What is Kerlenn New York?

Kerlenn New York’s goal as an organization is to develop and promote Breton music and culture in the United States. Created in 2009 by 5 musicians, the organization grew up around Breton Music in the greater New York area and seeks to develop links across the continent. Breton music is the traditional and traditionally-inspired music which stems from the Celtic country of Brittany in northwestern France. In Brittany, the Kerlenn is an organization in every village which provides instruction and fosters development in traditional music and dance.

Our Goals, as declared on our Articles of Incorporation, are :

• Providing education and instruction in traditional Breton music;
• Developing a Bagad (Breton bagpipe ensemble);
• Forming partnerships with organizations and individuals which support Breton music and culture.

An entirely volunteer effort, Kerlenn New York is a recognized non-profit organization, declared in New York State under the 501(c)3 category.

Develop local talents

Since the beginning stages of our organisation, we've paid particular attention to the development of an instruction program. Our goal is to offer members of Bagad New York several opportunities over the course of a year on various topics and methods around traditional Breton Music, including Bombarde, Bagpipe, Drums, Voice, Dance, and comprehensive ensemble of the Bagad.

Our accrued experiences have aided us in improving our workshop model in order to minimize cost, and maximize benefits to participants. Ideally, our workshops operate on a ratio of 10 students to 1 instructor in a group setting. Workshops always offer options for those musicians who are not members of the Bagad, but have a burgeoning interest in Breton Music, and are curious about exploring the music of Brittany!

Build the capacity for a home-grown Bagad in the USA

Even if our first goal is to build an "over-seas" Bagad in the USA, our focus is first on fostering the conditions needed to do so, while operating under the conditions present in the USA as a not-for-profit organisation. We're always interested in connecting with individuals and organizations to share what we've learned: music, dance, repertoire, and resources.

A "Bagad" is a form of orchestra, developed in Brittany after the second World War. This musical ensemble is generally based on the Scottish Pipeband-model, with a couple of twists. The first being having a bombarde, which is a traditional instrument from Brittany similar to an oboe. With the addition of a bombarde section, a Bagad can offer an additional level of innovation as an ensemble. Without some of the restrictions imposed on a traditional Pipeband, bagadoù (plural of bagad) represent a dynamic ensemble, incorporating various tonalities within the bagpipe section, addition of more instruments (such as clarinette, accordion, and multi-voiced percussion) within one band.

Since our founding in 2009, Bagad New York has been performing Breton music in almost 100 events in 10 different states of the US and Canada!

To know more about Bagad New York, please visite the dedicated webpage!

Share our Passion for Breton Music

• Increase visibility of Breton music within the existing Celtic music genre
• Seek out and execute high-impact performances and/or projects with complementary partners/individuals/ensembles

Facilitate the Arrival of Breton Music in North America

North America is a melting pot of myriad expatriot cultures and communities, among which are many Bretons who sought the USA or Canada as a new home. Many social, demographic, and economic factors play a role in the uniqueness of each immigrant community's story, and to the way that their culture is shared in the communities in which they arrive. Our goal is to represent Breton Music in North America alongside every other community's cultural representations from an informed and authoritative standpoint. Breton Music has a lot to share, and our goal is to do so in the best manner.

Through our combined efforts in establishing partnerships, we hope to open new doors for Breton Music in North America through performance and pedagogy. We've worked with various institutions to this end including: the State University of New York (SUNY), Texas Tech University, and through the online bagpipe instruction platform The Pipers Dojo.

Finally, we're always proactive in celebrating the established Breton communities across North America such as our good friends at BZH-New York, Stade Breton New York, Bretons of Quebec, and the Celtic Community of Alaska. More recently, we've connected with the Bretons in the US midwest via their Breizh Fest in Minneapolis.

Partner USPF / IFL

Since 2009, the Maclean Macleod Memorial Piping Championship, organised by The United States Piping Foundation (USPF) is recognized as a qualifying contest for the MacCrimmon Trophy Competition at Lorient, Brittany, France, which is held during the Festival Interceltique de Lorient. The winner of the USPF competition will be granted an invitation to the following year's MacCrimmon Trophy contest with travel considerations. Kerlenn New York is proud to have established the connection between these two venerable organizations in order to grow musical exchange between the US and Brittany.

The MacCrimmon Trophy is held annually in the first week fo August as part of the Festival Interceltique, probably the biggest Celtic arts festival in the world, which runs from August 5-14.

The MacCrimmon Trophy was formerly known as the Macallan Cup, and has been running as an annual event since the early 1980s. Pipers from all over the world compete in regional qualifying events in order to gain an invitation to the contest where they compete in 3 legs: a Scottish section, an Irish section, and a Breton section. The aggregate winner of each section is awarded thte MacCrimmon Trophy, a true testament to the inter-connection of these 3 Celtic traditions.

Breton Music Week

We’ve made inroads with the larger Breton Music and ethnic music audiences and practitioners across North America since our founding in 2009. While not every one of the organizations or musicians can participate in our annual Fest Noz Vraz celebration as the beacon of Breton Music, we have offered an alternative to artists who cannot make it to New York.

The 1st annual Breton Music Week was held in 2013 which saw Kerlenn New York coordinate a string of 12 performances & workshops of Breton Music across the continent through central organization and online tools. Centralized coordination and promotion gave higher visibility to all performances, and united Breton Music artists across the continent for one week, all while co-promoting our annual fest-noz in New York.