The Sixth Annual Richmond Blueberry Fiddle Festival was an unforgettable weekend. The festival is growing steadily as people who are looking for a truly family oriented event find out about us and then tell their friends. The music was great; the food, delicious; the melodrama, hilariously entertaining; the antique & classic cars, bright and shiny; the auction, lively; the fiddle contest, encouraging; the weather, beautiful! THANK YOU to everyone who came: musicians, vendors, audience, volunteers, sponsors . . . We couldn't have done it without you! The contest winners are now posted. Click here.

2008 Musicians:

Seth Austen & Beverly Woods play an eclectic variety of international folk music styles including Celtic, Appalachian, Klezmer, eastern European and more on a fantastic array of acoustic instruments combining 100's of resonating strings. Seth and Beverly performed twice on Friday afternoon. If you have a chance to hear them perform, you won't want to miss the Austen Woods Duo!

 

 

Andrew & Noah VanNorstrand

At the age of eight Andrew started learning fiddle by ear from the late Norma Sweet, a well-known local musician and teacher. Noah started teaching himself fiddle shortly after and soon both boys had begun working on mandolin and guitar as well. Ten years later they have mastered the title of "multi-instrumentalists" by being proficient at more than twenty different string and percussion instruments between them. In 2000 Andrew and Noah formed the Great Bear Trio with their mother Kim on piano. Great Bear since has become one of the hottest contra dance bands on the circuit and has performed for enthusiastic fans at festivals across the country. In 2004 Andrew and Noah appeared on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion as finalists in the nationwide Talent from Twelve to Twenty contest. Their music has also been featured on NPR's Open Mic and The Thistle and Shamrock with Fiona Ritchie.

It's difficult to pinpoint all of the musical ingredients Andrew and Noah use in their original material. Celtic and Appalachian fiddling traditions are certainly at the top of the list but there's also Andrew's appreciation for Scandinavian harmonies and Noah's background as a world-beat percussionist. Other influences range from old-time Country and Bluegrass to Jazz and Swing; New England contra dance and Cajun/Zydeco to classic Rock, Alternative and Blues. Their focus however, is not on the parts but on the whole. Andrew and Noah have developed a multi-genre blend that stands on it's own. Their heartfelt songwriting and intricate arrangements demonstrate not only what these boys are capable of but also what we can look forward to in years to come.

Andrew and Noah have put out four, self-produced recordings; two with The Great Bear Trio (The Great Bear Trio GBR CD001 and Dancing Again GBR CD003) and two as a duo (Driftage GBR CD002 and A Certain Tree GBR CD004). To learn more about their recordings click here.

Besides performing as a duo and with Great Bear, Andrew and Noah also occasionally appear with Jay Ungar & Molly Mason, John Rossbach & Chestnut Grove and Giant Robot Dance.

 

The Future Famous Fiddlers and the Blueberry Jammers performed a couple of times during the festival. Their sixth year, these elementary and high school students of Immaculate Heart of Mary School (as well as alumni) will sing, dance, and play for your entertainment. The littlest ones always steal the show!

The Well-Tuned Trio is growing into a larger group with the young Smarts joining in. From Fitzwilliam and Troy, they specialize in Irish and old-time music, but, then again, you never know when a little bluegrass or blues will creep in. Guitars, mandolins, tin whistles, fiddle, bodhran, and concertina combined with classic lyrics for a delightful show.

 

 The 3rd Sunday Fiddlers came from from Sandown, NH. Directed by Beverly Manning and backed up on the piano keyboard by her husband, Rick, this group of musicians (many of them taking private lessons from Mrs. Manning) meets monthly and perform at various New Hamshire activities. Besides fiddles, the 3rd Sunday Fiddlers include violas, celos, and a hammer dulcimer. Mrs. Manning, a trained classical violinist now teaching the fiddle to more than thirty students, says that her motto is: "Just 'cuz it says fiddle music, it doesn't apply to just fiddles!" 

 

We also had lots of groups and individuals performing as part of our fiddle contest: The Bryan Family, members of the North American Fiddle Judges Association, Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki, and the Kitchen Strings to name just a few. Thank you all!

 

 

And we can't forget our cheerful emcee, Nick Pangaro: Thank you, Nick!