BRATTLEBORO-The Brattleboro Music Center (BMC) presents its 24th annual New Year’s Eve concerts Wednesday, Dec. 31.
A tradition for over 25 years, the Amidon-Bode-Murphy-Tracy families continue to bring their family-friendly songs along with traditional tunes to a musical celebration to close out the year. The BMC welcomes Emily Miller, of the Sweetback Sisters, joining this year’s cast as a special guest.
Performances are set for 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and will feature performers Keith Murphy, Becky Tracy, Zara Bode, and Stefan Amidon.
Murphy will play guitar, mandolin, piano, and foot percussion; and fiddler Becky Tracy will play arrangements of dance tunes and traditional songs. These musicians have performed in dance and concert halls around the country. Both have played roles as tradition-keepers and innovators in their teaching, playing, and arranging.
Murphy and Tracy are founders and teachers of the Traditional Music program at the BMC, and Murphy is director of the Northern Roots Festival.
While the dynamic pair of Bode and Amidon is not known as a “duo” per se, they are the faces behind the band The Sweetback Sisters and Zara Bode’s Little Big Band. Amidon is a master percussionist, multi-instrumentalist, and bass singer. Bode is a vocalist of songs old and new. Both artists often perform eccentric musical selections.
Rounding out the program is Miller, a West Virginia–based singer, fiddle player, and artistic director of the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia. Growing up immersed in old-time and country music, she has devoted her career to preserving, sharing, and teaching that music. She also tours and records with groups including The Sweetback Sisters, The Starry Mountain Singers, and with her husband, Jesse Milnes. She has performed on national radio programs such as Mountain Stage and A Prairie Home Companion, as well as in concert halls and festival stages across the country.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for ages 6–14, and free for children 5 and under. They are available online at bmcvt.org, by calling the BMC at 802-257-4523, or emailing info@bmcvt.org.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.