Frigg – Hot fiddles from cool Scandinavia

Or call in your reservations for our August 18, 8:00 p.m. concert with Frigg to 401-725-9272.

One of Finland’s hottest musical exports, the sizzling Nordic septet Frigg have carved themselves a top spot in folk music with their dynamic, life-affirming, feel-good tunes and precision musicianship. Named after the Norse goddess of love and fertility, Frigg has been conquering the world with a fusion of western folk music styles leaning strongly towards Nordic folk music, for which the world music media has coined the term nordgrass, referring to the bluegrass influences of the group. The tight interplay of four violins, string instruments and contrabass, all fine-tuned to perfection and spiced with sparkling, humorous live energy has made an impact on listeners all over the world. “FRIXX” released in 2020 was their first album since 2017’s "Frost on Fiddles," Songlines ‘Top of the World’ album. Their highly acclaimed "Polka V" — was named Finnish Folk Album of the Year and a nominee for the Teosto Prize. This prestigious award is handed out annually by Finnish composers — recognizing the fact that Frigg almost exclusively perform their own infectious original tunes. This will be Frigg’s third appearance at Blackstone River Theatre and you know they are great when Russell books them on a Thursday ... in August! Don’t miss out!

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

The Johnson Girls – A Take It Outside Concert!

Or call in your reservations for our August 21, 4:00-5:00 p.m. concert with The Johnson Girls to 401-725-9272. This will be the 4th of a series of OUTDOOR CONCERTS held on Sundays behind the theatre building!

Internationally acclaimed, The Johnson Girls have been a force on the folk and maritime music scene for 25 years as the leading all-woman, a cappella maritime group in the world. Believing that sea chanteys and sea songs were the first real “World Music”, Joy Bennett, Alison Kelley, Bonnie Milner, and Deirdre Murtha each bring a special influence to their music. Whether performing chanteys with hair-raising harmonies or sharing tender ballads at intimate venues, folk clubs or packed international folk festivals in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and Europe, The Johnson Girls remain true to their mission of keeping chantey singing alive, bringing women’s voices to the fore, and sweeping their audiences along in a tidal fervor. Join us for this special concert!

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

Karan Casey with Niamh Dunne and Sean Óg Graham

Or call in your reservations for our September 3, 8:00 p.m. concert with The Karan Casey Trio to 401-725-9272.

Legendary Irish folk singer Karan Casey has released 11 albums to date and has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Japan singing songs charged with a sense of social responsibility in a career spanning more than 25 years. We are thrilled to have her back at Blackstone River Theatre for the first time in 5 years as Karan will be joined by Niamh Dunne on fiddle and vocals, and guitarist and accordionist Sean Óg Graham (both of the Irish folk band Beoga). This evocative trio has toured together for several years and tonight's show premieres new material developed and recorded since the start of the pandemic as well as favorites from Karan’s back repertoire. The songs draw inspiration from a wide range of sources from the personal to the historical and political, touching on themes of family, loss, love, the empowerment of women and Irish revolutionary struggle. Casey has long been recognized as one of the most innovative, provocative and imitated voices in Irish traditional and folk music. In 2017, Karan was Traditional Artist in Residence at University College Cork, toured the UK with the Transatlantic Sessions, performed at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections, and toured in the U.S. both with her own band and with Lúnasa. In 2018 Karan helped found FairPlé, an organization aimed at achieving fairness and gender balance for female performers in Irish traditional and folk music. Join us as we kick off our fall season with one of Irish music’s most distinctive voices!

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

Scottish fiddle champion Jamie Laval with vocalist Amber Rose and Celtic harpist Liv Castor

Or call in your reservations for our September 10, 8:00 p.m. concert with Jamie Laval to 401-725-9272.

U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion Jamie Laval returns for an exciting musical journey through Scotland, Ireland, and Brittany, reimagining Gaelic love songs, rustic peasant dances, and recounting mythic tales from the ancient Celtic world. Joining Laval is vocalist Amber Rose, whose beautiful voice evokes a fairytale-like quality in ancient ballads. Celtic harpist Liv Castor rounds out the trio, complementing the ensemble with exciting rhythms and subtle harmonies.

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

Extending Your Percussive Dance Technique Workshop with Nic Gareiss

Masking required!
 Workshop runs 7-8:15 p.m. Minimum number of participants to run class is 7, maximum 15; $30 general admission; $20 admission for Black, Indigenous, dancers of color, trans, non-binary, and disabled dancers
. Payment via PayPal (nic.gareiss@gmail.com)

Geared toward intermediate-advanced dancers ages 12+, this class endeavors to reimagine our relationship with clog, flatfoot, tap, step dance, sean-nós, and other percussive dance footwork forms. Borrowing the term "extended techniques" from vocal and instrumental musicians, we'll think about the ways that our respective pedagogies have shaped what we have come to know as possible (danceable) within our dance practices. By both engaging gestures borrowed cross-culturally and delving into the historical archive, we'll work to listen beyond normativity within our own traditions. Honing in specifically on sound-making footwork to explore and expand, deconstruct and develop audibly and gesturally, this course aims to reshape our danced relations of discovery within embodied rhythm, time, and timbre. Named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” dancer Nic Gareiss (he/they) has been hailed by the New York Times for his “dexterous melding of Irish and Appalachian dance” and called “the most inventive and expressive step dancer on the scene” by the Boston Herald. In 2020 Nic received the Michigan Heritage Award, the state's highest distinction bestowed on traditional artists. Nic has performed in 17 countries with many of the luminaries of traditional music and dance at the Irish National Concert Hall, the Munich Philharmonic, and the Kennedy Center. www.nicgareiss.com

Kerri Powers / Lauren King

Or call in your reservations for our September 17, 8:00 p.m. concert with Kerri Powers and Lauren King to 401-725-9272.

Drenched in the emotions of blues, folk and country music, roots singer/songwriter Kerri Powers uses her dramatically dark and beautiful 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 old favorites plus some great new songs from her upcoming album.

Raised in Smithfield, Rhode Island, Lauren King is a 25-year-old singer-songwriter with a penchant for pairing poetic lyrics with memorable melodies. Lauren recently won two 2022 RI Motif Music Awards for Best Singer-Songwriter and Best Country Act. King's album "The Wolf is Back" won a 2021 RI Motif Music Award for Americana Album of the Year. Lauren has captured the attention of people like Gurf Morlix (Lucinda Williams, Blaze Foley), Chris Trapper (Rob Thomas, August Rush film score) and Sasha Ostrovsky (Darius Rucker) who all are fans of Lauren and also play on "The Wolf is Back"project. Check out a local artist who is definitely on the rise!

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

NORTH SEA GAS – Music from Scotland

Or call in your reservations for our September 24, 8:00 p.m. show with North Sea Gas to 401-725-9272.

North Sea Gas is a folk band from Scotland who have now been performing their blend of poignant and rousing songs and high-energy instrumentals for 40 years. With a combination of fiddle, guitar, mandolin, bodhran and bouzouki, complementing strong three-part vocal harmonies and a keen sense of humor, an entertaining evening is always guaranteed! North Sea Gas have released 23 albums and they are constantly adding new material to their shows. This tour sees the U.S. CD release of “A Long Road: Celebrating Over 40 Years” showcasing four decades of a band's life, its music, its memories, and its members. One of their previous albums, “The Fire and the Passion of Scotland," was “Album of the Year” at Celtic Radio in the U.S., winning first place in the “Jigs and Reels” category as well for the set of tunes on the album. The band is led by founder Dave Gilfillan on lead vocals, guitar and banjo, well-known for his tongue-in-cheek humor. Ronnie "Mac" MacDonald on lead and harmony vocals, guitar and bouzouki is joined by Grant Simpson on high-energy fiddle and vocals. 

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

Symbio

Or call in your reservations for our October 7, 8:00 p.m. concert with Symbio to 401-725-9272.

The music of Symbio has been described as musical storytelling where folk, minimalistic art music and electronic dance music meets and becomes a cinematic experience for the listener. Symbio is regarded as one of the most prominent new bands from the Swedish Folk & World music scene. With their strong stage presence, original compositions, and a magical interplay of hurdy-gurdy and accordion – the duo constantly surprises their audience and takes them on a moving and dreamy musical journey.  During concerts the duo perform with both seriousness and joy, telling personal and vivid stories about the music. Through a playful, energetic and close interaction Symbio creates new music where two becomes more. The duo was awarded as ”Best Newcomer of the Year” at the Swedish Folk & World Music awards in 2016, and received the”Scholarship for young music ensembles” from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in the same year. Since the release of their debut album in 2016 they have been touring extensively in Sweden and 20 different European countries. This will be their first appearance in Rhode Island ... don't miss it!

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

Máire Ní Chathasaigh and Chris Newman

Or call in your reservations for our October 15, 8:00 p.m. concert with Máire Ní Chathasaigh and Chris Newman to 401-725-9272.

The celebrated virtuoso partnership of Máire Ní Chathasaigh – “the doyenne of Irish harpers” (Scotland on Sunday) and Chris Newman – “one of the UK’s most staggering and influential acoustic guitarists” (fROOTS), has brought its special musical vision to venues large and small in 22 countries on five continents. Their performances – described by The Irish Times as “music of fire and brilliance from the high-wire act in traditional music” – are rooted but eclectic, emotional but adventurous. Simply put it's a breathtaking blend of traditional Irish music, hot jazz, bluegrass and baroque, coupled with striking new compositions and Chris’s delightfully subversive wit. Chris was also named "Male Musician of the Year” in the 2019 Live Ireland Awards! Gradam Cheoil TG4, the national Irish-language TV station’s Award for Irish Traditional Musician of the Year, was presented to Máire in 2001 “for the excellence and pioneering force of her music, the remarkable growth she has brought to the music of the harp and the positive influence she has had on the young generation of harpers” at a televised ceremony in the Cork Opera House. The Gradam is the highest, most prestigious honour for a traditional Irish musician and Máire is the sole harpist recipient to date. We are thrilled to present them for the first time at Blackstone River Theatre making good on our March 2020 Covid-canceled original date!

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

The Winifred Horan Quartet

Or call in your reservations for our October 22, 8:00 p.m. concert with the Winifred Horan Quartet to 401-725-9272.

Acclaimed Irish fiddler Winifred Horan returns to Blackstone River Theatre after playing at June's Summer Solstice Festival for a lively performance of Celtic music with fellow Solas alumni John Williams on accordion, Katie Grennan on fiddle, and Utsav Lal on piano. Horan was born in New York City to Irish parents and studied piano and Irish fiddle playing at a young age. She attended the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she studied classical violin and has played with multiple orchestras, including the Boston Pops Orchestra, before she joined the all-female Celtic music ensemble Cherish the Ladies in 1990. Horan is best known as co-founder of the Irish super group Solas. She recorded 12 albums with Solas and toured the world with the group for over 25 years. She has also recorded 3 solo albums and a few duet and trio CDs. She is a nine-time champion Irish stepdancer and an All-Ireland fiddle champion, having won an All-Ireland Junior Fiddle Championship at age eleven. 

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

Gadan

Or call in your reservations for our October 29, 8:00 p.m. concert with Gadan to 401-725-9272.

Gadan is a new band created by four experienced and well-known musicians in the Irish trad and European folk/rock scenes. On this New England debut, Gadan brings a dynamic repertoire with a powerful live appeal and a sound comparable to new-trad acts such as Talisk and WeBanjo3, but with a unique identity thanks to years of experience in folk music, from Traditional Irish & Scottish music to Appalachian & Old Time music, not to mention the deep connection with regional folk ballads of Northern Italy.
 Gadan musically and lyrically explores the deep connection between emigrating people from different part of Europe, such as Ireland and Italy, to the United States, through a reinvigorating and modern musical approach. 
Two banjos – tenor & clawhammer – fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki and guitar result in a “strings-only” sound with a hint of electronics and driven by a powerful rhythmic pulse. Who said you need drums to groove? Gadan features Andrea Verga: mandolin, banjo, vocals; Jacopo Ventura: guitar, bouzouki, vocals; Joan Gatti: fiddle; and Lorenzo Testa: tenor banjo, mandolin, guitar, vocals. Not to be missed!

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

Le Vent du Nord

Or call in your reservations for our Friday, November 4, 8:00 p.m. concert with Le Vent du Nord to 401-725-9272.

The award-winning and highly acclaimed band Le Vent du Nord returns to Blackstone River Theatre as part of their 20th anniversary tour! Dynamic fiddler André Brunet (Celtic Fiddle Festival, La Bottine Souriante) is joined by 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). 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 2,000 concerts over 4 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. Their last concert sold out quickly ... don't delay!

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

Flynn Cohen and Matt Heaton

Or call in your reservations for our Sunday, Nov. 6, 7:00 p.m. concert with Flynn and Matt to 401-725-9272.

Flynn Cohen and Matt Heaton are two of New England's most experienced acoustic guitar players, each having performed with some of the finest performers in folk music. Both are known to audiences for their respective main projects (Low Lily and Matt & Shannon Heaton), but once in a blue moon, the picks come out, and Flynn and Matt join forces for a night of tunes and songs on guitars, bouzouki and mandolin. They got the idea of playing together years ago when they performed Paul Brady & Andy Irvine’s classic album in its entirety, and that record is still a major influence on their arrangements. Expect a night of classic tunes, songs and probably some tuning … Acoustic Guitar magazine says of Matt, "Powerfully rhythmic playing" and Dirty Linen magazine calls Flynn "a versatile string virtuoso.” Their Fall tour celebrates the 20th anniversary of the release of Flynn’s solo debut album "Dead String Rhythm." There will also be a Trad Guitar Workshop offered from 4-5 p.m. with details coming soon!

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

MILE TWELVE

Or call in your reservations for our November 12, 8 p.m. show with Mile Twelve to 401-725-9272.

Mile Twelve is a progressive string band from Boston, Massachusetts. Winners of the 2020 IBMA New Artist of the Year award, they have been making waves in the acoustic music community with their seamless blend of expertly-crafted songs, creative arrangements, and virtuosic execution. The band takes their name from the mile marker that sits at Boston’s southern border on Route 93, a road sign they’ve passed countless times while heading out on tour. They've found receptive audiences across the globe, touring throughout North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The Mile Twelve lineup offers five of the most promising young musicians in bluegrass: Catherine “BB” Bowness (banjo), Evan Murphy (guitar, lead vocals), Nate Sabat (bass, lead vocals) and new members Ella Jordan (fiddle, vocals), and Korey Brodsky (mandolin). Join us for a great night of bluegrass!

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

Patrick Ball – "The Fine Beauty of the Island"

Or call in your reservations for our November 13, 3:00 p.m. matinee concert with Patrick Ball to 401-725-9272.

Patrick Ball is one of the premier Celtic harp players in the world as well as a captivating storyteller. In playing the legendary brass-strung harp of Ireland with its crystalline sound, and in performing tales of wit and enchantment, Ball not only brings new life to two cherished traditions, but blends them to create a richly theatrical and hauntingly beautiful performance. There is only one person on the stage, but as Patrick Ball performs "The Fine Beauty of the Island," a whole culture appears before us. Through the voice of his Celtic harp, the lilt of his penny whistle, and the brogues of a pubful of characters, contemporary bard Patrick Ball casts a spell out of scraps of stories, researched history, and the raucous dark humor of the Irish. The play tells some of the story of The Blasket Islands which lie three miles off the coast of County Kerry in Ireland. For centuries they were a lonely, remote place, a place of fishermen and farmers, of poets, musicians and storytellers. In the early 1950s, however, the last remaining inhabitants of the islands were forced to leave their homes and settle on the mainland, for their turf was gone, their land poor, and their seas plundered of fish by large trawlers from England and France. The islanders loaded all that they could carry into their curraghs and rowed away - a leave-taking known historically as "The Vanishing." But they also carried with them their tales and legends, one of which told of a deeply haunting tune that was heard on the winds of the islands, then passed on through generations of island musicians. Twenty years after "The Vanishing," Patrick Ball heard this tune in an Irish bar in San Francisco, and his life was changed forever. In "The Fine Beauty of the Island," Patrick tells the story of his journey in search of the origin and meaning of this strange, enchanting tune which led him back not only to a Blasket Island community and culture "whose like will not be seen again," but to a long-neglected corner of his own past.

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

ATWATER~DONNELLY BAND with Cathy Clasper-Torch and Erin Lobb Mason

Or call in your reservations for our November 20, 3:00 p.m. matinee concert with Atwater~Donnelly Band to 401-725-9272.

BRT favorites Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly return in a band format with Cathy Clasper-Torch on fiddle, cello and vocals and Erin Lobb Mason on bass 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. This concert will celebrate the release of Aubrey and Elwood's new CD, their 14th album, called "The Boat You Row.” They will also be coming out with their 9th book soon, "Song By Song, Volume II." Elwood and Aubrey blend unusual vocal harmonies and play guitar, Appalachian mountain dulcimer, Irish tin whistle, harmonica, old-time banjo, bones, limberjacks and other musical surprises. Performances are 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 U.S. 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 plays regularly with many ensembles and is also the fiddle instructor at Blackstone River Theatre.

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

Kevin Doyle’s Roscommon Soles Thanksgiving Holiday Concert – “Health to the Ladies”

Or call in your reservations for our November 26, 7:00 p.m. concert with Kevin Doyle's Roscommon Soles to 401-725-9272.
 
Travel “over the river (the Blackstone, of course) and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go” to celebrate a Thanksgiving weekend with Kevin Doyle’s Roscommon Soles! Funded in part by a grant from Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, this custom-themed concert “Health to the Ladies” is named for an old traditional jig and calls out a toast to the generations of women who keep Irish traditions alive from pantry to parlor as old ways and new customs blend around holiday hearths at home and in America. “Health to the Ladies” will spotlight the contributions in dance, music, and song made by some amazing and historic Rhode Island women of the performing arts. Their influence was felt nationally and locally, from vaudeville to the age of radio and television, and on dance stages or in concert halls and recording studios. This seasonal celebration of families and their ladies features Kevin Doyle, National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow, Mary Lee Partington, regional vocal award-winner/NCTE inaugural Teacher of Excellence, Sheila Falls, American & All-Ireland fiddle champion and director of Gaelic Roots at Boston College, Torrin Ryan, multiple All-Ireland medalist and first on uilleann pipes, Tim Keohane, noted guitarist/vocalist of traditional Irish folk and popular repertoire, and a cameo dance appearance by The Dancing Doyles – Maureen Doyle & Shannon Doyle.
 
* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.

BRT Holiday Craft Fair and Festival

You are invited to Blackstone River Theatre's 14th annual Holiday Craft Fair and Festival which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is FREE!

Please come out and support BRT programming as well as area craft vendors and home-based businesses while you do your holiday shopping locally! We will have 24 vendors on site between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and the event will also feature continuous live music with Bob Drouin, Russell Gusetti, Ed Sweeney, Cathy Clasper-Torch, Atwater~Donnelly, and The Broad Street Fiddlers, plus raffle prizes and a bake sale table including Welsh cakes! Door prizes will be raffled off from each vendor with the proceeds to benefit BRT's future programming. Think out of the box (store!) 

Cassie and Maggie – A Christmas Celebration

Or call in your reservations for our December 3, 8:00 p.m. show with Cassie and Maggie to 401-725-9272.

From the deepest roots of Canada and its very earliest musical traditions come Nova Scotian sisters Cassie and Maggie, putting their own 21st century stamp on the Celtic soundtrack of this nation. Exciting and innovative, their talent is surpassed only by the sheer joy they exude in performance. Alternating between Gaelic and English, traditional and contemporary, haunting and electrifying, the duo is nothing short of mesmerizing and we are thrilled to have them return to Blackstone River Theatre for the first time in many years! Born to a family of deep Nova Scotia roots and a rich musical history, the two have been enchanting audiences around the world with their unparalleled unity of strings, voices and fabulous percussive step dance. Theirs is the perfect balance between musical integrity and sheer entertainment as they seamlessly blend tunes passed down through generations of musicians with their own songwriting, borrowing from other writers, other genres and other eras. The sisters have turned heads wherever they go – 2018 JUNO award nominees, Galaxie Radio Rising Star award winners, 17 Canadian Folk Music, East Coast Music and Music Nova Scotia awards and nominations, Female Singers of the Year by Live Ireland Radio, Female Vocal Album of the Year by Chicago Irish American News, and Album of the Year by NPR’s Celtic Connection. Join us for their very special Christmas celebration!

* Ticket price includes a $1.00 per ticket restoration charge.