Cricket & Snail:
About Us
Cricket & Snail is a violin-accordion duo living in Prague that performs an eclectic mix of classical, early 20th-century popular and folk musical styles that transport their listeners to such exotic places as a French café, an opera scene, a Celtic dance or a Jewish wedding. While Czech violinist Lucie Carlson and American accordionist James Carlson are both classically trained musicians and composers, they formed their duo because they wanted to make music that was freer from the boundaries of the concert hall.
Whether playing on stage, in a café or on the streets of Prague, they always impress their listeners with the expressiveness of their playing, their original compositions and the surprising beauty of sound that their instruments make when combined. Come hear Cricket & Snail, something out of the ordinary, music that is evocative, heartfelt and fun!
Lucie Carlson
Lucie se věnuje hře na housle od svých 6 let. Studovala na pražské konzervatoři (prof, K. Přibyl a prof. D.Vlachová), Rubinově akademii hudby v Tel-Avivu (prof. S.L.Jaroševič) a The University of Tennessee, kde působila jako vyučující asistentka prof. M.Zelmanoviče.
Byla mj.členkou Symfonického orchestru Českého rozhlasu, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, souboru Maxim Vengerov and Virtuosi a dalších. Vystupovala jako sólistka s orchestry Collegium Musa Pragensis, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, UT Orchestra a Maryville College Orchestra. Od r.2008 tvoří společně se svým manželem Jamesem duo Cricket and Snail (housle, akordeon, ukulele, zpěv, francouzská, irská, klezmer, klasická hudba, vlastní tvorba, koncerty v ČR a USA, www.alembickmusic.com/cricketandsnail.html, FB).
Lucie natočila několik sólových CD, např. Lucie Novoveská (studio Ve Smečkách), Songs from my Heart (vlastní skladby, Deer Star Production), podílela se na CD Bedřich Smetana - Chamber Music (Český Rozhlas), CD Maxim Vengerov and Virtuosi (EMI Classic) a 5 CD dua Cricket and Snail (It Takes Two, Dance to Your Shadow, At the Theater, Street Symphonies, Points on the Map of Heaven). Vystupovala v pořadech pro Rádio Classic, Rádio Proglas, rozhlasovou stanici White Horse (USA) a WUTC (USA).
Hru na housle vyučuje od svých 18 let. Působila mj. na The University of Tennessee (Knoxville), školách Music Arts (Oak Ridge), Joy of Music (Knoxville) a Kingsport Elementary and High School. Kromě hudby Lucie vyučuje i jógu. V současné době vede lekce Léčivé jógy v Kolovratech.
James Carlson
James Carlson has a Ph.D. in Music Composition from Duke University. He is interested in a wide variety of styles and has composed music for dance, film, orchestra and choirs. From 2003 to 2017, he was a professor of music at the The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, USA. More recently, he has focused on performing with his wife in the accordion and violin duo Cricket and Snail and on writing music and stories for children including fun songs for teaching English. He currently lives in Prague, Czech Republic.
