3nd Annual
Friday March 21, 2025
MUD SEASON SPECTACULAR
A celebration of youth musicians and intergenerational learning in traditional music
3:00 pm - 5:30 pm:
Dance Tune Workshop with Nicholas Williams and Alex Kehler, for musicians of all ages (and especially kids and teens!)
Nicholas (flute and accordion) and Alex (fiddle and nyckelharpa) are multi-talented musicians from the Eastern Townships of Québec. They have played extensively across Canada and the US for concerts, but also for Contra, Québécois, and Bal Folk dancing. They love sharing their experience and repertoire with musicians of all ages. All instruments and abilities welcome!
$25-$35, register in advance
Community dinner: $8-$10 suggested donation.
5:30pm - 7pm
Vegetarian chili, rice, cornbread, toppings, and brownies. Gluten-free available.
Evening showcase and dance: $5 suggested donation at the door
7pm - 9:30pm
Join Joanne Garton, Oliver Scanlon, Nicholas Williams, and Alex Kehler to play some of your favorite tunes on stage, listen to friends old and new, and join the dance band for a Balfolk dance.
Nicholas Williams
Nicholas Williams is a multi-instrumentalist (flutes, accordion, piano), and singer, whose love of musical traditions has taken him on deep explorations of Québécois, Irish, Scottish, and Scandinavian music. He is passionate about musical creativity, innovation and exploration, as well as the incredible power of traditional arts to bring people together through music, song, and dance. He plays with Yann Falquet and Pascal Gemme in the Québécois trio Genticourm, as well as with Laura Risk and Rachel Aucoin in the group Traverse, and with the Alex Kehler & Nicholas Williams duo.
Alex Kehler
Canadian-American Alex Kehler plays fiddle, violin, nyckelharpa, and cittern. Growing up in Nova Scotia, he now lives in the Eastern Townships of Quebec and enjoys a busy career somewhere between the folk and classical worlds. He is best known for his work as a versatile crossover specialist with La Nef and Skye Consort and has toured with these ensembles in Canada, The USA and in Europe. Alex is also a mainstay of the Québecois and New England traditional music scene, touring with bands Kehler-Williams Duo, and Jeremiah McLane & Timothy Cummings (Triton).
Oliver Scanlon
Fiddler, mandolinist and tunesmith Oliver Scanlon began his early training on classical viola with a stint with the Vermont Youth Orchestra. Scanlon was introduced to his mentor Pete Sutherland and the parallel universe of fiddle music at the age of nine. In 2008, Oliver and a few talented middle school friends formed the group which became The Irregulars and in 2013 he co-founded Pete’s Posse and became the youngest member of Sutherland’s long running dance band The Clayfoot Strutters. Oliver now teaches fiddle and mandolin in Syracuse, NY, performs at concerts and contradances with a variety of musicians including his contradance quartet Stove Dragon, and provides live sound reinforcement in New York and New England.
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm:
Community meal and tune jam
$8-10 donation (at the door)
7:00 pm - close:
Youth musician showcase, dance, and session
Hosted by Joanne Garton, Heidi Wilson, Jeremy Carter-Gordon & Aaron Marcus
$5 - $15 suggested donation in advance or at the door
All events take place at the Capital City Grange Hall, 6612 VT Rte. 12, Berlin, VT
Aaron Marcus (they/them) is an extraordinary pianist, concertinist, tune-writer and practitioner of traditional community dance styles, touring across the US with bands Frost & Fire and The Turning Stile. They believe in the deep emotive healing power of music and their infectious exuberance, Earth grounding, and subtle lyricism all connect with the strong rhythms of the dance floor.
Heidi Wilson’s (she/her) passion is to share songs in service to community and the wild world and has been leading community singing groups in Vermont for the last 15 years. Along with creating new music, Heidi also studies the traditional music of her Swedish ancestors and loves to share old songs of the forests and fields.
Jeremy Carter-Gordon (he/him) grew up in New England immersed in traditional song and dance. He holds an MA in Dance Knowledge, Practice, and Heritage, and spent a year studying Swedish folk dancing at the Eric Sahlström Institute in Sweden. Jeremy sings with Windborne, a vocal quartet that studies and performs polyphonic singing.
Joanne Garton (she/her) mixes her pervasive passion for Scottish culture with the drive and rhythms of the New England dance floor. She performs, teaches, and records traditional music and dance from Scotland and Cape Breton with big influences from Ireland, England, Quebec, Appalachia and New England. Joanne also steps out on the dance floor at contra, Scottish, and English dances.
The Mud Season Spectacular was started in 2023 to bring youth musicians together and honor long-time mentor Pete Sutherland. Pete was an avid supporter of youth musicians of all ages and impacted the lives of both student fiddlers and teachers throughout his home state of Vermont. The traditions carry on through fiddle jams, trad band classes, singing, composing, and dancing, all alive and well in the community.
