On Saturday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. in Gamble Auditorium of the Kulas Musical Arts Center, musical duo Fire & Grace will perform several pieces of varying styles while being accompanied by renowned flamenco dancer Fanny Ara.  

The following afternoon, the members of Fire & Grace, violinist Edwin Huizinga and guitarist William Coulter, will lead three musical workshops: Folk & Baroque Technique at 1 p.m. in Gamble Auditorium, Fiddling at 2:30 p.m. in Gamble Auditorium and Guitar at 2:30 p.m. in Fynes Hall.  

Participants will learn and play a few folk tunes in the workshops with the artists. Huizinga said that he feels the classes will be a vehicle for musical discovery more than anything.  

“We’re not expecting the students to be super well-versed in the folk music that we’re going to share,” Huizinga said. “It’s much more about learning something new.” 

Destinee Siebe, concert production and scheduling coordinator for the Conservatory of Music, said that Fire & Grace’s performance will serve as the perfect appetizer for the 2023 Bach Festival. This is due to the diverse range of music they will be playing, from backgrounds including Classical, Baroque, folk and Celtic.  

Huizinga said that both musicians love learning about the artists that are creating music from different parts of the world and sharing this experience with the audience.  

Coulter and Huizinga got their start as a duo after having been hired to play the same concert in Cleveland roughly 10 years ago. According to Coulter, the two artists found a “shared love of the music of J.S. Bach” and “traditional folk music,” and they knew they wanted to continue playing together. 

In the years since their meeting, Fire & Grace have released three records. Huizinga said that the most recent album, “Alma,” was dedicated to the relationship between Classical music and Spanish folk music.  

The nature of the album, which Fire & Grace is currently touring, is only embellished by the pairing of their performance with flamenco dancer Ara.  

“The fact that we can bring a dancer in to visually show that kind of passion that we have for all these kinds of music is the thing that we love the most,” Huizinga said. “So, I’m pretty excited to come share that with [the audience].” 

Huizinga said that Ara, one of the premier flamenco artists in the world today, is an original artist and a “total legend on stage.” 

Both the recital on Feb. 18 and the workshops on Feb. 19 are free and open to the public, no tickets required. The performance itself will also be livestreamed. More information can be found at conversation.bw.edu.