FESTIVALS & MUSIC CAMPS

what'sHere
A selection of nearby as well as distant but important festivals and music camps that you should attend. Of course, I'm assuming that time and money are no problem. They are listed in calendar order, so pull out your calendar and write in the festivals.  If you think jamming is fun, pack up your tent or camper and go to a festival. You'll jam with new friends from all over the East Coast, country, or the Western World. Did you already miss a festival? Put it on next year's calendar and request the vacation time now!

January 2006    April 2006    June 06    July 06    August 06    September 06    October 06

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 JANUARY 2006

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The Winter Blues Meadville Bluegrass Weekend
January 20 - 21 - 22 2006
Days Inn, Rt 6, Meadville PA

• Rooms: Days Inn Conference Center 814-337-4264 Fax: 814-337-7304
• To schedule your band a playing time -- contact:  Sandy Mahoney
• Phone: 814-337-6654
• email: moeandme@alltel.net

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APRIL 2006

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Pierre Bensusan's USA Residential Guitar Seminar
April 7 - 9, 2006
The Prism Coffeehouse
214 Rugby Rd.
Charlottesville  VA 22903
(434) 97-PRISM (977-7476)
http://www.the prism.org

• Coming in April, 2006! Pierre Bensusan's USA Residential Guitar Seminar
• The Prism is greatly honored to have been chosen as  the host location for Pierre Bensusan's second-ever USA Residential Guitar Seminar which will take place April 7-9, 2006. 
• This 2 and 1/2 day day session is open to a maximum of 20 guitarists from various musical horizons and already well-familiar with the instrument, whether it is acoustic, classical, or electric. Level: moderate-advanced. 
• During the day, Pierre will teach and work with individual students, and at night he will perform his usual pair of BILINGUAL concerts (French on Friday April 7th and English on Saturday the 8th) that have become a long-standing tradition at the Prism, where Bensusan has performed annually since 1993.
  

Spring Fever Folk Festival
April 21-23, 2006
Riverside Inn, Cambridge Springs PA
theriversideinn.com
last year's Festival webpage: http://www.springfeverfestival.com/index2.html

• So much fun!
• Held at a Victorian-era resort hotel, the Spring Fever Folk Festival takes over the entire hotal and dinner theater. Jams in every nook and cranny!
• Special room rates, with great breakfast included.
• Many of you heard me just raving about this festival last year. So what if it's a 10 hour drive from Charlottesville?
  

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Mount Airy  Bluegrass & Old-Time Fiddlers Convention
1st full weekend in June
Veterans Memorial Park at 691 W.  Lebanon St. in Mount Airy, NC
www.visitmayberry.com
http://www.carolinamusicways.org/events/surry/events_MtAiry_FiddlersCon.html

• Along  with the annual fiddlers convention in Galax, Va., the  Mount Airy Fiddlers' Convention is considered one of the premier  events of its type in the country.   Thousands of musicians and listeners flock to this event each  year from near and far, which many view as a kind of annual home-coming or reunion. Contestants perform from a single stage, while the audience  watches from lawn chairs and a limited amount of public seating.  Audience members can dance on a  platform near the stage.    Performances are broadcast live on WPAQ 740AM.
• Contestants compete  in various categories, including old-time and bluegrass band, old-time  and bluegrass banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, dobro,  dulcimer, autoharp, folksong, and dance.  Prize money is awarded, along with  ribbons and trophies.  Numerous  impromptu jam sessions take place day and night around the campground.
• Over a thousand  campers and RVs show up each year, and owners arrive as early in the  week as possible to claim a favorite parking spot.

The 13th Annual Maury River Fiddlers' Convention
June 15-17, 2006
Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista, Virginia
http://www.glenmaurypark.com/mrfc/index.html

• Old-Time & Bluegrass Music Festival. The 13th annual Maury River Fiddlers’ Convention. Host bands Charlie Loudermilk and the Mud Hole Control and The Smith Mountain Grass will entertain the crowd between competitions.  Individual competition will begin Thursday night and continue on Saturday afternoon following the children’s competition. Flat-footing and folk song contests will be held on Friday afternoon.  Old-time bands and bluegrass bands play Friday and Saturday nights. 
  
• Nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge and bordered by the Maury River, Glen Maury Park is a beautiful place to gather with friends for music, fellowship and fun. (Olivia's note: A very heavy dew settles on the campground at night, but it's beautiful nevertheless. Bring boots.)

Potomac Celtic Festival
June 17-18, 2006
Morven Park Equestrian Center
Leesburg, Virginia
http://www.pcfest.org/

• Please join us for the thirteenth annual Potomac Celtic Festival, June 17th and 18th 2006. Festival gates open 10:00 a.m on the 17th and close at 7:30. Patrons with tickets to Nitefest may remain on the grounds. On Sunday the 18th, festival gates open at 10:00 a.m. and close at 5:00 p.m.
• We are featuring the Celtic nation of Ireland. The festival will be held at the Morven Park Equestrian Center whose 1200 acres provide a spacious site for a truly unique experience. Our featured activities appeal to all:

• Continuous live ethnic music and dance on eight stages: See the 2006 Entertainment line-up!
• Juried craft market with 50 exhibitors of the highest quality Celtic art and crafts.
• Celtic living history demonstrations spanning from the 1st Century B.C. through the 20th Century
• Celtic import and specialty vendors
• Scottish games
• Rugby
• Pipe Bands
• Drama, Poetry & Storytellers
• Authentic Celtic foods
• Demonstrations of weaving, blacksmithing, waulking, wood carving, metal smithing and more.
• Celtic clans and societies help trace family roots
• Experts teach workshops on Celtic languages, the Bardic Arts, Celtic music, and more.
• A live, open Celtic session each afternoon
• A NiteFest! on Saturday evening.Please join us for the thirteenth annual Potomac Celtic Festival, June 17th and 18th 2006. Festival gates open 10:00 a.m on the 17th and close at 7:30. Patrons with tickets to Nitefest may remain on the grounds. On Sunday the 18th, festival gates open at 10:00 a.m. and close at 5:00 p.m.

• No camping. Stay at local hotels:  http://www.pcfest.org/hotels.html

Allegheny Echoes
June 18 - 24, 2006
Marlington, WV
http://www.alleghenyechoes.com/

• Come join us for the 2006 Summer Workshops!
• Allegheny Echoes invites students of all ages and all skill levels to join us for a week of instruction, enjoyment and intense fun at Marlinton, in beautiful Pocahontas County West Virginia. Classes in fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, bass, vocal, dulcimer, creative writing, and more. Mini-classes and private instruction. West Virginia Masters presentations each day. Entertainment and activities each night.
• Allegheny Echoes is the concept of a group of West Virginia musicians, writers and artists who wish to promote, support, preserve, and teach their art in a traditional way in a traditional setting. Their goal is to provide an accurate representation of West Virginia art that is not packaged and altered to appeal to a specific market. There is a strong emphasis placed on West Virginia style with an acknowledgement of the encompassing Appalachian culture. The Summer Workshops offer a chance for students of all ages and abilities to come together to learn, appreciate, and enjoy our West Virginia ways.
  
• "A tune is more lasting than the song of birds. And a word is more lasting than the wealth of the world".
  - Old Irish Proverb
  

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JULY 2006

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2006 Summer Jazz Workshops
w/ Jamey Aebersold
July 2 - 7: Session "A"
July 9 - 14: Session "B"
University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
http://www.summerjazzworkshops.com/

• The week-long workshops are the best place to learn jazz through hands-on experience. With  over 60 All-Star faculty members for each week, participants are assured of getting plenty  of attention in rehearsals and classes. We welcome all instruments, including rhythm  section, strings and scat vocalists.

The Swannanoa Gathering
July 3 - 30, 2006
http://www.swangathering.org

• We are a series of summer workshops in various folk arts held on the campus of Warren Wilson College near Asheville in the heart of North Carolina's beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Each week also features public concerts.

Swannanoh Schedule

July 9 - 15	Sing & Swing Week
July 9 - 15	Dulcimer Week
July 16 - 22	Celtic Week
July 23 - 29	Old-Time Music & Dance Week Old-Time Music & Dance Week at the Swannanoa Gathering explores the rich music, dance, and singing traditions of the southern Appalachian region through a wide range of classes taught by an experienced and supportive staff. Students enroll in as many as three regular classes for the week, and the many diverse offerings enable students to explore new areas; fiddlers sing, singers dance, and dancers learn to play instruments.
July 23 - 29	Performance Lab Program
July 30 - August 5	Guitar Week
July 30 - August 5	Contemporary Folk Week
August 6 - 12	Fiddle  Week

Great Blue Heron Music Festival
July 7, 8, 9, 2006
Sherman, NY
http://www.greatblueheron.com

• Roots rock, Cajun, Zydeco, World, Country, Celtic, Old Time, Gospel, Swing, Bluegrass

Twelfth Annual Catskills Irish Arts Week
July 9 - July 14th, 2006
Traditional Festival: July 15, 2006
http://www.east-durham.org/irishartsweek/

• For one week every July, the town of East Durham, New York is alive with the sounds and sights of traditional Irish music, dance, crafts and culture. Workshops, classes. ceili's, and jams. A popular festival for the Charlottesville Irish music community.

Augusta Heritage Center
July 10 - October 30, 2006
Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, WV
http://www.augustaheritage.com/about.html

• The Augusta Heritage Center is known nationally for activities relating to traditional folklife and folk arts of many regions and cultures. The Center is best known for its intensive weeklong workshops that attract more than 2,000 participants annually from all over the U.S. and many different countries. Thousands more come to attend public concerts, dances, and festivals. Augusta's world-renowned workshops, festivals, and apprenticeships, have brought together master artists, musicians, dancers, craftspeople, and enthusiasts of all ages.

AUGUSTA SCHEDULE

July 9-14	Cajun & Guitar Weeks
July 16-21	Blues & Swing Weeks
July 23-28	Irish Week
July 30-August 5	Bluegrass & Folk Arts Weeks
August 6-13	Old-Time & Vocal & Dance Weeks
August 11-12	Augusta Festival
October 22-29	October Old-Time Week
October 27-29	Fiddlers' Reunion

4th Annual Tazewell Old-Time & Bluegrass Fiddler's Convention 2006
July 14 - 16, 2006    
Tazewell Fairgrounds, Tazewell, VA
http://www.craborchardmuseum.com/Bluegrass.htm

• Join us in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains for a weekend of fun and traditional music for the entire family. Held at the Tazewell County Fairgrounds, with Friday night performances, Saturday instrument and band competitions and Sunday morning gospel sing.

Festival Memoire et Racines
July 26-27, Downtown Joliette
July 28, 29, 30 2006, Saint-Jean-Bosco Park
249, Chemin du Golf
St-Charles-Borromze (Joliette), Quebec, Canada
http://www.memoireracines.qc.ca/ENG/1a-presentation.htm

• Chanson, conte, danse et musique a volante!
• The heart of Quebec's traditional music lies in the Lanaudire region, and the Festival Memoire et Racines brilliantly embodies all its vitality. The 12th annual Festival Memoire et Racines will take place on July 26 to 30, 2006. Musicians, singers, dancers and story-tellers promise three days of unforgettable memories in a festive and relaxed atmosphere. Exciting evening parties at the main stage, dancing soirees at the Centre Bosco, acoustic performances, stories and workshops, as well as day-time animation and shows for children, all guarantee memorable encounters and discoveries.

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AUGUST 2006

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The Appalachian String Band Festival
"CLIFFTOP"
August 2- 6, 2005
Camp Washington-Carver, Clifftop, West Virginia
http://www.wvculture.org/stringband/index.html

• A five day mountaintop gathering of musicians and friends with contests, concerts, workshops, square dances, camping and a hymn-sing. West Virginia masters are presented to an audience of more than 3000 musicians and string band music lovers from around the world. Over the history of this festival, more than 20 foreign countries and 40 of the 50 states have been represented, with many returning year after year to this much-loved festival.
• Clifftop is the most important Old-Time festival of all. Everyone is there. Bring a winter coat.

Bluegrass in the Blueridge Music Festival
Aug 3 - 5, 2006
Luray, Virginia
http://www.bluegrassintheblueridge.com/

• Many well-known bluegrass artists will perform at this three-day family event, co-sponsored by the Luray Shrine Club with proceeds to benefit the Children's Hospital.  Food available. Jammers welcome.  Directions: I-81 exit 264, then Route 211 east to Luray.
  

Great Eastern Blues Festival
Aug 5, 2006, 1:00-11:00 pm
Massanutten Resort, Virginia
http://www.massanuttenevents.com

• Enjoy great blues performers Michael Burks, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Chris Beard, the Deb Callahan Band, and Mikey Jr and The Stone Cold Blues. Food and beverages available. Tickets $18 in advance, $22 day of show, available at Plan 9 Records.  Sponsored by the Massanutten Lions Club. Massanutten Resort, McGaheysville. I-81 exit 247A. 800-207-6277.

71st Annual Old Fiddler's Convention
"GALAX"
August 7 - 12, 2006
Galax, VA
http://www.oldfiddlersconvention.com

• The World's oldest and largest Old Fiddler's Convention.

• Before the second weekend in August each year, lovers of country and mountain music leave their homes in time to be in Galax, VA for the Annual Old Fiddler's Convention.  For some this means hundreds of miles of travel, while for others it will be a short trip from their nearby homes.  Most of these people don't play music, and come just for the listening and renewing old acquaintances.

• However, a few hundred come with their instruments to show their skill, and compete for the cash prizes which total thousands of dollars.  But most of them would come without the prizes being offered.  They want to see and be seen, and hear and be heard.  The instruments vary from mouth harps in pockets to bull fiddles strapped on top of cars.  Many of these musicians have played in most of the conventions since 1935.

• The Annual Old Fiddler's Convention is fast becoming a tradition in country and mountain musical circles, and will do their best to continue bringing to you the tunes which have been handed down from generation to generation in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is the most important professional competition/festival of all.

• (Olivia's note: Because the campground is right at river-level, it is very muddy. Tent camping would not be very comfortable.  You really need an RV or camper for this. Bring boots)

Milwaukee Summer School & Irish Fest
Aug 17 - 20, 2006
http://www.irishfest.com/

• Milwaukee Irish Fest truly is a taste of Ireland featuring music, dance, song, sports, genealogy, poetry, and culture. The Irish Fest Summer School is held each year the week prior to the festival and offers instruction in Celtic music, dance, art, culture and language, some of the classes being taught by Irish Fest entertainers. While the festival lasts only four days each year, the commitment to promote and preserve Irish culture throughout the year has earned Milwaukee Irish Fest national and worldwide acclaim.

Alex Caton's 2nd Annual Mountain Road Fiddle Camp 2006
August 18 -20, 2006
The Brazenhead Inn, West Virginia
(An Irish Pub and log cabin inn)
Toll free # 866-339-6917
http://www.brazenheadinn.com

• A week-end for playing and socializing with fellow fiddle students.

• Classes are all day on Saturday and include Irish, Old Time and Gypsy fiddle, DADGAD guitar, Irish drumming and Irish dancing.  The cost is $125 for four classes and students take care of their accommodations and food (you can book a room or a camp site at the Brazenhead Inn ) We have nightly sessions and a super fun Saturday Night ceili.  Instructors will include Alex Caton, Phil Audibert, Lori Madden and Patrick Madden.
  


• The camp is open to all ages and levels and is very family friendly.  Family members or guests of registered students may also take a class or two at the cost of $30 per class

• To register,  email:
  
 


• Hope to see you there.  If you are interested, please register and book your room sooner than later.  The camp and inn may fill up.

INSTRUCTION:
Fiddle with Alex Caton
    Learn new tunes, improvisation, phrasing, and how to perform Old-time and Irish fiddle music Irish Step and Set Dancing with Lori Madden
    Learn social dances for ceilis as well as Riverdance-type set dancing
Irish Bodhran Drumming with Patrick Madden
    Learn how to accompany Irish fiddle music. Please bring your own drum.
Irish-style DADGAD guitar with Phil Audibert
    Private or small group classes available




Summerfolk 2005
August 18, 19, 20, 2006
Owen Sound, Ontario (near Toronto)
http://www.summerfolk.org/index.html

• "If you have not witnessed the Summerfolk Experience recently, this is who you have missed: Bruce Cockburn, Leahy, Ian Tyson, The Arrogant Worms, Fruit, Dar Williams, Natalie McMaster, John Cowan, Nickel Creek, Bruce Guthro, The Ennis Sisters, Murray McLauchlan, Eddie From Ohio, Tom Russell, Connie Kaldor, Garnet Rogers, Trout Fishing In America, Larry Gowan, Valdy, Tom Paxton, Moxy Fruvous, Guy Davis, Martin Sexton and countless more from the four corners of the earth."

Fries Fiddlers' Convention
3rd weekend in August
Fries Ballpark
Fries, Virginia
(Weekend after Galax)
http://www.graysoncountyva.com/detailsvirginia.asp?BusinessID=4129&BusinessCategoryID=1234

• Two nights of fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, bass, folk song, dance and band competition.
• "Fries is a great little fiddler's convention. Definitely one of our favorites! It's very local with a few visitors from the Asheville and Greensboro/Chapel Hill scenes with occasional foreign visitors left over from Galax. My very favorite part is when they give out the prizes the firemen line up at the side of the stage and each one is holding the ribbons for a different category, they take this very seriously and it is very cute. Anyway the music is great and so is the dancing. The camping used to be free but I think they now charge $10. We wouldn't miss it!! --Nancy" (Yahoo Groups)
  

La Grande Rencontre - Folk & Traditional Dance and Music Festival
Aug 23 - 27, 2006
Lafontaine Park, Montreal, QC
http://www.spdtq.qc.ca/rencontre/rencontre.htm

• des iLes et des reels
• The only festival of its kind to be held in Montreal with a unique and original programming featuring both internationally renowned groups as well as exceptional less known artists from here and abroad. Concerts, dancing to the finest callers, workshops, songs and stories for the entire family.
• Avec artistes de/with artists from : Cap Breton, Shetlands, Terre-Neuve, Salt Spring Island, Montréal et ailleurs/and beyond!
  

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SEPTEMBER 2006

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Massanutten Mountain Bluegrass Festival
September 2, 2006 11 am-7 pm
Massanutten Resort, VA
http://www.massanuttenevents.com

• Enjoy a day of great bluegrass featuring the Steep Canyon Rangers, Jackass Flats, The Kruger Brothers, Grassy Ridge, and Other Artists To Be Announced. Food and beverages available. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 day of show. Massanutten Resort, McGaheysville. I-81 exit 247A. Bring lawn chairs.

Rockbridge Mountain Music and Dance Festival
"ROCKBRIDGE"
Sept 15 - 16, 2006
Glen Maury Park, Buena Vista, VA 540-463-3777
http://www.rockbridgefestival.org

• Part of the Charlottesville Old-Time music community's festival circuit.
• The campground is right by the Maury river and a heavy dew falls at night. Bring boots.
• Food will be available at the main pavilion. Pancake breakfasts!
  
• $9/day for the festival, $9/night for camping. Showers and indoor plumbing, if you want.
  

Nothin' Fancy Music Festival
Sept 21 - 23, 2006
Glen Maury Park
Buena Vista, VA
http://www.nothinfancybluegrass.com/festival06/

• Take in this bluegrass concert with more than 20 local and nationally known bluegrass bands. Buena Vista.
  
• Campground opens Sept 17th at noon.
• Bring lawn chairs.
  

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OCTOBER 2006

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2007

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No information, yet

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