The Young Tradition Touring Group, an auditioned trad band of twenty-two young musicians based in Vermont, will perform at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Belfast on Thursday, April 24th, sharing an exciting program of music rooted in Québec, Vermont, Maine, and Scandinavia. Audiences of all ages will be dancing in their seats to energetic jigs and reels, thrilled by mesmerizing fiddle harmonies, and inspired by the full sound of the ensemble from ukulele and guitars to harp, banjo, keyboard, and a chorus of violins. The program is rounded out with several songs, including one by much-missed friend and mentor Pete Sutherland.

These talented teenage musicians and singers are led this year by Maine’s own Elsie Gawler and Ethan Tischler, of the Gawler Family Band and Springtide, who will also be featured in this concert. Musicians, songwriters, and central figures in the Mid-Coast Maine fiddling scene, Willy Clemetson, Elsie Gawler, and Ethan Tischler combine a love of high energy traditional Celtic and Scandinavian fiddle music, heartfelt original tunes and songs, and spacious creative improvisation to produce this unique trio: Springtide. They aim to lift audiences with the music of the landscapes they come from, drawing inspiration from the tidal rhythms and creative energies of the coastal land they’re grateful to call home.

A program of Vermont Folklife, the Touring Group nurtures youth involvement in traditional music, providing opportunities to learn from and be inspired by tradition bearers, to build strong connections with their peers, and to perform engaging repertoire for communities in Vermont and beyond.

Additional Maine concerts on the Touring Group's New England Tour include performances on April 23rd at Trinity Church in Lewiston and on April 25th at One Longfellow Square in Portland before they travel on to Massachusetts and New Hampshire. For concert details or to watch videos and learn more about the group, please visit: www.vtfolklife.org/touring-group.