Monday, January 27, 2025
12 PM
Gregory Page is an eclectic, prolific, genre-bending performing songwriter, balladeer, recording artist, film maker, art activist, music producer, and published poet with an extensive discography. With endearing stage presence, evocative lyrics, masterful guitar work and warm voice, the London-born artist seamlessly draws from imagination and experience transcending traditions of folk, Celtic, Armenian, American Roots, ragtime, blues, swing and French Romanticism into his own signature idiom that has been described as “Americeltic.”
Gregory was born and grew up in North London. He was a quiet boy, fond of listening to music on his grandfather's gramophone. His grandfather Dave Page was a master uilleann piper from Dublin, Ireland. In the 1930s, his group The Siamsa Gael Band made two 78 RPM recordings for Columbia, some of the earliest recordings of traditional Irish music.
At fourteen, Gregory went to America, and, for the next five years, he wrote poetry and learned to play the guitar. After a period of wandering he decided to become a songwriter. He thought writing and singing was now his only means of salvation, a solitary act in which he would be free, responsible for himself alone, and yet might create a work that would give joy and understanding to others. Page is an enigmatic, charismatic, genre-bending, label-defying artist who literally and figuratively wears many hats on the world stage from a dusty old fedora to a shinny new space helmet! Page’s unique catalog of original songs time travels from the distant past into an imagined future. Page’s music has been featured on BBC, NPR, and film and television soundtracks. He has performed multiple times at Woodford Folk festival in Australia, and he is currently on the verge of becoming world famous in the Netherlands.
Free concerts at noon every Monday year-round . . . no wonder the Mini-Concerts are the longest-running and one of the most popular classical music series at the library! This series was founded by Glenna Hazleton in 1970 at the Athenaeum, and has been going strong ever since. The concerts feature both local and touring musicians, prize-winning students, university music faculty members, local chamber ensembles. . . and the repertoire also includes jazz, folk, and world music. There are no reservations, no tickets . . . just line up at the side door of the Athenaeum before noon. (Donations are always welcome!) Mini-Concerts take place every Monday at noon and last about an hour.
The concerts will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for these events. Doors open at 11:50 a.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. These events will be presented in compliance with State of California and County of San Diego health regulations as applicable at the time of each concert.