God Jul! Light the candles, feast like a Viking as we bring the heart of Scandinavia to you in our third annual Scandinavian Christmas celebration with the internationally recognized trio of Andrea Hoag, Loretta Kelley, and Charlie Pilzer, and special guest Andrea Larson. Hoag/Kelley/Pilzer has performed at concerts and dances across the U.S. and in Europe for over 25 years, including appearances on All Things Considered, Performance Today, and Prairie Home Companion. They can be heard on the CDs Hambo in the Snow and Hambo in the Barn.
Check them out at hoagkelleypilzer.com

Special guest!: Andrea Larson is delighted to be a part of this year's program. Her passion for almost two decades, Swedish folk music and dance has led to performances in museums, churches and schools in the Tri-State Region, New England and Sweden. She has fiddled for Christmas Revels in New York and Boston and toured nationally as a soprano in the Waverly Consort's "American Journey." Most recently, Andrea traveled to England with Orion Sword to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Cecil Sharp's inclusion of the Grenoside Sword Dance in his book, "Sword Dances of Northern England."

Songs for the coldest day of December, Al Petteway, Amy White & Robin Bullock bring an expert touch to their guitar strings and heart felt Holiday concert filled with seasonal song, stories and meditations.

Award-winning, critically acclaimed, passionate and playful, Al Petteway & Amy White are an acoustic music duo that draws inspiration from musical traditions across the globe and distills these myriad styles into a rich and unique voice, and a timeless recipe for healing, heartfelt music. They capture the hearts of audiences with colorful stories of wildlife in their own back yard in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina and the people and places along the way that have influenced their music. Al and Amy invite their listeners to celebrate beauty and joy in all aspects of life.

Between them, Al & Amy have won fifty "Wammie" awards from the Washington Area Music Association, an "Indie" from The American Association of Independent Music, and a "GRAMMY" from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In addition, they were awarded five grants from the Maryland State Arts Council for music composition and instrumental performance. Al was voted one of the top fifty guitarists of all time by the readers of Acoustic Guitar Magazine and in 2008 he won Silver and Bronze medals in the magazine's "Players' Choice" awards. The duo's original music was featured on the soundtrack of the 2009 Ken Burns documentary "The National Parks - America's Best Idea." And in 2010 their album "Caledon Wood," (which includes the main theme of the documentary) was counted among the essential albums of the past twenty years in the Acoustic Guitar 20th anniversary issue.

Originally from the Washington, DC area, Al & Amy now live high in the mountains of western North Carolina. The rich culture and natural beauty of the region has influenced their recent musical works, and spurred their return to photography, as well. Al & Amy's photographs are represented by The National Geographic Society's Image Collection, where Al worked as an image editor for over 17 years. Al & Amy's "Land of the Sky" multi-media show features live music performed against a backdrop of their photography which showcase the natural beauty of the Appalachians.

In recent years, Al & Amy have decided to travel a bit less and focus more on their creative projects near home. Al teaches private lessons and records video lessons for the high-end guitar store, "Dream Guitars." He also continues to coordinate "Guitar Week" for the world famous music camp, "The Swannanoa Gathering." The duo continues to work on future music recordings. Al & Amy's new release of Appalachian-inspired melodies, "High in the Blue Ridge," will be available in late 2010. Al & Amy are also busy editing photography for their long-awaited DVD of nature imagery. (A natural companion to their popular multi-media show.) And in early 2010, Amy launched a gift-book publishing company which released its first full-color gift-book: Cat Angels: The Secret Lives of Cats. Yes, Dog Angels are soon to follow.

Check them out on the web at
www.alandamy.com
www.facebook.com/alandamy
www.catangels.com
www.facebook.com/CATANGELS

The music of Christmas, perfectly suited to the ageless tones of the acoustic guitar, comes to life in Robin Bullock's concert of carols and hymns spanning over 600 years, drawn from his bestselling holiday recordings A Guitar for Christmas and A Midnight Clear. Internationally recognized as a master Celtic instrumentalist, Robin celebrates the many moods of the Yuletide season in gorgeous guitar interpretations, augmenting his six-string virtuosity with selections on cittern, mandolin and piano. Robin weaves a spell from centuries of tradition and the joy of the season, creating an unforgettable evening of acoustic Christmas cheer.
Check him out on the web at www.robinbullock.com

James Keelaghan is one of the most distinctive and readily identifiable voices on both the Canadian and international singer-songwriter scenes. Dave Marsh, the award-winning American music critic says of James "Canada's finest songwriter."

This poet laureate of the folk and roots music world has gone about his work with a combination of passion, curiosity intent and intensity. His masterful story telling has, over the course of nine recordings, been part of the bedrock of his success, earning Keelaghan nominations and awards - including a Juno (Canada's Grammy) - and acclaim from Australia to Scandinavia.

Possessed of an insatiable appetite for finding the next unique story line, Keelaghan forges his pieces with brilliant craftsmanship and monogrammed artistic vision.

Lover of language and history, (reading 80 books a year), a subject in which he earned a degree; Keelaghan is a skilled thespian, which explains his ability to make an immediate connection with a live audience.

Terry Wickham, the producer of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, is one of many longtime admirers of Keelaghan's music, and he sums up the artists appeal by saying, "James has become the complete artist. A brilliant tunesmith who has become one of the most engaging performers of our time. You always know the journey with James is going to be great, you just never know what all the destinations are. That is why the curve on his career continues to rise."

Visit James on the web at www.keelaghan.com

After collaborating for many years in performance, including guest recording on each otherÕs CDs, Elke Baker and Ken Kolodner celebrate the completion of their first duo release. Hailing from the Baltimore area, National Scottish Fiddle Champion Elke Baker (fiddle and viola) and Ken Kolodner (hammered dulcimer, hammered mbira and fiddle) are widely known as masters of their instruments. Between them, they have recorded over 20 CDs and toured in every state in the U.S. and well-beyond. Called a "local treasure," (FSGW) Elke Baker's playing has been said to be a "rare delight," with "precise technical skill, and fulness of soul" (Celtic Beat) and capable "to make hearts bleed" (The Frederick News).

Ken Kolodner's playing has been described as "nothing short of astonishing" (The Connection), "outstanding" (The New York Times), "marvelous" (The Washington Post), "virtuosic" (Audio), "stunning in its musicality" (Dulcimer Player News) and "not to be missed" (USA TODAY). Elke and Ken perform a rich variety of Scottish, Quebecois and Irish music, original compositions, and refreshing, foot-stomping Old Time twin fiddling that'll bring the house down.

Visit their web sites at www.elkebaker.com and www.kenkolodner.com

For nearly three decades, Bryan Bowers has been to the autoharp what Earl Scruggs was to the five-string banjo. He presents instrumental virtuosity combined with warmth, eloquence, expression and professionalism. Bowers started out playing for coins as a street singer and in bars for tips. Once he had polished his technique, he was quickly embraced by the bluegrass scene. His creativity and talent have won him induction into Frets Magazine's First Gallery of the Greats after five years of winning the stringed instrument, open category of the magazine's readers' poll. This distinction put Bowers along side other luminaries, such as Chet Atkins, David Grisman, Stephan Grappelli, Itzhak Perlman, Tony Rice, Rob Wasserman and Mark O'Connor, recognized for their personal accomplishments. In 1993, Bryan was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame to stand only with Maybelle Carter, Kilby Snow, and Sara Carter.

From his beginning as a street singer, Bryan Bowers has become a major artist on the traditional music circuit. He has redefined the autoharp and is also well known as a singer-songwriter. Bryan has a dynamic outgoing personality and an uncanny ability to enchant a crowd in practically any situation. His towering six foot four inch frame can be wild and zany on stage while playing a song like `Dixie' and five minutes later he can have the same audience singing `Will The Circle Be Unbroken' in quiet reverence and delight.

"To call Bryan Bowers' performance simply a 'concert' would be inadequate... (it) could better be described as an experience!" -Deseret News "Bowers is widely regarded as the leading virtuoso on the autoharp... Bowers also has distinct gifts as a singer and songwriter." -People Magazine

"...He has more stage presence and charisma than any stage performer in recent memory." -The Washington Times

Visit Bryan on the web at www.bryanbowers.com

Renowned for her warm, engaging stage presence, Sarah McQuaid is a versatile and beguiling performer. In addition to her own elegantly crafted originals, she interprets traditional Irish and Appalachian folk songs, Elizabethan ballads, 1930s jazz numbers, surprise covers and lively guitar instrumentals with panache and poignance.

Her deliciously earthy voice delivers a powerful emotional punch that's matched by her distinctive, eloquent guitar style. Add this to a real rapport with her audience, and you have all the ingredients of a great night out.

Sarah's first two CDs, "When Two Lovers Meet" and "I Won't Go Home 'Til Morning" were recorded in Trevor Hutchinson's Dublin studio and produced by Gerry O'Beirne. Both also guest on the album, alongside percussionist Liam Bradley, Maire Breatnach on fiddle and viola and Baltimore's Rosie Shipley on fiddle.

Sarah re-released the two albums in a double-disc package to coincide with her first US tour. The double CD became the No. 1 album, and Sarah the No. 1 artist, on the folkradio.org chart for February 2010. Now busy preparing for her upcoming tours and concerts in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the USA, Sarah is currently assembling material for her third solo album, provisionally titled "The Plum Tree And The Rose", which will once again be produced by Gerry O'Beirne with Trevor Hutchinson engineering.

Born in Spain, raised in Chicago and holding dual Irish and American citizenship, Sarah spent 13 years in Ireland and now lives near Penzance, Cornwall, in the southwest of England.

As might be expected of one who has led such a peripatetic existence, Sarah developed a taste for the road early on: From the age of twelve she was embarking on tours of the US and Canada with the Chicago Children's Choir. At eighteen she went to France for a year to study philosophy at the University of Strasbourg, where her performance at a local folk club drew a rave review in the Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace, saluting the "superbe chanteuse d'outre-Atlantique qui fit passer comme une vibration emotionnelle dans une salle conquise" (superb singer from across the Atlantic who caused an emotional vibration to pass through a conquered hall)!

In 1994, Sarah moved to Ireland, where she became a weekly folk music columnist for the Evening Herald and a contributor to Hot Press magazine. She is also the author of The Irish DADGAD Guitar Book, described by The Irish Times as "a godsend to aspiring traditional guitarists," and has presented workshops on the DADGAD tuning at festivals and venues around the globe.

Visit Sarah's website at http://www.sarahmcquaid.com/ and join her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sarahmcquaidmusic.

World renowned West Virginia guitarists, Robert Shafer and Robin Kessinger, are both winners of the National Flatpicking Championship. Robert has won multiple state and national guitar championships over the years, and has a Bob Thompson Signature Model guitar named after him.

http://www.myspace.com/robertallenshafer

Robin Kessinger has also won many state championships in addition to the national contest and has been featured on PBS and BBC television specials and NPR radio shows, and is on the teaching staff at Steve Kaufman's Flatpicking Camp, the Augusta Heritage Workshops and at the Allegheny Echoes Workshop. These two guitar aces join forces for an evening of unforgettable blazing guitar duets and solos.

A genial giant from the Dingle peninsula in County Kerry, Breanndan Begley is a well known and accomplished performer of Irish traditional music on the button accordion, touring at home and in Estonia, Finland, Sweden and France. He is a member of the 'Boys of the Lough', first touring with the band as a guest in the 1980's in the USA, and a full-time member since 1997.

Brendan's exciting dance music, sensitive emotional playing of slow airs on accordion, and his singing in his native Irish make him a great favourite. He is acclaimed in Ireland for his TV presentations of traditional music on the Irish language channel TG4.

Dublin-born fiddler Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh is rapidly becoming known as one of the most interesting and creative musicians in traditional music. Since the widespread success of his 2003 'Kitty Lie Over' album with Mick O'Brien, he has performed in the United States, Canada, Alaska, Asia and all over Europe. Irish performances in 2006 included Farmleigh House, West Cork Music in Bantry, the National Concert Hall, the Kilkenny Arts Festival, Liberty Hall, and a tour for the Improvised Music Company.

His concerts have been broadcast on RTE Radio 1 and LyricFM, including a performance at the Masters of Tradition 2004 festival for West Cork Music. Recent television appearances include 'The Highland Sessions', 'The Raw Bar', 'Ceird an Cheoil', 'Se Mo Laoch' and 'Other Voices', and musicians he has recently worked with include The Waterboys, Iarla O Lionaird, Peadar O Riada, Breanndan Begley.

Visit Brendan and Ó Caoimhin's website at http://www.stateofchassis.com/bb.

Ann Mayo Muir has had a long and lustrous career as a recording artist and touring musician, most often performing with the legendary folk trio, Bok Muir & Trickett. In those years she distinguished herself as a singer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist, recording three solo albums and eleven critically acclaimed albums with the trio. Now Ann adds Composer to her list of accomplishments - stunning instrumental music which can be found on her new CD, NOTES FROM ACROSS THE SEA (click the CD link to sample the music). 

Ensemble Galilei, a Grammy-nominated Celtic/Early Music/Classical Crossover group, arranged and performs the pieces with Celtic harp, fiddle, viola, guitar, percussion and viola da gamba (an early cello-like instrument). Of the CD, Gordon Bok writes, "Some pieces feel American, many have a European twist and a couple have run off with the Gypsies...it is a sinuous, snappy, energetic delight of interpretation, with many shifts and surprises, happily suited to Annie's unique vision. With so many tastes and textures, this CD is a feast for the musical gourmet." Ann will also appear with Ensemble Galilei to sing some of her favorite songs complete with a few scrumptious Hot Soup! harmonies. www.annmayomuir.com

Sweet, inventive harmonies are the trademark of the vocal trio Hot Soup! From ballads to blues and nostalgia to novelty tunes, Sue Trainor, Christina Muir, and Jennie Avila serve up a charming, high energy, and totally engaging performance.

Mike + Ruthy, the folk-rock duo formerly of The Mammals, announced the release of Million to One on July 27th, 2010. The album is the latest in a growing discography that continues to push the boundaries of the genre. The story behind the making of Million To One is as compelling as the album's songs themselves. Where most bands limit fan involvement to the occasional live show "stomp, clap and sing-along," and post-show merch table pleasantries, Mike + Ruthy took things a two-step further. They issued a massive fan-list call-out inviting the full breadth of their fanbase to help make what's being called their "folk-rock masterpiece."
Check out their web site at www.mikeandruthy.com

Lissa Schneckenburger celebrates the release of her new CD "Dance" at an IMT Next to the House concert in Takoma Park, Md.

The traditional music of New England can be as warm and comforting as a winter fire or as potent and exhilarating as a summer thunderstorm. Fiddler and singer Lissa Schneckenburger is a master of both moods, a winsome, sweet-voiced singer who brings new life to old ballads and a skillful, dynamic fiddler who captures the driving rhythm and carefree joy of dance tunes old and new.

Recently, Lissa has been closely studying the roots of the Downeast traditional music that she first heard as a young girl. Her latest project is a pair of CDs dedicated to reintroducing some wonderful but largely forgotten songs and tunes from New England that she uncovered through archival research at the University of Maine and elsewhere. "Song", released in April 2008, contains ten timeless ballads that go back as far as the eighteenth century that she set to carefully crafted modern arrangements.

"Dance", to be released in September, will feature fiddle tunes. "There is currently a lot of focus on traditional American music from the South", she explains, "and many bands are exploring and recording that repertoire, but no one is getting to hear all the amazing traditional music from the North. This is my attempt at getting some of that music out there for people to enjoy."

Raised in a small town in Maine and now living in Vermont, Lissa grew up with music. She began playing fiddle at the age of six, inspired by her mother's interest in folk music and a family friend who was a professional violinist. Soon she was studying with influential Maine fiddler Greg Boardman and sitting in with the Maine Country Dance Orchestra. By the time she was in high school she was playing concerts on her own, specializing in the sprightly New England dance tunes that combine influences from the British Isles and Quebec with homegrown twists that have been evolving since Colonial days. Another of her major influences was the diverse musical community that she found at fiddle camps, where she had a chance to play with and learn from a wide variety of musicians including noted Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser. In 2001 she graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a degree in contemporary improvisation, and since then has been performing around the US and internationally for a growing audience of enthusiastic listeners. She has recorded eight CDs, (five solo and three with various groups).

Visit Lissa's website at http://lissafiddle.com/ or join her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lissa-Schneckenburger/19495378918?ref=ts.

After 30 years of music-making, mostly apart, Mollie O'Brien and Rich Moore are enjoying a fresh harmonic convergence onstage. Mollie pulls the audience in with that come-on-in voice that ranges between a call-down-thunder testifying wail to an intimate bluesy whisper, to sweet jazzy trumpet-miming scat that would do Louis Armstrong proud. The normally mild-mannered Rich channels his inter emcee and emerges onstage telling tales and making quips. As a guitarist, he's not in it for the notes. He'll deliver a gourmet guitar solo - full and intense, but his musical grace lies in the delicate dance between singer an accompanist.
http://www.mollieobrien.com

Sold-out tours and standing ovations give testimony to the electricity and excitement generated by these three great individual fiddle stylists. Kevin Burke (Ireland), Christian Lemaître (Brittany) and André Brunet (Quebec) combine their talents, musical traditions, and spontaneous humor for an evening of dazzling energy and subtle grace. Called "three of the finest folk violinists anywhere" by The Washington Post, these traditional masters showcase their regional repertoires and together conjure an experience of breathtaking performances.
www.herschelfreemanagency.com/celtic/celtic_fiddle_festival.html

You know the name. Maybe you saw him in Deliverance, Star Trek: the Next Generation, Law & Order, RoboCop or any of more than 100 major movie and TV credits. But while acting is his day job, music is his first love. As a singer-songwriter, Ronny Cox is a study in easygoing amiability and unforced charisma. He charms crowds with self-teasing humor, tart progressive insight, and a lulling Southwestern folk sound. With seven albums under his belt he has nothing to prove, but plenty to say.
www.ronnycox.com

Claire Lynch is at the forefront of women who have pushed the bluegrass boundaries. She has garnered two Grammy nominations and recorded with artists ranging from Linda Ronstadt to Ralph Stanley. Her band includes veteran bass player and IBMA award winner Mark Schatz, Florida fiddle and mandolin champion Jason Thomas, and from the hot, new generation of players, Matt Wingate on guitar, mandolin, and dobro. This stellar ensemble delivers a personable and high energy performance including tender country ballads, hard driving bluegrass, swing, and even some Southern Appalachian clog dancing. And in the words of Dolly Parton, with whom she toured and recorded: "Claire has one of the sweetest, purest and best lead voices in the music business today."
www.clairelynch.com/

Singer/pianist Vienna Teng and percussionist Alex Wong have collaborated on their second CD, this one a live album, The Moment Always Vanishing. The Associated Press calls their sound "ambitious yet always tuneful...gorgeous and haunting." Each has garnered attention in their own right: Vienna has appeared on Letterman, NPR and the CBS Early Show, and toured with artists such as Shawn Colvin, India. Arie, Duncan Sheik and the Indigo Girls. Alex has produced records for celebrated singer/songwriters Ari Hest and Amber Rubarth, as well as his own project The Paper Raincoat (recently a featured artist on iTunes), and won Best Original Score in the L.A. Weekly Theater Awards for his work on Everyman For Himself.!
Vienna and Alex's first studio collaboration, Inland Territory, was released in April 2009 to glowing reviews: "a brilliant, introspective diary of an album" (American Songwriter), "sheer effervescent beautyÉdemands repeated exploration" (Blurt Online). In live performance, using an array of instruments along with looping pedals and effects-but no pre-recorded tracks of any kind<97>the duo veers from intimate to epic and back again, showcasing their love for an ever-widening range of genres: folk, pop, classical, jazz, country, even atonal modern music.
viennateng.com/
www.myspace.com/highceilingsmusic

Opening for Vienna is Joey Ryan whose music has been featured on Private Practice, One Tree Hill, iTunes Indie Spotlight, KCRW's "Weekend Becomes Eclectic", and various commercials, including two long-running ads for Wrigley's in the UK. His latest EP Kenter Canyon was released on Mophonics in January, 2010.