Rock Hearts – CD release!

TICKETS STILL REMAIN! ... but we have had to take our credit card processor offline. Please call in your reservations for our April 8, 8:00 p.m. concert with Rock Hearts to 401-725-9272. See info on a Bluegrass Jamming Class offered 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. below!

Formed in 2013, Rock Hearts brings together five veteran musicians from Southern New England who love to sing and pick bluegrass, old country tunes, and seek out newer tunes from other genres to “bluegrass-ify.” Since the release of their well-received debut in 2020, "Starry Southern Nights," they have experienced tremendous success on the national bluegrass charts and were selected as one of 20 Official Showcase Bands at the 2021 IBMA World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, NC. Their videos have amassed 250k views and the band has been featured in magazines including Bluegrass Unlimited, Bluegrass Today and the Bluegrass Situation. Tonight will be the CD release of “Wanderlust” – their debut project with The 615 Hideaway Record Label. Joe Deetz’s career on banjo spans over 40 years. A New England Bluegrass Boy with Joe Val, Joe has also worked with Back Eddy and many others. Alex MacLeod grew up in bluegrass. With a classic leading voice and rock-solid rhythm guitar, Alex has served as front man for several bands in the region including Northern Lights and Southern Rhode. Billy “BT” Thibodeau boasts an undeniable bluegrass pedigree and he brings his high tenor and lead vocals, along with his rock solid mandolin and guitar playing to Rock Hearts. He cut his teeth with his dad, Sam Tidwell and Uncle Bob in the Kennebec Valley Boys. Rick Brodsky is a multi-instrumentalist and a regular on the CT / New York bluegrass scene. Austin Scelzo was introduced to various fiddle traditions at Mark O’Connor’s early Berklee String Camps. He created the Bluegrass Coffeehouse, and launched the Connecticut Bluegrass Music Association.

Blackstone River Theatre is also hosting a Saturday Bluegrass Jam Class on April 8, 11:30 am-5 pm, with fiddler Austin Scelzo, preceding the Rock Hearts CD release concert. All bluegrass instruments welcome! Read flyer for full information and registration: https://wernickmethod.org/event/as-2023-04-cumberland

Hanneke Cassel Band – CD release!

TICKETS STILL REMAIN! ... but we have had to take our credit card processor offline. Please call in your reservations for our April 15, 8:00 p.m. concert with the Hanneke Cassel Band to 401-725-9272.

Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel’s fiddle music fuses influences from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton with Americana grooves and musical innovations. Tonight's concert will celebrate the release of her new CD, “Infinite Brightness.” Hanneke has performed and traveled across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Hanneke’s music is a blend of the contemporary and traditional, described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.” Her incredible band tonight features Jenna Moynihan on 5-string fiddle/vocals, Keith Murphy on guitar/vocals, and Tristan Clarridge, a former 5-time Grand National Fiddle Champion, on cello. Jenna Moynihan is regarded as one of the best in the new generation of fiddle players. Versatile and inventive, her fiddling style draws strongly from the Scottish tradition, but is in no way bound by it. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Jenna performs as part of a duo with cutting edge harpist Mairi Chaimbeul and is the regular fiddler for the Seamus Egan Project. Newfoundland-born guitarist Keith Murphy began absorbing his native musical languages – folksongs, ballads and dance music – from an early age. A proficient multi-instrumentalist, he has long applied considerable energy to the rhythmic side of music, becoming a valued band member and highly sought-after sideman on guitar, mandolin and foot percussion. Tristan Clarridge founded the Bee Eaters with sister Tashina and switched to cello in the pioneering bluegrass-new folk sensation Crooked Still. He has toured with Mike Marshall, Bruce Molsky and Cape Breton fiddle phenomenon Natalie Macmaster.

É.T.É – Québec traditional music

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.

SEAMUS EGAN PROJECT

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 celebrated fiddle player Jenna Moynihan, 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.

OLD BLIND DOGS

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.

SUMMER SOLSTICE FESTIVAL

We have had to take our credit card processor offline. Please check back April 2 or order tickets by calling 401-725-9272. 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 and
Ed Sweeney • The Broad Street Fiddlers • A Tribute to Jimmy Devine

AFTER-FESTIVAL MUSIC SESSION

TICKETS STILL REMAIN! ... but we have had to take our credit card processor offline. 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