The Music of MOONDOG!

Join us in our Sanctuary for a  double feature concert presenting the music of American Composer Moondog and his grand student Julian Calv. It's not common that you get to go hear a concert of Moondog music, and even less common to hear that music alongside the sound of his musical successor. Join Julian Calv and his musical entourage as they present an evening of instrumental and vocal music spanning both the career of Moon and Julian.

Moondog (1916-1999) was born Louis Thomas Hardin Jr., and was a blind American classical composer, performer, poet, music theoretician, and inventor of musical instruments. His strongly rhythmic, contrapuntal pieces and arrangements influenced composers of minimal music – American composer Steve Reich has called him the "Grandfather of minimalism." His prolific work drew inspiration from Native American, American jazz, western European classical, and Latin American music. He lived in New York City from the late 1940s until 1972, during which time he was often found on the corner where Sixth Avenue meets 53rd street, selling records, composing, and promoting his art. In 1974 he permanently settled in Germany where, with the help of Ilona Goebel, he set up his primary holding company for his artistic endeavors.

To learn more about Moondog, enjoy this upcoming documentary about his life and work: THE VIKING OF 6TH AVENUE

An instrumental trio starts the evening, with Jenifer Gelineau on viola, Nabeel on guitar, and Julian conducting from the trimba. Following is kaleidoscope of sound from Non Prophets, a vocal sextet who specialize in singing the vocal rounds of Julian and Moondog. Established by Moondog’s grand-student Julian Calv in 2023, the ensemble presents contemporary interpretations of Moondog’s music alongside original songs composed for the ensemble by Julian. With roots in both Western European classical music and indigenous Arapaho drumming impressions, the music has been described as “Hypnotic, meditative, and trance-like.” 

Coming from a diverse background of musical experiences, the ensemble consists of:

Julian Calv, voice and trimba

Brent Blair, voice and percussion

David Kenyon, electric bass

Sarah Penna, voice

Hannah Philbrooks, voice

Nabeel, voice, acoustic guitar, and percussion

Joining the ensemble will be Jenifer Gelineau on viola, and Johnny Gifford on tenor saxophone.

Julian Calv is a music artist based out of Quechee, VT. Born and raised in Bethlehem Township, NJ, he studied music composition at Moravian University and moved to the Upper Valley area in 2021. The only student of Moondog’s prodigy Stefan Lakatos, Calv has studied every aspect of Moondog’s creative life which included the invention of several musical instruments, most famously the trimba (a sort of triangular drum). Calv has built his own one-of-a-kind trimba, going to great lengths to travel to Sweden and Germany to meet with fellow Moondog aficionados, and study the design of the instrument. Moondog archivist Wolfgang Gnida states, “Julian Calv—The future of the trimba, that's what I called Julian some time ago. That may seem a bit of an exaggeration, but since the time I’ve been working at the Moondog Archive, I’ve yet to meet a musician who has been as intensely involved with the trimba as Julian.” Stefan Lakatos, Moondog’s friend, student, and ‘the leading exponent of the Moondog method of drumming’ (as Moondog called him) accepted Julian as a trimba player. A recognition that Stefan never gave to any other musician. Now a torch bearer for Moondog’s legacy, Julian composes music in a style reflective of his and aims to uphold the music with both traditional and contemporary interpretations.