T h e  V i s i t o r s
the history of the Adirondacks depicted in Song & Story

featuring
Dan Berggren, Peggy Lynn, Joseph Bruchac,
John Kirk, Trish Miller, George Ward, George Wilson,
Toby Stover and Bill Spence

2008 Old Songs Festival
Friday, June 27, 4:00 pm

Songs, music and poetry are woven into a narrative illuminating the past, present and future of life in the Adirondacks. Cast members raised in the Adirondacks share personal stories of their ancestry, with strong harmony singing, participatory choruses and thrilling solo work, which make this concert both unusual and memorable. The folk-theater production in two acts was conceived by Old Songs, Inc. Director Andy Spence.

The Cast:

Dan Berggren has been collecting, writing and singing folk music of the Adirondacks for the past 30 years. He grew up in the Minerva, NY area on land farmed by his mother’s family and worked in the woods on a forest ranger’s crew and a survey crew. Hearing stories and songs from local friends and neighbors, Dan has developed a style which captures the spirit of the mountains.

Peggy Lynn, singer, songwriter, author and arts educator, possesses a sultry, yet powerful, alto voice. In her work and music, Peggy brings to light the important role women have played in shaping the history of the Adirondacks.

Joseph Bruchac, author and storyteller has family roots in the Abenaki peoples and was raised and still lives in the Adirondack foothills. Much of his writing draws on that land and his Abenaki ancestry. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children. As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States.

John Kirk, versatile instrumentalist and singer of Irish descent makes his home with Trish Miller in the foothills of the Adirondacks. Together they work full time as musicians playing music and singing in concerts, festivals, and schools. Both are dance callers. Highlights of their performances include John’s fiddling and Trish’s dynamic clog dancing.

George Ward, a lifelong collector and performer of traditional songs draws on the rural singing tradition of the American Northeast for his main inspiration. Ancient ballads migrant in the New World, songs of the rural home and hearth, songs of the lumber woods, the rivers and canals are central to his repertoire.

George Wilson, talented multi-instrumentalist whose interest in French-Canadian tunes and songs has brought them to the forefront of contra dance music. His family roots are in the area around Dublin, NY where members of his family farmed. George’s fiddling and banjo playing are the best example of traditional music in the Northeast.

Bill Spence, often credited with bringing the hammered dulcimer into popularity in the Northeast in the 70’s, has performed at concerts, festivals and contra dances with Fennig’s All-Stars (George Wilson & Toby Stover) for over 35 years. His first recording, “The Hammered Dulcimer” championed the instrument as a strong melody and ensemble instrument, at a time when hardly anyone had heard of it, and it has sold over 10,000 copies.

Toby Stover, pianist extraordinaire. Toby works with Fennig’s as a dance musician, and the Vanaver Caravan as dancer and musician. A long time veteran of music and theater arts Toby has been a working musician for 30 years. She has arranged the overture for The Visitors featuring piano, fiddle and banjo.

The Producer/Director
Andy Spence, entrepreneur and organizer in the Capital District since 1970, Andy has dedicated herself to keeping folk and traditional music alive as a participatory and entertainment event. Founding member of the Pick’n and Sing’n Gather’n, and Old Songs, Inc. Andy’s producing and directing credits include Woody Guthrie’s California To The New York Island (1969), A Tribute to Songwriter Malvina Reynolds (1972), An Evening At the English Music Hall (1974), The Old Songs Festival of Traditional Music and Dance (since 1981) and The American Conscience: Folk Songs of the 1960’s (2004).

This event is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency.