You can call in your reservations for our October 21, 7:00 p.m. concert with the Mari Black Trio to 401-725-9272 or BUY TICKETS ONLINE VIA SQUARE. Ticket pricing includes all service fees. 

A Blackstone River Theatre favorite, multistyle violinist and champion fiddler Mari Black delights audiences around the world with her energetic playing, sparkling stage presence, and dazzlingly virtuosic fiddling. Raised on a rich blend of traditional musical styles, Mari burst onto the international stage when she became Scotland’s Glenfiddich Fiddle Champion, 2-time U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, and 2-time Canadian Maritime Fiddle Champion, all within a three-year period. Ever since then, she has been spreading her love for dance-based music, performing as a featured artist at performing arts centers, Celtic festivals, Scottish Highland Games, celebrated folk venues, world music concert series, and acclaimed classical venues including Carnegie Hall. Currently touring nationally with her trio, Mari's favorite thing to do is sweep audiences away on a spirited musical adventure featuring dance music from around the globe – Celtic, American, and Canadian fiddling, jazz, tango, klezmer, folk, original works, and more.

You can call in your reservations for our October 15, 3-4:00 p.m. CD release with Ed Sweeney and Cathy Clasper-Torch to 401-725-9272 or BUY TICKETS ONLINE VIA SQUARE. Ticket pricing includes all service fees. 

Admission to this hour-long CD release includes a reception after the show and a free copy of the new CD! Ed Sweeney honors people and their histories by presenting music that entertains and educates. Through his musical expertise, breadth of knowledge, and wonderful sense of humor, he helps listeners understand the motivations, stories, and culture that have made us who and what we are today. Ed performs a wide-ranging repertoire on 6- and 12-string guitar, 5-string banjo, and fretless banjo. "A Sunday Drive," which will be released today, is Ed’s ninth recording and takes inspiration from long car rides listening to a eclectic variety of music over the car radio and meeting people as you travel away from home. He will be joined by Cathy Clasper-Torch, one of the best known multi-instrumentalists and singers in Southern New England. Cathy is adept with various musical styles including classical, jazz and folk and she is in constant demand to perform or record on fiddle, cello, piano and ehru. Ed’s music reaches a truly diverse audience through NPR or on the hundreds of radio stations and on-line networks around the world. His music is included in documentaries by Ken Burns and Christian De Renzendes, as well as television soundtracks and is currently played in Disneyland, Disneyland Paris & Disneyland Tokyo. Sweeney also teaches 5-string banjo and guitar at Blackstone River Theatre while Cathy has taught group fiddle classes at Blackstone River Theatre for 14 years.

You can call in your reservations for our October 14, 7:00 p.m. concert with Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas to 401-725-9272 or BUY TICKETS ONLINE VIA SQUARE. Ticket pricing includes all service fees. 

Playing in their only New England gig this tour! The musical partnership between consummate performer Alasdair Fraser, "the Michael Jordan of Scottish fiddling" and brilliant Californian cellist Natalie Haas spans the full spectrum between intimate chamber music and ecstatic dance energy. Over the last 20 years of creating a buzz at festivals and concert halls across the world, they have truly set the standard for fiddle and cello in traditional music. They continue to thrill audiences with their virtuosic playing, their near-telepathic understanding and the joyful spontaneity and sheer physical presence of their music. Fraser has a concert and recording career spanning over 30 years, with a long list of awards and feature performances on top movie soundtracks (Last of the Mohicans, Titanic, etc.). In 2011, he was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame. Haas, a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, is one of the most sought after cellists in traditional music today. This seemingly unlikely pairing of fiddle and cello is the fulfillment of a long-standing musical dream for Fraser. His search eventually led him to find a cellist who could help return the cello to its historical role at the rhythmic heart of Scottish dance music, where it stood for hundreds of years before being relegated to the orchestra. The duo's debut recording, "Fire & Grace," won the coveted the Scots Trad Music "Album of the Year" award, the Scottish equivalent of a Grammy. Since its release, the two have gone on to record five more critically acclaimed albums that blend a profound understanding of the Scottish tradition with cutting-edge string explorations. Not to be missed!

You can call in your reservations for our October 7, 8:00 p.m. concert with Niamh Parsons and Graham Dunne to 401-725-9272 or BUY TICKETS ONLINE VIA SQUARE. Ticket pricing includes all service fees.

Niamh Parsons has come to be known as one of the most distinctive voices in Irish music. Her voice has drawn comparisons to such venerated singers as Dolores Keane, June Tabor, and Sandy Denny. Described in the Boston Herald as both emotionally haunting and tonally as clear as crystal, Niamh’s albums have been ‘must-have’ collector’s items for any lover of songs and singing. With 9 Albums to her name, Niamh has gathered a body of songs from many sources, both traditional and modern songwriters. Once she discovers a song she likes, Niamh views herself as the vehicle for the music. "For me the song is more important than listening to my voice, ... I consider myself more a songstress than a singer – a carrier of tradition." Throughout her career, Niamh has performed with a wide variety of artists, and has appeared at nearly every prestigious folk festival on either side of the Atlantic. Guitarist Graham Dunne began working with Séan Tyrrell back in 1998, before embarking on a career as the main accompanist to Niamh in 1999. Through playing with Niamh, he has played and toured with the likes of Andy Irvine, Liz Carroll, Paddy Keenan, and Dennis Cahill amongst others. Niamh will offer a SONG WORKSHOP from 3-4 p.m. for $20. Attendance limited to 15. Attendees will be guided through Niamh's extensive song repertoire and learn where to source songs and how best to perform them in any situation. Email brt@riverfolk.org

You CAN call in your reservations for our October 1, 7:00 p.m. concert with Eileen Ivers to 401-725-9272 or BUY TICKETS ONLINE VIA SQUARE. Ticket pricing includes all service fees. 

Grammy®-Awarded and Emmy-nominated, Eileen Ivers continues to push the fiddling tradition boundaries from a folk music staple to a powerfully beautiful and intensely driving world stage experience. Ivers was the groundbreaking musical star of Riverdance, a founding member of Cherish the Ladies, and she is one of the most awarded All-Ireland Fiddle and Banjo champions ever. Eileen’s new album, “Scatter the Light” was originally released on March 13, 2020, at the start of the pandemic. It was re-released in 2022. Ivers has been called "the Jimi Hendrix of the violin," by The New York Times. Her recording credits include over 80 contemporary and traditional albums and numerous movie scores. A 9-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion, Eileen is hailed as one of the great innovators and pioneers in the Celtic and World music genres. Eileen’s band, Universal Roots, connects music, cultures, stories and emotions that tie us together …celebrating the fact that we are more alike than dissimilar. The ensemble features Buddy Connolly (button accordion, whistles, piano, vocals), Lindsey Horner (upright and electric bass, baritone sax, vocals), Dave Barckow (lead vocals, percussion, guitar), and Colin Forhan (guitar, banjo, concertina), joining together with Ivers on fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bodhran, and live looping.

You can call in your reservations for our September 23, 8:00 p.m. concert with Superchief Trio to 401-725-9272 or BUY TICKETS ONLINE VIA SQUARE. Ticket pricing includes all service fees.

Having emerged from a subterranean honky-tonk venue, Superchief Trio has continued the tradition of good-time music and barrelhouse hijinks. In 2008, Superchief Trio grew to five members adding guitarist Tom Ferraro and bassist/vocalist Steve Bigelow. Playing bass tonight will be celebrated R.I. jazz bassist Joe Potenza. Tom has been a staple in many RI bands, including The High Rollers & Stormin’ Norman & The Hurricanes. With the addition of these great players and the original lineup featuring Keith Munslow on piano and vocals, Pam Murray on vocals and trombone, and drummer John Cote, the band finds itself careening down new musical highways and back roads, amassing an ever-expanding repertoire of tasty original songs and cool cover tunes. In more ways than one, Superchief Trio has truly become the largest trio in Rhode Island … and beyond!

You can call in your reservations for our September 17, 7:00 p.m. concert with Ryan Young to 401-725-9272 or BUY TICKETS ONLINE VIA SQUARE. Ticket pricing includes all service fees.

Making his Rhode Island debut, Ryan Young is a traditional fiddle player from Scotland bringing fresh and inventive ideas to traditional Scottish music. Young's traditional fiddle playing will take you on an emotional journey and lift your spirits as he’s joined tonight by guitarist Matt Heaton. Ryan graduated with a Master of Music degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and he continues to draw drawing international attention. A 2022 MG ALBA Musician of The Year nominee, Ryan brings new and exciting ideas to traditional Scottish music. His debut was recorded with four time Grammy winner Jesse Lewis (who has worked with the likes of Bela Fleck and Yo Yo Ma) and launched at Feakle Traditional Music Festival in County Clare, accompanied by renowned guitarist, Dennis Cahill. His fiddle playing brims with fresh melodic ideas, an uplifting rhythmic drive, and a great depth of dynamics. Ryan was twice a finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards and twice a finalist in the prestigious BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of The Year. He was awarded ‘Up And Coming Artist Of The Year’ at the Scots Trad Awards in 2017 and nominated for the Horizon Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2018. Don't miss this amazing artist on the rise ... reviews and reactions to his concerts are off the charts!

You can call in your reservations for our September 16, 8:00 p.m. concert with Matthew Byrne to 401-725-9272 and pay by check or cash at the door or BUY TICKETS ONLINE VIA SQUARE. Ticket pricing includes all service fees.

Matthew Byrne was born into a family of Newfoundland music makers and his repertoire is heavily influenced by his unique musical lineage. This tradition thrives on the song – the weaving of a great story with a beautiful melody – and Byrne's music reminds us how satisfying traditional songs can be when stripped down to these basic elements. Since bursting on to the trad scene in 2010 with his debut recording, “Ballads," Matthew has swiftly earned his place as one of Canada’s most authentic and vital traditional voices, backed by his masterful guitar playing. Storytelling through song is a fundamental duty of traditional music. Matthew's latest recording, "Horizon Lines" is a collection of traditional material from both sides of the Atlantic; the CD won "Traditional Recording of the Year" at the 2018 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Having received this distinction for a second time, Matthew Byrne continues to establish himself as one of today’s most authentic and vital traditional voices. 

With showers in the afternoon forecast we are deciding to move inside Blackstone River Theatre itself. Join us for a Shanty Sing at 4 p.m. – lyric sheets will be provided! 

ADMISSION AT THE DOOR, CASH OR CHECK!

A Benefit Shanty Singalong for Blackstone River Theatre:  Bully in the Alley - Tiny, Knotty Jane, Mouse, Smoky Pete, Ammo, and Syren - are a crew of singers and storytellers based in southeastern New England who have a lengthy collective history of performing at Festivals, Fairs, Seaports, parades, and historic re-enactment events across the United States and Canada. They have recently joined together to share their love of music and traditional shanties in an interactive performance, with a piratical flair, that is sure to get your toes tappin’ and hands clappin’! These shipmates invite you to bring your voice and your enthusiasm to support Blackstone River Theatre with a Shanty Singalong!

A TAKE IT OUTSIDE CONCERT! Call in reservations for our Sept. 10, 4-5 p.m. concert with Kerri Powers to 401-725-9272 or pay at the gate. This is the last of five OUTDOOR CONCERTS held behind the theatre building – chairs provided! Moved inside if rain is probable.

BUY TICKETS ONLINE VIA SQUARE!

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.”

NOTE: We are working on implementing a new website AND a new ticketing system. Until it is fully ready, you can reserve tickets by calling 401-725-9272 and pay by check or cash. You are NOT be able to purchase tickets by credit card for the Fall/Winter season at the moment. All ticket pricing below includes all service fees.