches at ETRAD, where he also leads the hurdy-gurdy section of SonDeSeu and continues to create and perform through projects such as the duo PÄRBO.
Hurdy Gurdy, from Bal to Jam (2): using simple tech tools and techniques to help you play your best at Bal Folk and Jam sessions with R.T.Taylor from California.
This session will complement the contents of last year’s session. Even if you attened that one, you repeat and learn new things and get more renewed and updated material.
Sunday 25 May. Online
Third of the online masterclasses for the Zona da Zanfona Digital series in 2025 with one of the players who has taught to most of the USA’s East Coast students and one of the pioneers of the hurdy-gurdy in the California scene since the 1980’s. This masterclass is specially orientated to beginners and intermediate players and general musicians who want to get access to hundreds of folk tunes to play at sessions. Preparatory and extra material will be given to study in the coming months and years!
About the masterclass
R.T.’s workshop is for players at all experience levels who want to transition from playing “the notes on the page” to more dynamic and interesting ways to play tunes. We start with a basic tune skeleton, then add ornaments, variations, second voices and compatable right hand techniques. Add a little improvisation and you are ready to join in at Jam Sessions and Bal Folk events with more
advanced skills and enjoy playing more.
Hurdy Gurdy players at Jam Sessions and Bal Folk dances use a core of Bourrée, Waltz, Scottish, Polka etc. dance tunes. You will use a few easy to learn tunes so that you can focus on learning new skills in the workshop.
You will receive extensive course materials that you can download. In addition, you will learn about apps for phones, tablets and computers that help you learn tunes easier, faster and more accurately and help you create second voices, harmonies and perfect your playing techniques.
About R. T. Taylor
R.T. Taylor discovered the hurdy gurdy at 5 years of age and the rediscovered it again at 35. From then and for thirty-five years playing and teaching in Japan, North and South America and Europe. He recorded with the bands French Creek (USA) and UFO (FR), specializing in Bal Folk music from France, Hungary and Galicia.
He has given workshops in the Over The Water Festival (Seattle), Chants of Vielle (Montreal), Grand Bande in Texas, EMIM Indiana Workshop and regularly teaches lessons in Los Angeles, California and individuals world wide 24/7 via Zoom.
He studied with the best European players such as Patrick Bouffard, ‘Maxou’ Heintzen, Gilles Chabenat, Valentin Clastrier, Matthias Loibner, Cliff Stapelton, Anne-Lise Foy, Laurence Pinchemaille, Jean-Michel Péru and Bela Szerenyi Sr.. R.T. was is lecturer in Los Angeles teaching Visual Effects and Computer Graphics.
A hurdy-gurdy method in 13 lessons with Marc Egea from Barcelona.
Sunday 8th of June. Online
Last of the online masterclasses for the Zona da Zanfona Digital series in 2025 with a composer, player and teacher from Catalonia, in the North East of the Iberian Peninsula. This masterclass is suitable for beginners and intermediate players and the goal will be to understand and mater the coordination of both hands to improve in your style of playing.
About the masterclass
This is a workshop for an analysis of the thirteen-lesson method Marc Egea published on his website, which is freely available for everyone to download. We will analyze each of the lessons and their exercises, which are aimed to get full coordination on both right and left hands -that is, melody and rhythm. This method is suitable for both beginners and those with an intermediate level on the hurdy-gurdy.
However, the particularity of the exercises is they are only examples -in other words, they serve just as a starting point for everyone to be able to create their own exercises, adapting them to their needs, level, and skill. The concept of this method is clear: to work from the very beginning on hand coordination, rather than treating each hand separately. As a complement, we might also work on some modules from the famous piece ‘In C’ by the American composer Terry Riley -a piece very well-suited for a group of hurdy- gurdy players of indefinite size.
About Marc Egea i Ger
Musician, composer, and occasional writer from Barcelona. He studied flabiol (Catalan horn), taragot (Transylvanian horn), guitar, harmony and philosophy with the hurdy-gurdy as his main instrument.
He began his career as a professional musician in 1990 with the trio Músics de Safeu and later with the folk group El Pont d’Arcalís. Since 2005, he have pursued a solo career. Since then, he has collaborated with numerous ensembles and artists from a variety of musical styles and co-founded projects such as Kaulakau, Maram Trio, Dindùn, Alenky, among others, and has also developed his musical work as a composer and performer in the fields of dance, theatre, and poetry recitals as a live musician. He has performed on stages all over the world and recorded more than forty albums, both solo and with different bands and artists. He has composed works for brass ensemble, cobla, symphonic band, chamber music, choir, electronic music and more. He wrote the method ‘Initiation to the Hurdy-Gurdy’ (DINSIC, 2008). Currently, in addition to working on the projects presented on his website, he teaches philosophy at the secondary school level and conduct instrumental groups at a music school.
Visit his website: www.marcegea.com
Masterclasses organized by aCentral Folque thanks to support by:
Concello de Santiago – Deputación Provincial da Coruña
