Big Sky Musicivic

Musicivic, Inc. is pleased to announce our most recent Musicivic Community project. Big Sky Musicivic will implement the Musicivic community model in Kalispell, MT and its surrounding communities beginning with the 2021 Spring Season of Musicast programming.

Donor, Member & Sponsor Supported

Big Sky Musicivic is a donor, member and sponsor supported organization. Donations currently being received by Musicivic, Inc. (Tax deductible to the extant of the law). Donate! And let us know by email (below) if your Musicivic donation was motivated by supporting the Big Sky project!

Free Tickets for Live and Online Events

Big Sky Musicivic live and online programming is free to all. Starting in March (2021) Big Sky Musicivic will deliver a new online Musicast episode every week with “live chat” hosted premieres every Sunday (3:00 PM) and Friday (7:30 PM). Our free tickets provide a link that is good for the timed event and on demand for the following week, so Musicast programming can be accessed by our community members at any time and from anywhere. Free Tickets!

For a sampling of Musicast programming our trailer playlist is available.

Membership

Big Sky Musicivic community membership is free. All of a members donations are accumulated to award “levels” with increased benefits including early access to live event registration, merchandise discounts, access to Musicast On Demand programming, and recognition.

Levels are unlocked at $9, $15, $30 and $75 cumulative donations per season or $36, $60, $120 and $300 per year.

Sponsorship

We have special programs to partner with Civic, Community and Main Street organizations. Our partnership models focuses on co-branding opportunities that build community identity, cultural vitality, and unique experiences for Kalispell and its surrounding communities and the individuals and families that live in and visit them. Contact Big Sky Musicivic at the email below for more information.

Taylor and Alison Ackley named Co-Directors

Taylor Ackley is first and foremost a folk musician. Born into a working class family with a remarkable heritage of traditional American music, his work grows directly out of the rich musical expression cultivated across the generations of pickers, singers, song writers and fiddlers that populate his family tree. His academic training began at Adelphi University where he studied classical vocal performance, jazz bass and composition. He continued his studies a the Stony Brook University, where he earned a Master’s and a PhD in Composition and is currently completing a Master’s Degree in Ethnomusicology. 

Taylor has composed a large catalogue of original works, which explore the various expressive languages he has learned from his wide range of musical experiences.  This has led to a recent compositional output which simultaneously liberates and challenges musicians through a unique combination of aural transmission, guided improvisation and nontraditional notation coupled with an intense reliance on the performer’s own ears.  He has been commissioned by a number of soloists, chamber ensembles, choirs and jazz bands.  His music has been featured in festivals throughout the United States as well as Denmark and China. As a scholar he has presented at a number of conferences and panels including a lecture for the International Bluegrass Music Association. He is published by the MIT Press in Between the Tracks

He is the founder and director of the Deep Roots Ensemble. A group which merges classical chamber music instrumentation and techniques with traditional American music performance practice into a refined and cohesive style. They have released two albums of Taylor’s music, Songs from the Bitterroot (2018) and Hard Tellin’ (2020) both through the 4Tay Records label.

Alison Ackley is a doctoral candidate in cello performance at Stony Brook University where she earned her Masters in 2016. Alison has performed with the Three Village Chamber Players, Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Players, Stony Brook Baroque Players, and the Emerson String Quartet. She is also a vocalist, cellist and assistant director of Taylor Ackley and the Deep Roots Ensemble, a group that specializes in performing traditional American music in classical music settings. The Deep Roots Ensemble recently released their second album “Hard Tellin’” under 4Tay Records. Alison earned her B.M. at the Chicago College of Performing Arts under the tutelage of Chicago Symphony cellist Richard Hirschl. She has attended many summer music festivals such as the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Banff Centre for the Arts Masterclass Program, Interlochen Arts Camp and the Madison Early Music Festival. In addition to performing, Alison maintains an active virtual private studio, has taught musicianship at the Stony Brook University Young Artist Program, and has coached chamber music through the Stony Brook Community Music Program.

Contact

Big Sky Musicivic can be contacted at BigSky@musicivic.net.

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