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The Balkan brass band The Vagabonds performed at a KPBX Kids' Concert on Friday, June 20, from noon-1pm at the Bing Crosby Theater. The concert was free for kids of all ages and was hosted by Verne Windham.
The Vagabonds draw their inspiration from the rich cultural heritage of the Balkans, ranging from traditional Bulgarian wedding music and Romanian gypsy music to modern Turkish dance hits. Through their music, they hope to raise awareness about the Balkan culture and social issues in the region.
This was the Vagabonds' last concert together due to the graduation of several of its members. Gabriel Soileau (accordion and vocals), Mitchell Hamm (saxophone), and Haydn Halstead (drums) all graduated from Lewis & Clark High School in June. The band also included high school students Grant Cook (clarinet), Malcolm Teel (tuba and trombone), Micah Vogel (fiddle), and Bogdan “Theo” Mynka (guitar and vocals), as well as Spokane Symphony musician Gregg Youmans (bass).
Host and SPR Program Director Verne Windham has worked with Soileau through the Spokane Youth Symphony and other projects over the past several years. When Windham first met Soileau, then a junior high student, Windham was desperate for a bass player for the next Spokane Youth Symphony concert. Though skeptical due to Soileau’s age, Windham was pleasantly surprised. “Not only did he do it; he did it really well. [Gabe] proved not only to be a terrific string player and a wonderful pianist, but a marvelous composer and improviser: the complete musician." Windham said when Soleau put together the Vagabonds, he keenly understood arranging folk music and making it work on Western instruments, so that the Vagabonds' music was accessible to everyone.
Thank you to our Summer 2014 KPBX Kids' Concert underwriters: NumericaCredit Union, Music Corner Inside Pawn One, Harvard Park Children’s Learning Center, and Rocket Bakeries. Special thanks for grant support goes to the Florence Wasmer Fund for Arts and Culture. KPBX Kids' Concerts have been bringing different genres of music and performances to generations of children for over 20 years. These family concerts are at the heart of the station's mission to provide music awareness and entertainment to our listening region, which compliments SPR’s on-air programming.
