Thursday, January 15, 2015

Spring Line-Up at MCTA



Get ready for fantastic spring with Mountain City Traditional Arts!

We will be continuing our Winters Farmers Markets February 7th and 21st. Don’t miss a chance for fresh local goods!

Thursday, February 26th @7pm: Caitlin Nic Gabhann and Ciaran O’Maonaigh

Award winning concertina player, dancer, and songwriter Caitlin Nic Gabhann collaborates with renowned fiddle player and documentary filmmaker Cairan O’Maonaigh for a night of traditional Irish concertina, fiddle, and dance.

Wednesday, March 25th @7pm: Le Bruit Court Dans La Ville

A night of French Canadian traditional music straight from Quebec starring fiddler Lisa Ornstein, guitarist/singer Andre Marchand, and singer/accordionist Normand Miron as the trio Le Bruit Court Dans La Ville.

Saturday, March 28th @3:30pm: Ken and Brad Kolodner

Well known hammered dulcimer player and fiddler Ken Kolodner of Baltimore teams up his son, clawhammer banjo star Brad Kolodner, for an evening of original Appalachian traditional music.

Friday, April 17th: Todd Burge

In a return to MCTA, Todd Burge, known as the “dean of West Virginia Songwriters,” employs stories of invented characters, scat singing, and lyrical humor to lighten the mood of some heavy subjects set to catchy tunes ranging from an alternative/punk rock sound to bluegrass.


All music events will have a suggested donation of $15

More Information to follow as each event approaches. Stay updated on our blog http://mountaincitytradart.blogspot.com/

Mountain City Traditional Arts
A Project of Folklore and Folklife Programming at Frostburg State University
Supported in part by the Maryland Traditions Program of the Maryland State Arts Council
25 East Main Street, Frostburg, MD
301-687-8040

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Looking Back: The Davis and Elkins Appalachian Ensemble


We just finished off a great year at Mountain City Traditional Arts and have another fantastic season lined up. When looking back on the incredible performances of this past year the one that springs immediately to mind is the multiple days of workshops and performances held by the Davis and Elkins Appalachian Ensemble at MCTA in mid November.  On the first day at MCTA the ensemble string band and dancers performed following a presentation on community dance led by Becky Hill and focusing around clips from the documentary "Reel Em In Boys, Reel Em," a film produced by the Mountain Dance Trail. On day two the ensemble held a harmony singing workshop, an instrument workshop focused on playing for dancers, a clogging and flat-footing workshop, and finished off the evening with a community square dance. Each event was incredibly high energy and the ensemble members were full of talent and motivation for participating community members. We are incredibly thankful to the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation for making this traditional arts exchange possible. For those of you who missed seeing and experiencing this fantastic ensemble the video above and pictures below should give a look into their vast talent and the fun we had with these events. The video also highlights the ensemble's performances at the Frostburg State University Appalachian Festival in September.