WORTHAM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
A SWANNANOA SOLSTICE Sunday December 17, 2023 at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Bray Creech & Chad Storck of Joel Adams and Associates Sponsored by James King & Henry Jayne Cleveland LaBrun
Media Sponsors
John & Marsha Richard & Francee Ellis Healy Amy Rick and Janna Ronna & Rob Loether Lutovsky Resnick
MAGAZINE
Bill & Marilyn Hubbard Dianne & David Worley
WORTHAM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
2023/2024 SEASON
a
Swannanoa Solstice Sunday, December 17, 2023 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.
A SWANNANOA SOLSTICE ORIGINS Welcome to A Swannanoa Solstice. We are pleased to bring you, for the 21st consecutive year, this festive annual tradition filled with music, dance, storytelling and seasonal spirit. Thank you for supporting A Swannanoa Solstice with your presence as, together, we celebrate another year of light on winter’s darkest day. Founded in 2003 by former Warren Wilson College President Doug Orr, A Swannanoa Solstice grew from the roots of its predecessor, The Swannanoa Gathering, a weekslong summer music intensive established by Orr in 1992. Drawing upon the programming and instructors of the Gathering, Orr envisioned Solstice as a local version of the English “Christmas Revels,” which celebrate the holiday season through traditional song, dance and theatre. Rather than using English traditions, however, A Swannanoa Solstice set out to showcase the rich culture and history of Western North Carolina — originally focusing on the Appalachian and Celtic roots of the area, but later expanding to better reflect our diverse and growing community. A Swannanoa Solstice debuted on December 14, 2003, and was so well attended in subsequent years that a matinee performance was added in 2007. In addition to Orr, who served as the event’s original emcee, several founding cast members performed with A Swannanoa Solstice for nearly 20 years, including Grammy-winning guitarist Al Petteway (who passed away in September 2023), his wife and musical partner Amy White, and multi-instrumentalist Robin Bullock. Other local artists throughout the years have included David Holt, Sheila Kay Adams, Phil Jamison, Ellie Grace, and Cape Breton stepdancers the Twisty Cuffs. This year, we welcome back husband-and-wife duo Zoe & Cloyd, fiddler Josh Goforth, Highland bagpiper EJ Jones and The Piper Jones Band, and storyteller Becky Stone, who doubles as the emcee. New to the celebration this year is Grammy-nominated Irish multi-instrumentalist John Doyle, joined by Irish musician and songwriter Mick McAuley, and acclaimed Asheville songstress Jane Kramer. The program also includes special performances by the Asheville studio of Carpenter Academy of Irish Dance and the A.C. Reynolds High School Chorale.
Cover photo by Warren Bielenberg via flickr.com/greatsmokymountainsnationalpark.
WORTHAM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
2023/2024 SEASON
PERFORMER BIOS JOHN DOYLE & MICK MCAULEY In 1994 John Doyle brought his brilliant and innovative guitar stylings to the nascent Irish super-group, Solas, which soon took the folk and Celtic music worlds by storm. As part of that critically acclaimed group, he received three NAIRD awards and a Grammy nomination, performed internationally to sold out audiences, and appeared on The Today Show, Mountain Stage, and A Prairie Home Companion. In the years since going out on his own, John has recorded two solo albums, including Wayward Son, which The Irish Edition hailed as “a contender for Album of the Year.” He has become a highly sought-after accompanist and session player for the likes of Joan Baez, Eileen Ivers, Tim O’Brien, Linda Thompson, Seamus Egan, Alison Brown and Kate Rusby; and has developed compelling duo performances: first with fiddler Liz Carroll, and more recently with Solas’ co-founding vocalist Karan Casey. John has appeared in soundtracks for feature films The Brothers McMullan and Soldier, as well as PBS’s Out of Ireland. He composed the music for the film Uncle Robert’s Footsteps and the play Down the Flats. Impossibly in demand in the studio and on the road, immensely talented and blessed with an acute ear, a wicked sense of rhythm and seemingly endless streams of magic in his playing, composing, performing and producing, John is solidly establishing himself as one of the most versatile, creative and prolific voices in folk and traditional Irish music. johndoylemusic.com Mick McAuley is an Irish musician, composer and songwriter who has recorded and toured internationally for many years. Mick grew up in the embrace of a musical family supported and nurtured by a community of older musicians who gave freely of their time, talent and music to ensure the passing of that centuries-old cultural tradition. By his teens, he was also seeking out more contemporary singers and musicians. He played with Ron Kavana (Alias Band), Terry Woods (Sweeneys Men, The Pogues) while in London in the early ‘90s and began to tour at that time with the acclaimed Irish singer Niamh Parsons. Mick found the ideal balance of traditional and contemporary in the instrumentals and songs of the newly-formed Solas while in the bustling Irish music scene of New York in the mid-nineties. Having guested on Karan Casey’s debut album, Songlines, in 1997, he soon found himself in the famous SIGMA studios in Philadelphia recording Solas’ third album, The Words That Remain, with Bela Fleck and Iris Dement as guests. Mick went on to record and tour nine albums with Solas. A multi-instrumentalist, Mick plays accordion, melodeon, concertina, whistles and guitar and has been a guest on many recordings and performances. His debut solo album An Ocean’s Breadth (Shanachie Records) was awarded Best Celtic Album of the year by Washington Post, and now this Spring 2016 sees the long-awaited release of his new solo album HIGHS AND BELLOWS. It is an acoustic selection of traditional and original instrumentals and songs recorded in New Inn at the turn of the year. mickmcauley.com
WORTHAM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
2023/2024 SEASON
JOSH GOFORTH Josh Goforth must have been born musical—he was already playing piano in church at the age of four—but it was an experience he had in the sixth grade that really lit the fuse of his precocious musical career. A performance at Goforth’s middle school by Sheila Kay Adams caused him to start thinking about the musical heritage and stories of his native Madison County, NC. Josh was able to listen to and learn from local masters like Gordon and Arvil Freeman and Jerry Adams. Goforth isa highly accomplished storyteller and acoustic musician, playing close to 20 different instruments. After high school he went to East Tennessee State University to study music education with a Euphonium concentration, and to be a part of ETSU’s famous Bluegrass and Country Music Program. In 2000, he played fiddle for the movie, Songcatcher, both onscreen and on the soundtrack. He has toured extensively with a variety of ensembles, including the ETSU Bluegrass band, David Holt, Laura Boosinger, and with several bluegrass bands like Appalachian Trail, the Josh Goforth Trio, the Steep Canyon Rangers and Open Road. He has performed in all 50 U.S. states, all over Europe, Asia, and Australia. In 2000, 2003, and 2005, he was named Fiddler of the Festival at Fiddler’s Grove and, after winning the third title, was designated “Master Fiddler” and retired from that competition. He has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, the Lincoln Center, as well as Carnegie Hall. In 2009 he was nominated for a Grammy for his album with David Holt entitled Cutting Loose. He is currently on faculty at the Academy for the Arts in Asheville, and performs all over the world. joshgoforth.com
EJ JONES AND THE PIPER JONES BAND EJ Jones is a classically trained piper on the Great Highland Bagpipes, and has spent his life studying the pipe music of Scotland. He is ranked “Professional” by the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association (EUSPBA) and is a member of the Grandfather Mountain Highlanders Pipe Band based in Asheville. Jones is also the Music Director at the annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in Linville, NC each July. Frances Cunningham is an Irish Bouzouki and Tenor Banjo player based in Nashville, TN. She has won the Midwest fleadh on both the bouzouki and banjo and spent 5 years playing weekly on the Grand Ole Opry in the Mike Snider String Band. In addition to touring with EJ she teaches workshops on accompaniment in her unique chord style. The Piper Jones Band celebrates Celtic dance music with piper EJ Jones, bouzouki player Frances Cunningham, and a roster of percussionists. The band’s discography is played regularly on WNCW’s Celtic Winds each Sunday and has been played on NPR’s Thistle and Shamrock as well as the BBC’s Pipeline programs. piperjonesband.com
WORTHAM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
2023/2024 SEASON
JANE KRAMER Lauded by UK music reviewer Three Chords and the Truth as sounding like she was “…born to bohemian poets and raised in the mountains by Emmylou Harris,” Asheville, North Carolina songstress Jane Kramer has garnered international recognition for the heartrending originality of her vocals and for the heavy-hitting lyrical eloquence of her songwriting. With deep roots in the musical traditions, culture and lore of her beloved Appalachia, Kramer’s songs are introspective, gracefully gritty and fiercely memorable with poetic acceptance of our flawed human experience. Her live performances are equally as poignant and engaging; gracefully lifting the veil between audience and performer. Kramer has been touring and recording nationally and internationally for the last fifteen years, playing for sold-out audiences in listening rooms, theaters, festivals, living rooms, prisons and arts councils alike. This has gained her a loyal following from the southeastern, U.S. where she calls home, to Portland, Oregon to Scotland, U.K to Florence, Italy. A former social worker, domestic violence crisis counselor and avid humanitarian, Kramer continues to perform and teach about the songwriting process in prisons, shelters for the unhoused, programs for at-risk youth and hospitals, sharing her message of music as a powerful tool for healing, connection and compassion. Quoted as “…an artist on the rise” by acclaimed American songwriter Mary Gauthier, Kramer has performed with Joan Osborne, Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Sarah Siskind, Gretchen Peters, Malcolm Holcombe, Verlon Thompson, Shawn Mullins and Maria Muldaur. janekramermusic.com
BECKY STONE Becky Stone and her husband moved to Fairview, NC over 40 years ago to start their family. A librarian at Pack Library heard Becky reading to her children and asked if she would volunteer at story hour. She said “yes” — and a storyteller was born! Becky has been telling stories for over 30 years. She loves having young adults recognize her as the storyteller they heard as a kid. Becky has acted, danced, and sung her way through productions with Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre, Southern Appalachian Repertory Theater, Asheville Community Theater and many others. She also performs in Chautauqua festivals, for which she has researched and portrayed Pauli Murray, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Maya Angelou, and Josephine Baker. Becky loves telling stories, but she treasures every opportunity to explore the performing arts. She learns something every time she steps in front of an audience – about the audience, about the art, and about herself.
WORTHAM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
2023/2024 SEASON
ZOE & CLOYD The innovative “klezgrass” music of Zoe & Cloyd springs from the rich traditions and complementary styles of fiddler/vocalist Natalya Zoe Weinstein and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist John Cloyd Miller. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Zoe & Cloyd delight audiences with soaring harmonies and heartfelt songwriting, seamlessly combining original bluegrass, klezmer, old-time and folk with sincerity and zeal. Descending from a lineage of klezmer and jazz musicians, Natalya trained classically in her home state of Massachusetts before moving south in 2004. John, a twelfth generation North Carolinian and grandson of pioneering bluegrass fiddler, Jim Shumate, is a 1st place winner of the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and the Hazel Dickens Songwriting Contest. In 2023, Zoe & Cloyd released their fifth studio album on Organic Records, entitled Songs of Our Grandfathers. The project is an homage to their respective musical roots and has been enthusiastically received with feature articles in Bluegrass Unlimited, No Depression and the Bluegrass Situation. Also in 2023, Zoe & Cloyd performed at premiere events including Bluegrass Omagh in Northern Ireland, the Earl Scruggs Music Festival, and the NC Folk Festival. They are honored to be the artistic directors for A Swannanoa Solstice. zoeandcloyd.com; natalyaweinstein.com
SPECIAL GUESTS CARPENTER ADACEMY OF IRISH DANCE The Carpenter Academy of Irish Dance was founded under the direction of Amanda Carpenter, TCRG. The academy specializes in both performance and competitive Irish dancing, with classes available for dancers ages 4 to young adult. Dancers range from beginner to champion level and compete locally, nationally and internationally. The Asheville, North Carolina location of CAID is in partnership with Asheville Performing Arts Academy. Classes are led by Heather Gallagher, who has been teaching Irish Dance in Asheville since 2000. Heather and the other instructors with the Carpenter Academy believe in fostering a love and appreciation for Irish dance by maintaining the integrity of the sport through fun and athletic training in a creative and nurturing environment. Other CAID locations are in Buford, Georgia, Athens, Georgia, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and Panama City, Florida. theapaa.com/programs/irish-dance
DANCERS Darla Sutrich Isabel Fakhoury Céilí Jordan Taft Lillian Wack Emily McKibben Harriet Regan
WORTHAM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
2023/2024 SEASON
AC REYNOLDS HIGH SCHOOL CHORALE The A.C. Reynolds High School choral program is under the direction of Phillip Haynie, who has been the choral director at ACRHS since 2012. The chorale is a year-round honors class whose members are chosen by audition only. The class focuses on music literacy and music literature at the proficient and advanced levels as identified by the state. This group performs publicly throughout the year, and auditions and participates in All County Chorus, Honors Chorus, and various choral festivals, as well as Large Ensemble Music Performance Adjudication on the state level each spring. acrhs.buncombeschools.org/o/acrhs/page/chorus
AC Reynolds High School Chorale 2023-2024 Soprano 1 Genisis Araujo-Quevedo Victoria Byt-Gysaim Grace Geoffrey Paige Marino, section leader, student director Valerie Rojas-Rivas Alto 1 Seija Ellum Riann Francis Kilie Owenby Sikoya Barnard Elia Yoder Tenor Evan Gosnell Caleb Homan Jesse Padgett, section leader Tyler Pennington Will Wolfe Jackson Wright
Soprano 2 Isora Brennan Sesa Jumat Melanie Orellana-Galdamez Jospehine Reeves Isabella Richard Mackenzie Wise Alto 2 Avery Ward Hannah Galbraith Jasmine Kaur Sarah Piercy, section leader Monique Tyson Kate Wolfe Bass William Ayala Mario Juarez-Brajas Jayden Kadiya Melchisedek Kolomiyets Dylan Moore Kamryn Moree, section leader Jonathon Tumash
Anigiduwagi Land Acknowledgement The Wortham Center acknowledges that we are on the ancestral land of the Anigiduwagi, more commonly known as the Cherokee (ᏣᎳᎩᎠᏰᎵ).
Join Swannanoa and Wortham favorites, EJ Jones, Andrew Finn Magill, and NPR’s Fiona Ritchie for this charity benefit birthday celebration. All proceeds to benefit Asheville Sister Cities Inc.
DUNKELD & BIRNAM SCOTLAND
ROBERT BURNS NIGHT SUPPER 5:30 - 9:15 pm Thursday, January 25, 2024 Biltmore DoubleTree Hotel, Asheville, NC
Scotland Co-Host NPR’s Fiona Ritchie
Fiddler Andrew Finn Magill
Photo: Jay Ford
Photo: Anna Colliton Visuals
Photo: Roy Summers - Scottish Field
Three course dinner, charity auction, live Celtic music, poetry & song seminar, optional guided Scotch whisky tasting
Piper EJ Jones
Tickets: First-Time Guests $100 Whisky Tasting $50 ashevillesistercities.org/wortham