A TAKE IT OUTSIDE CONCERT! Call in your reservations for our September 10, 4:00-5:00 p.m. concert with Kerri Powers to 401-725-9272. This will be our last of four OUTDOOR CONCERTS held on Sundays behind the theatre building – chairs provided!

Drenched in the emotions of blues, folk and country music, roots singer-songwriter Kerri Powers uses her dramatically dark voice to mine the depths of romantic heartbreak and broken dreams in the edgy narratives of her songs. A native of rural Massachusetts, Powers sings the blues with such authentic, down-home grit that you might well think she's from Mississippi. Besides being a consummate chronicler of disappointment and despair, she can also morph into an impishly naughty rebel with a cause, a Mark Twain-like trickster whose wry words and phrasing can also celebrate joy and hope. Says John Apice, of No Depression, “I don’t know where this young lady came from but it’s got to be a secret place. This is not the kind of singing and performing that can be easily taught. It has to be in your spirit, in your blood and the fact that she is from the Northeast is going to confound the artists down South, in the Delta, in Memphis, Clarksdale, Austin, and Nashville.” Kerri will perform plenty of great new songs from her soon-to-be-released album "Love is Why.”

A TAKE IT OUTSIDE CONCERT! Call in your reservations for our August 13, 4:00-5:00 p.m. concert with Goldpine to 401-725-9272. This will be our 3rd of four OUTDOOR CONCERTS held on Sundays behind the theatre building – chairs provided!

Through a chance encounter in Nashville back in 2006, Benjamin and Kassie Wilson were sure of each other from the start. “Kassie knew she was going to marry me from the first time she saw me… and she was right,” Ben gloats. Formerly known as 'My One and Only' the duo has reimagined their “southern-soul,” “curious-grit” and emotionally honest lyrics into the duo Goldpine. Goldpine is folksy and falls within the Americana genre but their musical arrangements are very innovative and eclectic. Touring since 2016, they have been lessening the gap between music and the audience by disclosing their stories behind the lyrics at every venue along the way. Recent winners of the 2022 Rocky Mountain Songwriter Contest and finalists in the Kerrville Folk Fest 2021 New Folk Competition, the duo's bold harmonies are clearly a channel for their highly charged songwriting. This will be their Rhode Island debut!

A TAKE IT OUTSIDE CONCERT! Call in your reservations for our July 23, 4:00-5:00 p.m. concert with Allysen Callery to 401-725-9272. This will be our second of four OUTDOOR CONCERTS held on Sundays behind the theatre building – chairs provided!

Allysen Callery is a self-taught singer songwriter from Bristol, R.I., whose delicate, mesmerizing sound has been compared to classic British folk artists like Sandy Denny and Nick Drake. A favorite on the Rhode Island folk scene, her music has found its way overseas and has been embraced by listeners in the UK and Europe. 2020 saw the release of “Ghost Folk” an album which made Folk Radio UK’s coveted Top Albums of the year, and Austria’s Guteshoerenistwichtig named it “album of the year saying: “Somehow she seems to come from somewhere else. Traveled through the clouds or gone through the stones. Her music is neither spooky nor eerie, but rather surrounded by a kind of positive mysticism and a familiar strangeness, radiating charm and a generous flair.” Allysen is Winner of 2023 and 2022 Motif Magazine RI Favorite Folk Act, 2022 and 2019 Winner of the Motif Music awards for Best Female Vocalist - Americana.

A TAKE IT OUTSIDE CONCERT! Call in your reservations for our June 25, 4:00-5:00 p.m. concert with CHORO das 3 to 401-725-9272. This will be the first of four OUTDOOR CONCERTS held on Sundays behind the theatre building – chairs provided!

Choro das 3 is a family-based trio formed by sisters Corina (flute), Lia (7 string guitar) and Elisa (mandolin, clarinet, banjo, accordion) in 2002. Eduardo, the father of the three sisters, tragically lost his life to Covid early in the pandemic, before vaccines were available in Brazil. Eduardo was the band's percussionist from its founding. The sisters have resolved to continue as Choro das 3 and they play every song in their father's memory. The music they play is Brazilian instrumental music called Choro which is a form of urban jazz native to Brazil that shares a similar feel with New Orleans jazz or ragtime or bluegrass. Choro das 3's mission is to revive the Choro tradition in Brazil, where they join several other young people in rediscovering this music. They have released 11 albums and have been touring in North America, Europe and Brazil for the past 21 years. Choro (''cry'' or ''lament'' in English), in spite of the name, often has a fast and happy rhythm, characterized by virtuosity and improvisation. Like the Jazz in USA, Choro had influenced all the Brazilians genres, including Samba, Forró and Bossa Nova. Choro also has some characteristics of Baroque music, with its extremely creative and melodic counterpoints. Since 2013 Choro das 3 has yearly played in the USA. Their appearances at Mike Marshall and David Grisman’s Mandolin Symposium led Marshall to say that Choro das 3 plays “. . . some of the most inspired and inspiring music . . . the highest level of musicianship and presentation . . . the highest quality of Brazilian Choro music that can be heard any place today.”

TICKETS STILL REMAIN! ... but we have had to take our credit card processor offline. Please call in your reservations for our March 26, 7:00 p.m. concert with Väsen to 401-725-9272.

After 30 years Väsen has moved into a new phase. Olov Johansson and Mikael Marin continue as Väsen, but now as a duo with exciting new material. With Roger Tallroth choosing to leave the band for new projects, Mikael and Olov have refined their sound and their stage presence to the extent that today they are quite unique. With their playful and perfect interplay, they seem to have telepathic communication as musicians, now touring and recording exclusively as a duo. Olov Johansson plays nykelharpa, a bowed, 16-string instrument related to both the hurdy-gurdy and the fiddle and unique to Sweden. In 1990, Olov became world champion of both the modern chromatic and older historical nyckelharpas at the first-ever Nyckelharpa World Championships at Österbybruk, Sweden. He is an inspiration for numerous young performers who have taken up the instrument in the last decade. As always, Mikael Marin’s five-string viola adds richness to every tune. The word väsen has several meanings – spirit, essence, noise. This talented Swedish duo conveys the essence of Swedish traditional music with a joyful noise that is designed to raise your spirits. 

TICKETS STILL REMAIN! Please call in your reservations to 401-725-9272.

Gather for BRT's after-festival music session Saturday evening, 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. at Blackstone River Theatre itself, featuring almost all of the performers from the 2023 Blackstone River Theatre Summer Solstice Festival! The intimate setting lets you relax with food and your favorite beverage while Festival performers un-wind and begin an evening of music and conversation that will make your Festival experience all the more memorable. The atmosphere is designed to create a casual environment of friendly banter just like that found in a local pub. We will only sell 90 tickets for this special event so be sure to order yours right away as it has sold out many times! Complimentary food will be available as part of the ticket price. A cash bar will also be available.

Advance ticket purchase highly recommended!
Doors will not open for the session until 8:15 P.M.
NOTE: This is a CLOSED session featuring only performers from the 2023 Solstice Festival.

A limited number of after-festival session tickets will be sold on site, day of festival. IF they are still available, you can purchase your tickets at the INFORMATION TENT which will be located just after you enter the main gates on your left. 

Blackstone River Theatre is located at 549 Broad Street, Cumberland, R.I. • (401) 725-9272

CLICK HERE FOR SOLSTICE FESTIVAL WEBSITE!

Leading up to the festival, order tickets by calling 401-725-9272. Up until June 10 tickets can be mailed to you or picked up at BRT. You will also be able to purchase tickets at festival gate via cash, check or credit card!

@ Diamond Hill Park, Rte. 114, Cumberland, R.I.
Rain date: June 18

Tickets for Adults: $20, Seniors: $15
Children $5.00 payable at gate; kids under-5 free!

Featuring four stages of Celtic and world music plus
Irish step dance, children's activities and
more than 40 craft & food vendors!

Atwater~Donnelly Trio • Cantrip • Kevin Crawford, Cillian Vallely, Colin Farrell, Alan Murray 
Kevin Doyle’s Roscommon Soles • Eastern Medicine Singers • Genticorum • Grosse Isle • Hildaland • Turas  The Vox Hunters • Irish session with Bob Drouin 
Tir Na Nog Irish Dance • Harpist Mary King • The Broad Street Fiddlers • A Tribute to Jimmy Devine

TICKETS STILL REMAIN! ... but we have had to take our credit card processor offline. Please call in your reservations for our May 6, 8:00 p.m. concert with Seamus Egan to 401-725-9272.

It’s hard to think of an artist in traditional Irish music more influential than Seamus Egan. From his beginnings as a teen prodigy, to his groundbreaking solo work with Shanachie Records, to his founding of Irish-American powerhouse band Solas, to his current work as one of the leading composers and interpreters of the tradition, Egan has inspired multiple generations of musicians and helped define the sound of Irish music today. As a multi-instrumentalist, he’s put his mark on the sound of the Irish flute, tenor banjo, guitar, mandolin, tin whistle, and low whistle, among others. As a composer, he was behind the soundtrack for the award-winning film "The Brothers McMullen," co-wrote Sarah McLachlan’s breakout hit, “I Will Remember You.” As a bandleader, Solas was the pre-eminent Irish-American band of their generation for decades, continuously renewing Irish music with fresh ideas. As a performer, few others can make so many instruments or such wickedly complex ornaments seem so effortless. Music comes as naturally to Seamus Egan as breath, but his mastery of the tradition is only one facet of his plans to move the music forward. He’ll be joined by Owen Marshall on bouzouki, mandolin and banjo and guitarist Kyle Sanna who has shared the stage or studio with many of today’s virtuosos, including Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile.

TICKETS STILL REMAIN! ... but we have had to take our credit card processor offline. Please call in your reservations for our May 13, 8:00 p.m. concert with Old Blind Dogs to 401-725-9272.

Old Blind Dogs have long been at the forefront of Scotland's roots revival, fusing dynamic percussion, polished vocals, soaring fiddle and stirring pipes. The current band line up has been settled for several years now and consists of four of Scotland’s finest traditional musicians at the top of their game. Original member Jonny Hardie (fiddle/vocals) is joined by Aaron Jones (cittern/guitar/vocals), Ali Hutton (pipes/whistles) and Donald Hay (percussion/vocals) and collectively they comprise one of the hottest live tickets on the traditional Scottish music scene today. The musical evolution of Old Blind Dogs began in Aberdeen in 1992 with roots that grew from the eclectic music scene that flourished there. Four musicians from very different musical backgrounds came together to create a full-time professional touring band with the aim of showcasing the rich tradition of songs and tunes of the North East of Scotland on an international stage. As recent inductees to the BBC ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards ‘Trad Music Hall of Fame’ Old Blind Dogs celebrated 30 years on the road in 2022 by launching their 14th studio album "Knucklehead Circus,” a joyous, uplifting album full of energy and intoxicating rhythm on which ‘OBD’ continue to innovate within their tradition while faithfully revealing its essence.

TICKETS STILL REMAIN! ... but we have had to take our credit card processor offline. Please call in your reservations for our April 30, 7:00 p.m. concert with É.T.É to 401-725-9272.
 
Awarded the OPUS prize for “Discovery of the Year 2017-2018” among many other accolades since their debut album in 2017, this trio is quickly winning over the hearts of listeners worldwide. É.T.É are Élisabeth (fiddle, step-dancing, vocals), Thierry (bouzouki, podorythmie, vocals), and Élisabeth (cello, vocals). The word été in French means summer – a fitting tribute to how their original, lively take on Québec traditional music is infused with a new vitality. With lovely vocal harmonies, deep groove, and rich instrumentation, É.T.É are an explosive trio on stage, transforming the nostalgia of a kitchen party into an unforgettable show experience that celebrates the joie de vivre of Québecois culture. We are thrilled to host their first Rhode Island appearance; there are no Boston-area shows on this tour.