One trend we at IATU have on our radar is the neoclassical crossover movement. You might recall our interview with the ever-memorable Harp Twins Camille and Kennerly Kitt, our review of folk/classical ensemble Plumes’ debut full length, or our highlighting of the Wheaton College Artist Series which actively  seeks out musicians breaking the traditional barriers of classical music.

Timbre, a harpist/folk singer is another person breaking barriers, and she is poised to do so in a big way – something which she explains in her IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds for the project. She has toured the country and has been a regular at the now defunct Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, IL. In these excerpts from the IndieGoGo page for her campaign, she explains her mission and exactly why her next project is so momentous:

Art does not exist alone… art creates art.

This is the idea behind my newest project, “Sun and Moon”. This double disc record explores the deep connection between classical music and modern songwriting. One disc, “Sun” will feature songs written with my band, songs about friendship, love, grief, nature, even a song based on a children’s fairy tale (more on that later!). The other disc, “Moon”, will feature a variety of classical music that I’ve written, from a harp and oboe duet, to a piece for full orchestra, choir, harp, and solo soprano (me!).

Both discs will feature many of the same musicians. Themes and ideas will pass back and forth between them, playing with ideas of dark and light, day and night. My desire is to show that classical music and “popular music” are deeply connected, as they have always been. Classical music and popular music each have their depth, their energies, their forms of communication, and together they can speak to us in even deeper and more beautiful ways…

…Over the past 7 years, I have slowly found my way into a new world of popular music, writing songs  with my band and playing with a ridiculously diverse collection of bands, from people like mewithoutYou, the Chariot, Brooke Waggoner, to bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs and Jack White of the White Stripes. I have found a deep undercurrent of passion and art that connects these worlds, and I want to help my listeners plunge into the depth of those waters with me.

As the editor of IATU, I’m pretty pumped about this. Innovation and huge sounds that envelop you are two things that really catch my attention, so I plan on making a donation and so should you. Read the full explanation of Timbre’s campaign here and leave a donation if you may. Or, you can view a video explaining further below:

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/65469601]