Traditional
Music
Concerts & Festivals
Dances & Weddings
Classes & Workshops
Sound Samples & CDs
Travel Writing
Dance to Your Shadow
Excerpts
Scotland
Arctic Canada
Georgia Sea Islands
Wildlife Programs
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School Programs
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Wildlife Quiz
Buy the CDs.....
WILD WOOD
Celtic fiddle, piano percussion & voice
DANCE TO YOUR SHADOW Mouth music around the world
IN HARMONY'S WAY
Great chorus songs
buy the CD
Wild Wood
"Surrender your whole being into a note, and gravity disappears."
Carlos
Santana
Pam overcame her background in classical piano and finally surrendered to a love of Celtic keyboards in 2001, as part of the fiddle & piano duo Kammen and Swan. She continues to work with the virtuosa fiddle-monster Shira Kammen, as well as other talented musicians from the San Francisco bay area and around the world.
In addition to Celtic music, Pam is currently working with musicians from Africa, Japan, Nepal, Thailand, China and South America to bring all types of traditional music to school programs and other audiences in the bay area.
She also teaches workshops on piano, percussion and rhythmic traditional a cappella. To book a show or class, call (510) 922-1520 or e-mail pamswan@pamswan.com To find out about upcoming shows check the Schedule.
Concerts and Festivals
Pam works with a wonderful group of traditional musicians, bringing great stage shows to concert halls, live radio broadcasts and festivals around the world. Celtic shows include a combination of fiddle, piano, percussion, vocals and other traditional instruments along with step dancers if requested.
Pam can arrange for programs featuring traditional music of Zimbabwe, Ghana, Chile, Nepal, China, Thailand and other parts of the world, for a specialized show to fit your needs.
Dances and Weddings
Pam arranges and manages music of all types for weddings in the San Francisco Bay Area. From a classical string quartet to jazz dance standards and more, we'll discuss how to create the right musical atmosphere for your special day. If you'd like Celtic music and dancing at your reception we can even arrange for a teacher to help your guests have fun learning basic steps, or write a signature Celtic waltz especially for you.
Playing for dancers is one of the best ways to bring Celtic music alive. When Pam and her friends join forces to bring the great traditional music of Ireland and Scotland to your event, dancers defy gravity and even folks who are sitting down won't be sitting still.
Pam plays regularly for Contra dances in the San Francisco bay area with the fiddle & piano group called Modal Citizens. To come and dance with us, contact the Bay Area Country Dance Society.
Classes and Workshops
Pam offers a variety of private music programs, including piano, bodhran (Irish frame drum) and mouth music (rhythmic traditional a cappella). Classes are available one-on-one, or can be arranged in a workshop series for two, three, four or five students.
School music programs include teacher in-service training in traditional music from around the world, and assembly programs on Celtic, African, Asian and North American traditional music. Music workshops and class presentations are available, as well as Artist-In-Residence programs. Home school groups can arrange for a music program specially adapted to their needs.
Each year Pam brings her workshop series Mouth Music Around the World to music camps and festivals across the U.S. and Canada. Featuring rhythmic traditional a cappella from Scotland, Ireland, Appalachia, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, this popular program brings dozens of new songs to participants each year and has become a recurring favorite at many venues.
Sound Samples and CDs
Pam has enjoyed recording and performing with many talented artists, for her own albums and as a studio musician and singer with others. Click on a link below to hear samples from some of the albums:
Wild
Wood
Pam Swan and Shira Kammen bring a bright edge to traditional Celtic tunes and songs from Scotland, Ireland, Galicia, Brittany, Cape Breton and beyond with this fiddle and piano album released in 2001.
Impossible Butterfly (1:12) (Traditional Irish slip jig set in 10/8 time)
Rapaz Maneo (0:56) (Beautiful medley of Galician tunes)
Dunmore Lasses (1:14) (Irish reel slowed way, way down)
Foggy Dew / Tam Lin (0:54) (Irish air and reel)
Rakish Paddy (1:23) (Traditional Irish reel)
Son Ar Sistr (1:07) (Great Breton song about hard cider)
Txalaparta / Eu Chorei (0:40) (Basque instrument and Galician song)
Chi Mi Na Morbheanna (0:59) (Beautiful Scottish Gaelic song)
Acoustic Workshop
Great album by Toronto's late Rick Fielding. Pam was honored to be included on vocals and percussion, and had a great time in the studio with Oliver Schroyer and Curly Boy Stubbs as well as our dear Rick.
Houston Special (1:11)
The Cuckoo (1:05)
The Holly King
Traditional tunes and way too much fun with Shira Kammen and friends. Pam added studio percussion to the great voices of Shay Black and Mitchell Sandler.
Cutty Wren (0:39)
Wren in the Furze (0:26)
Dance to Your Shadow
Pam's upcoming album of rhythmic traditional a cappella (mouth music) from around the world. Pam is joined on this album by great tradition bearers including Peggy Seeger, The Black Brothers, Paul Pena, Laurie Lewis, Wendell Brooks, Julia Tsitsi Chigamba, Madeleine Allakariallak, Kyoko Fujita, Christine Primrose and the Georgia Sea Island Singers.
Heman Dubh with Christine Primrose (2:01)
I Say No with Wendell Brooks (1:03)
Pam has also recorded with the Bel Trio, New Grass Roots, and will soon be featured on an album with Steve Baughman.
NEW CD:
Dance To Your Shadow
mouth music
around the world
Celtic Piano and More
Solo performances and shows with fiddlers and dancers
Mouth Music
Rhythmic traditional a
cappella from around the world
Workshops and
Classes
Piano, percussion and
traditional songs from around the world