Biography
Klezmer trio Wandering Laughter is a lively collaboration between cellist Taiward Wider, fiddler Cecilia Vacanti, and accordionist Alex Lacava. Based in the city of Boston, all three attended Berklee College of Music. There, the three of them were active in the American Roots Music Program playing numerous folk traditions including Old Time and Appalachian fiddle, Celtic, Bluegrass, New England fiddle, ragtime, gypsy jazz and of course, Klezmer. You may hear instrumentals from a dance music tradition or songs from Yiddish theater or folk songs of Russia and Eastern Europe. Wandering Laughter plays music that is by turns heartfelt, soulful and invigorating. With tight harmonies, warm and inviting vocals, and sharp arrangements, they strike a balance between replicating traditional sounds and adding a modern twist. Just a few Yiddish troubadours spreading mazl (luck), freyd (joy), and of course gelekhter (laughter).
Cecilia Vacanti is a classically trained violinist and a fiddler. She plays a wide range of styles including old time, celtic, bluegrass, pop/rock, gypsy jazz and world music, and has performed a number of times in classical symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, string quartets and solo violin settings. She also plays for contra dances. Cecilia recently spent a year studying abroad in Hungary, and now she currently attends Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she is studying violin performance with a focus on American Roots music.
Taiward Wider is a cellist, singer, and an aspiring historian/folklorist. A graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Taiward plays in many styles including, Klezmer, Celtic, Old-Time, New England Fiddle, Indie-folk, musical theater, and Classical. For the past few years, Taiward has been committed to the study of Klezmer music and Yiddish culture. He spent the summer of 2017 at the Steiner Summer Yiddish Program at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst. Taiward lives in Boston where, when not playing cello, he enjoys cooking, crocheting, and contra dancing.
Alex LaCava is an accordionist and pianist taught in a variety of backgrounds with a focus on French, Latin, and American traditional styles. He has performed and composed music in several small ensembles and bands within these genres. Alex recently graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in music composition.
