Call in your reservations for our February 24 show with L’Esperance Mandolin Ensemble to 401-725-9272.

Rhode Island’s L’Esperance Mandolin Ensemble is proud to announce the release of their new CD, Uisge Beatha – "Water of Life,” featuring tunes from Celtic and British folk traditions. For centuries composers have incorporated folk tunes into their own music. Byrd and Beethoven, Vivaldi and Dvorak, Grieg and Grainger, and contemporary composers like Steven Antonelli, Michael Mayerfeld Bell, and Jim Dalton, who appear on this CD, have all drawn from traditional melodies for inspiration for their music. With “Water of Life," L’Esperance Mandolin Ensemble celebrates that intersection between traditional and classical music. As lovers of both the energy and passion of traditional music and the rich harmonic and rhythmic potential of classical music, L’Esperance showcases music from folk revivals going back hundreds of years and into the present. L'Esperance features almost 30 musicians of different backgrounds and ages from the Cape Cod area, Rhode Island and Connecticut, who come together to enjoy the pleasure of making music with each other. Since 1994, L'Esperance has been sharing that joy with audiences around New England. Director of L'Esperance Mandolin Ensemble, Joshua Bell, was named the Concertmaster of the Providence Mandolin Orchestra in 1979. He has played with the North American Mandolin Ensemble, The American Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra, the Classical Mandolin Society of America.

Call in your reservations for our May 11 show with Haley Richardson and Quinn Bachand to 401-725-9272.

Haley Richardson is a traditional Irish fiddler. Over the past ten years, she has amassed a long list of accomplishments and performed at venues all over the U.S, Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada, and Thailand. Haley, with her highly ornamented Sligo style perfected under the tutelage of fiddler Brian Conway, is the 2017 All Ireland U15 slow air champion, 2015 Junior Fiddler of Dooney, and in 2013 won All Ireland Championships in both fiddle and fiddle slow airs. In addition to multiple All Ireland medals, she is a 9-time MidAtlantic Fleadh Champion, winning her first championship in the under-12 age category at only six years old.

With diverse musical talents and a bottomless pool of creativity, Quinn Bachand is recognized as the "Young Lion of the Celtic guitar" (Daniel Lapp). Although Quinn plays a range of styles that include jazz and bluegrass, it is his talents in the world of Celtic music that have drawn much attention. A gifted and creative guitar player, Quinn adds a contemporary edge to traditional Celtic music. His unique harmonies, hard-driving strumming, inventive chord voicing and powerful rhythmic effects make even the most well-worn tunes seem new and exciting. An in-demand sideman, Quinn has also toured internationally with well-known musicians including Canadian fiddling icons Ashley MacIsaac and Natalie MacMaster. Quinn is also a member of the Jeremy Kittel Band.

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

Call in your reservations for our April 6 show with 3 Ravens to 401-725-9272.

This new trio crafts an evening out of originals, instrumentals and traditional songs. Harmonies blend three strong voices, paring down to just one when the story shifts shape. Donna’s fiddling morphs from light to dark, while Lui’s piano, banjo and ukulele converse fluently with Max’s guitar. Donna Hébert is a cultural treasure, a Franco-American fiddler and composer three-times documented in Smithsonian collections. Recognized in 2009 for “outstanding artistic achievement” by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Donna founded and directs yearly participatory children’s performances at Old Songs and Philadelphia Folk Festivals and has appeared at Blackstone River Theatre with Chanterelle, the Panache Quartet, and Mist Covered Mountains. Donna has earned eight appointments as a master fiddler in the National Endowment’s Master-Apprenticeship program. Folk singer / songwriter Lui Collins has been on the scene for over 40 years, earning international acclaim for her music. The Boston Herald called Collins “a folksinger for our times” and the Boston Globe adds “one of New England’s first and brightest stars.” An accomplished guitarist, Max Cohen balances tremendous sensitivity with driving rhythmic power. Known for his work with Priscilla Herdman, Max is one of those rare guitarists able to create an atmosphere that supports and cradles vocals with both tenderness and strength.

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

Call in your reservations for our April 13 show with The Atwater~Donnelly Trio to 401-725-9272.

BRT favorites Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly return with Cathy Clasper-Torch on fiddle, cello and vocals to present an engaging concert of traditional American and Celtic American folk songs, a cappella pieces, hymns, poetry, dance tunes, and original works. Elwood and Aubrey blend unusual harmonies and play guitar, Appalachian mountain dulcimer, Irish tin whistle, harmonica, old-time banjo, bones, limberjacks and other musical surprises. Their performance is appealing to all ages, and with humor, audience participation and a highly-relaxed stage presence, Aubrey and Elwood also explain song origins to give more relevance to the material. Atwater-Donnelly performs widely in the Northeast and other parts of the United States and Great Britain and their recordings receive international airplay. They have performed and researched folk music extensively in New England, Ireland, England, Prince Edward Island, the Ozarks, and Appalachia. Clasper-Torch performs with The Gnomes and is also the fiddle instructor at Blackstone River Theatre.

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

Call in your reservations for our April 27 show with Kevin Burke to 401-725-9272.

Kevin Burke’s fiddle playing has been at the forefront of traditional music since the 1970s. Kevin has earned international acclaim in both Europe and America as a solo performer, a teacher, and as a member of some of folk music’s foremost groups. In the mid-80s Kevin was a founding member of two influential groups – Open House and Patrick Street, whose recordings and performances were greeted with great acclaim both in Europe and US. In the mid-90s Kevin was a founding member of yet another enduring traditional group – The Celtic Fiddle Festival, this time with Johnny Cunningham from Scotland and Christian Lemaitre from Brittany. Although Kevin has spent much of his life playing in a group context, he has never lost his love for solo fiddle music – the “naked fiddle” as he himself sometimes puts it. This is very evident in his new live solo release, “An Evening with Kevin Burke.” His contribution to music has received formal acknowledgement on both sides of the Atlantic where he has been the recipient of several awards including Ireland’s Traditional Musician of the Year, 2016, and a National Heritage Fellowship, the USA's highest honor for excellence in the folk and traditional arts. 

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

Armand Aromin and Benedict Gagliardi are musically bound by a shared love of traditional Irish music as well as an eclectic and ever-growing amalgam of songs both inside and far outside the realm of folk music. Combining Aromin's multifaceted fiddle playing, Gagliardi's self-developed concertina style, and a pair of complementary voices, The Vox Hunters will present their exciting repertoire of driving dance tunes blended with an unorthodox collection of interesting songs. They are touted as strong tradition-bearers in their generation, and their genuine affinity for the music is evident in the emotion they draw from it. Their three mantras are: “Sing Local,” “Sing Often,” and “Roger Williams for President.”

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

Call in your reservations for our March 30 show with Jane Rothfield and Allan Carr and The Vox Hunters to 401-725-9272.

Award-winning fiddler Jane Rothfield and husband Scottish singer and guitarist Allan Carr have been playing their unique blend of traditional and original Appalachian and Celtic music for over 30 years. Allan (from Aberdeen, Scotland) grew up surrounded by the rich traditional music of the Northeast of Scotland and is one of the finest singers from that tradition. His Celtic/old time guitar style perfectly complements his traditional songs and all styles of fiddle tunes. Jane is a fiddler, clawhammer banjo player and tune composer with deep roots in the fiddle traditions of New England, Scotland and the American South and has numerous recordings to her credit. In their 30+ years of making music together, Jane and Allan have performed throughout the British Isles and the U.S. They play roots music that is directly from the source while expanding on that tradition with newly composed songs and tunes. Great singing, hot instrumentals and with Allan’s humor, always a whole lot of fun! Visit www.janerothfield.com

Call in your reservations for our March 16 show with Le Vent du Nord to 401-725-9272.

Seventeen years after its inception, the award-winning and highly acclaimed band Le Vent du Nord has increased in size from a quartet to a quintet! Fiddler André Brunet (Celtic Fiddle Festival, La Bottine Souriante) has joined this world renowned ensemble along with Simon Beaudry (vocals, bouzouki, guitar), Nicolas Boulerice (vocals, hurdy-gurdy, piano), Olivier Demers (fiddle, guitar, foot-tapping, mandolin), and Réjean Brunet (basses, accordion, jaw harp, vocals). Making their Blackstone River Theatre debut, Le Vent du Nord is a leading force in Quebec’s progressive francophone folk movement and an iconic name in Quebec’s traditional music revival. The group’s vast repertoire draws from both traditional sources and original compositions, while enhancing it’s hard-driving soulful music with a broad range of global influences. Le Vent du Nord has performed well over 1,800 concerts over 5 continents and racked up several prestigious awards, including a Grand Prix du Disque Charles Cros, two Junos (Canada’s Grammys), and a CFMA & “Artist of the Year” at the North American Folk Alliance Annual Gala.

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge

Chris Monti is a singer/songwriter, guitarist and harmonica player whose original songs are influenced by rock & roll and Country-Blues as well as music from West Africa, Egypt, the Caribbean, and India. The Chris Monti Band features bassist Theo Regan and drummer Michael Lewis and they'll play West African Music and West African-inspired songs. Chris learned many of these songs playing in the Double Decker Dance Band from band leader, singer, guitarist, Joe Paye, of Liberia. You'll hear Soka, Highlife, and Soukous beats. Chris has toured the East Coast, opening many times for country-blues great Paul Geremia, and has also played with Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars.

*All ticket prices include a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge