Thank you to everyone who attended the benefit concert. Your generosity provided us much more than our financial goal.  What a special evening of community bringing us together in multiple musical heritages! Let's do it again in 2026!

ARTISTS PERFORMING INCLUDE:

William Lee Ellis (Bill)

Acclaimed roots music artist William Lee Ellis is a fingerpicking guitarist and songwriter who has been hailed a “wizard on steel strings” (Blues Revue) and "one of our finest contemporary songwriters"; (Living Blues). His latest album, the Yellow Dog release Ghost Hymns, was a Blues Music Awards nominee for Acoustic Blues Album of the Year and proclaimed one of 2023’s best records by DownBeat, Blues Music magazine, and others.  William holds a PhD in ethnomusicology, has played Mountain Stage, MerleFest, and the Kennedy Center among many venues.  He is Professor of Music at Saint Michael’s College.

Sara Grey with Mark Greenberg and Dave McLurg.

Sara Grey spent 40 years living in Scotland and collecting music of the British Isles. Since returning to the US, Sara has immersed herself in studying the immigration of the music of the British Isles across this country; especially focused on how the songs have changed through the oral traditions of the Appalachians, Southern and Western US.  Sara is a skilled banjo instrumentalist and internationally renowned instructor. Sara has performed at festivals and in concerts internationally engaging her audiences with her clear and lovely voice and lyrical style of banjo playing.

Sara will be accompanied by Mark Greenberg, who was a founder of the Philadelphia Folk Workshop and has performed at major bluegrass and folk festivals and at Lincoln Center, in New York City. He has been a member of the Lake Country String Band, Coco & the Lonesome Road Band, Bob Yellin & the Joint Chiefs of Bluegrass, and Dave Van Ronk's Paleolithica Pro-Moosica Jug Band.

Dave McLurg will join Sara and Mark for a song or two from his native Ireland.  He is currently teaching  at the Summit School of Music in Montpelier.

Rik Palieri 

Rik Palieri is known for his extremely varied musical styles and the instruments he plays from the Polish bagpipes to Native American Flute to his beloved banjo and guitar. Rik performs even more musical styles than the instruments he can play. With musical influences as diverse as Pete Seeger, Utah Phillips and his Polish bagpiping mentor, his songs evoke his ancestral Eastern European roots, his time spent touring with Cowboys in the Southwestern US to calls for peace and brotherhood. Rik has toured extensively yet found time to produce programs like “The Songwriter’s Notebook”.

Sarah Blair, Hilari Farrington and Benedict Koehler 

Hilari and Benedict are masters of Irish traditional music and founders of the Vermont School of Irish Traditional Music.  This internationally known musical couple has helped to create a dynamic Vermont Irish music scene where tunes are played in the older traditional styles. Hilari plays the Irish Harp, concertina and many other instruments. Benedict will be playing the ullien pipes. Sarah rounds out the trio with her masterful fiddle playing. 

Plus at least one very Special Guest to be announced at the concert will introduce unusual instruments and enticing music.      

Contact: info@casanvermont.org