Northern Roots Traditional Music Festival

Saturday, January 27-28, 2018

Keith Murphy, Director

The BMC heads into its second decade with the 11th annual Northern Roots Traditional Music Festival on Saturday, January 27 and 28, 2018 in Brattleboro.  This weekend celebration brings together local and regional musicians representing the best of various northern musical traditions.

The Festival brings together a rich diversity of musical talent drawing on both Brattleboro’s rich local scene as well as colleagues from across New England. Northern Roots presents the highest caliber of Irish, Scottish, Scandinavian and French Canadian music in intimate settings. Few other events of this size offer the opportunity to experience this range of music through teaching workshops, performances and jam sessions.

For the first time, much of the festival will be based at the Brattleboro Music Center’s new home at 72 Blanche Moyse Way in Brattleboro VT. Mini performances, workshops, jam sessions and a family dance fill the afternoon on Saturday followed by the popular evening concert showcase by the featured artists. On Sunday the focus will shift to McNeill’s for an open pub sing followed by French Canadian and Irish sessions.

2018 Northern Roots Traditional Music Festival Schedule

Among the featured performers:

John Roberts and Tony Barrand: John and Tony have sung at concerts and festivals and recorded many CDs for more than four decades since they met in graduate school at Cornell. They are widely acclaimed interpreters of English ballads and songs that they perform in close harmony and accompany with concertina and banjo.

Josée Vachon: Josée performs traditional, popular and original songs in French from her upbringing in Quebec and Maine. She has a dozen recordings that represent various aspects of Franco-American music and culture, from French hymns, 40s-60s French and Acadian folk to Quebecois chansons à répondre (call-response).

Skip Gorman: An accomplished singer, guitarist, fiddler and mandolinist, Gorman has completed over fifteen recordings of fiddle, mandolin, bluegrass and cowboy songs, and been featured on many others.

The Festival brings yet another incarnation of ’Traddleboro’, an annual project bringing together a new grouping of local musicians each year for a festival collaboration. This year’s grouping features Flynn Cohen (mandolin), Corey Dimaurio (double bass), David Cantieni (various winds) and Sarah Blair (fiddle).

Saturday daytime events are scheduled from 12 noon to 5:30 p.m., at the Brattleboro Music Center, 72 Blanche Moyse Way in Brattleboro. An evening concert featuring the best of Northern Musical Traditions will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Sunday’s activities include a pub sing (1:00 pm), a French Canadian sessions (2:30 pm), and an Irish session (4 pm) which will be held in their traditional place: McNeill’s Brewery & Pub, 90 Elliot Street, Brattleboro.

Tickets are available for the daytime program, evening concert or in combination. For ticket information and a complete schedule, contact the BMC at 802-257-4523 or click on this fiddler icon. (Be sure to scroll down to the Northern Roots ticket information section)

Year Round BMC Traditional Music Programs