Morris Bluegrass Festival returns to Connecticut July 4th
Great news for bluegrass lovers in western Connecticut!
The Morris Bluegrass Festival, on hiatus this past three decades, is being brought back for 2024. It will be held on July 4 from 12:00-7:00 p.m. at South Farms, a working cattle farm where a large barn has been repurposed as a wedding and event venue.
In its previous iteration, the festival had been held in the Morris Town Center, but the reorganizers felt that South Farms was more suitable for its larger size which can accommodate more people, and being optimized for such use.
Among those organizers are the members of Wires and Wood, a bluegrass band based right there in Litchfield, CT, who have been integral to the relaunch of the festival. Two of the band’s co-founders, banjo player Matt Lauretano and guitarist Brian White, are Morris natives, and have long heard stories about the festival.
Morris, CT is located roughly halfway between Boston and New York City, and close to New Haven and Hartford. Any New Englanders looking for something fun for the 4th of July should give the Morris Bluegrass Festival a look.
Tickets are available online.
Thanks to Bluegrass today for the article: For full coverage, click here
Bluegrass Interactive and Educational Presentation June 13
Come Learn about Bluegrass music, sing some vocal harmony, and learn the basics of jamming in this Bluegrass music deep dive. Bring your Guitar, dobro, bass, Banjo, Fiddle, and Mandolin for this fun interactive FREE Community Event. Norwalk Public Library
48th Annual Roxbury Pickin’ n Fiddlin’ Contest
Saturday July 13th at 2:00 PM – Fiddle contest with many categories and prizes:
-Old Time Fiddle
-Old Time Banjo
-Mandolin
-Trick and Fancy Fiddle
-Flat Pick and Finger Pick Guitar
-Bluegrass Banjo
-Band competition jr. and sr. prizes
Podunk Bluegrass Festival August 8-11
Have you bought your tickets yet to Connecticut’s #1 bluegrass event?
Bluegrass Jam with Austin Scelzo June 12 7PM
The Granite Church 5 N. Main Street, Redding, CT, United States
Join Austin Scelzo at The Granite for a community all-acoustic jam session. Austin Scelzo hosts a jam designed for musicians who play stringed instruments – i.e. banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, dobro, and bass – and who have an interest in playing traditional and recent American fiddle tunes, old-time Appalachian repertoire, bluegrass, and bygone country standards. Participants and listeners are welcome! BYOB! June 12, 7PM
On the Trail at MOSAICS concert series East Hartford June 15
On the Trail is a modern acoustic band that explores everything from bluegrass to contemporary pop, from stunning instrumentals to beautiful traditional songs.
Jun 15, 2024, 7:00 PM
South Congregational Church, 1301 Forbes St, East Hartford, CT 06118, USA
Summer music programs for kids
Again this year, Podunk is offering an instructional & performance program for young bluegrass musicians aged 7-17. Individual and group instruction will be provided.
It is FREE for festival attendees, and includes two days of rehearsals and a performance on the Main Stage, Sunday.
Each participant will receive a free t-shirt to wear for the performance on Sunday.
Kids 14 and under are admitted free to Podunk. Kids 15 and up need a ticket to attend the festival. The Kids Academy does not give family members free admission to the festival.
Children seven to seventeen are invited to participate, regardless of their ability to play an instrument or sing. Requirements: must be able to attend all rehearsals and the performance on Sunday; and Must supply his or her own instrument (guitar, mandolin, fiddle, banjo, or bass).
Check out pictures from the program!
See what parents had to say about our program!
Our Instructors
This year’s program will be provided by members of the Rhode Island Bluegrass Alliance (RIBA) Click here for instructor bios
Bluegrass Music Classes for Kids at Grey Fox
Since 1999, the Grey Fox Bluegrass Academy for Kids (BGA) has been teaching kids to play, sing and perform bluegrass music on site during the festival. The free, four-day, camp-like program consists of instrumental instruction; ensemble and harmony vocal practice; and guest appearances by musicians performing at Grey Fox. The grand finale of the program is the ‘Big Gig’ Sunday afternoon on the High Meadow Stage. Approximately 100 kids participate each year. They have fun, learn new skills, improve their playing and singing ability, grow in confidence and make friendships can last a lifetime.
Check out the Bluegrass Academy for Kids 2020 and 2022 videos. 2020 video was a special performance for the virtual Spirit of Grey Fox, created by Mark Panfil.
You will find MUSIC for the 2024 Bluegrass Academy for Kids on Mark Panfil’s website. Please visit his website where you’ll find current songs and bio information about our BGA Director.
Note: BGA 2024 will be limited to 10 students per class (4 fiddle classes, 3 guitar classes, 1 banjo class, 1 mandolin class, 1 acoustic bass class, 1 dobro class, and 1 cello class) plus a Seniors Group for more advanced teens age 13-17.
BGA Seniors Program
Advance Music Program for ages 13-17
If your young musician has had a great time in the Grey Fox Academy for Kids for at least one previous year and has advanced on their instrument to the point where they learn new solos without any ≠written notation, perhaps they are ready for a more challenging program. You may want to ask for them to be considered for this more advanced program. These musicians will also be asked to sing and harmonize with others and work more as a band. There are a limited number of spaces in this program and since this group will function as a bluegrass band, a balanced band ie. a banjo, a mandolin, a guitar, a bass, fiddles and perhaps a cello and dobro will be part of the selection process. If interested, please sign your musician up for the “Seniors Group”. You will be notified by June 1st if they are selected. All musicians not selected for Seniors will automatically be placed in the appropriate Grey Fox Academy for Kids group and will not lose out on being in the program.
BGA Seniors will be taught by Chris Panfil and Ben Proctor.
Read more about the Grey Fox Kids Academy here
For a full list of kids activities in the Northeast – click here
New Music Venue Featuring Traditional and Acoustic Music
There is a new music venue on Main St. in Middletown, CT called “Music on Main” which is part of Trinity Stage, a performance venue located at Church of Holy Trinity. They opened in March and offered an abbreviated spring season with 3 shows. In May, they featured Bruce Molsky, grammy nominated traditional multi instrumentalist https://www.brucemolsky.com/bio. They will take the summer off and open with Amy Gallatin and The Hot Flashes in September.
See the full list of Bluegrass and Acoustic friendly venues in CT Here
4TH THURSDAY BLUEGRASS JAM – New Haven
“Join us for our monthly 4th Thursday jam at Next Door Pizza in New Haven, hosted by Five ‘n Change.”
- Thursday, May 23, 2024
- 6:30 PM 9:00 PM
- Next Door Pizza175 Humphrey StreetNew Haven, CT, 06511United States (map)
Bluegrass Jam Class at Grey Fox July 15-17, 2024 in Oak Hill, NY
Enroll now in the Wernick Method Bluegrass Jam Camp prior to Grey Fox at the Oak Hill Fire House, across from the festival entrance. Led by banjo player and music educator, Scott Hopkins, you’ll be picking the first morning, ready to jam all weekend, and well on your way to playing bluegrass for a lifetime. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ll learn. Jump in! There’s no time like the present! Find out more! Check out the camp page and flyer.
Pete Wernick’s Bluegrass Jam Camp Aug 25-30
All Bluegrass Skills Taught
9am-12:30pm: Daily classes for banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, dobro, bass…AND… Coached small jam groups, intermediate/advanced.
1:50-5pm: coaching on harmony singing (one coach per trio), classes on songwriting, basic music theory, practice “boot camp”, playing under pressure, stagecraft, and more!
Activities every evening: fiddle tune jam, open mics, karaoke, history, jamming, beautiful sunsets!
Organized Bands: $65 Discount for Each Band Member
For band members registering together, to work together as a band throughout the week: $65 off each member’s tuition. Bands will have opportunities to perform and get performance coaching including working with a sound system on stage (band lab), band cohesion, rehearsal guidance, band decision-making, “how to make a band work”.
Band members must first contact Pete as a group, for approval of the group members’ band discount.
Bluegrass Camp at the Ashokan Center 2024
IBMA Mentor of the Year, Kimber Ludiker hosts this fun and friendly week of bluegrass instruction and jamming for fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar, bass, harmony singing, songwriting, and new this year… dobro!
Learn from inspirational teachers hand-picked to cultivate a magical learning experience.
There’ll be classes, concerts, mini-lessons, band scrambles, open mics and more.
All levels and backgrounds are welcome!
This year’s Fabulous Staff has been announced: Michael Daves (guitar), Joe Newberry (guitar), Vickie Vaughn (bass), Mike Compton (mandolin), Celia Woodsmith (vocals, songwriting), BB Bowness (banjo), Austin Scelzo (fiddle), Alex Sens (dobro, beginner lab), and your host Kimber Ludiker (fiddle.)
FOR INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED PLAYERS: Get personalized feedback, improve your instrumental skills, and jam with players of a similar ability.
FOR BEGINNERS: The schedule will include one instrument class per day at a beginner level, plus plenty of time to practice what you learned and opportunities to jam at extra slow tempos with other beginners. “The teachers one-on-one were AMAZING. The supportive, encouraging and inclusive vibe was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. The encouragement to try a new instrument surprised and delighted me.” “Loved the facilities, the physical location and place, even the food was great! Loved all of the people (so rare! every single person was amazing!)” “Plenty of time to jam. Great food. Great vibe. Positive energy.” “A staff like this makes any place a success!”
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