Common Ground on the Hill Presents
TWO Concerts in TWO Locations:
Westminster & Baltimore!
Breaking Up Christmas!
Walt Michael Holiday Concert
featuring
Walt Michael & Company
with Tom Wetmore, Alexander Mitchell and Ralph Gordon
and special guests Barry Mitterhoff of Hot Tuna
Shelley Ensor - vocalist (Westminster concert only)
8 PM
Friday, December 16th
Brown Memorial Woodbrook Presbyterian Church 6200 North Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21212
and8 PM
Saturday, December 17th
Carroll Arts Center
91 West Main Street
Westminster, MD 21157
General Admission: $19.00
Seniors 65+, students with ID, children and teens: $17
Doors open at 7:30 PM
TICKETS
Breaking Up Christmas!
Half a century ago, people in the mountains of the North Carolina and Southwest Virginia celebrated Christmas quite differently than the way most of us do now, holding two weeks of informal house parties that were filled with old time fiddle music, song and dance - a tradition they called "Breaking Up Christmas." These Christmas parties ran through and ended with Old Christmas, January 6th. Walt Michael & Company will "break up Christmas" with you this evening as they share their wide-ranging repertoire of tunes and songs that reflect the rich musical heritage of the Appalachians. The traditional folk musics of Scotland, Ireland, England and Africa made their way into the remote mountain hollers, later emerging as an integrated American musical genre that continues to evolve. Traditional string band music is passed down from generation to generation., from singer to singer, from musician to musician. In this great oral tradition, songs and tunes are evaluated and winnowed by time. Memorable melodies and lyrics that withstand this test of time take their place among the venerable repertoire. Welcome to an evening of old time music. Let the season begin!
Considered to be a virtuoso of tremendous influence in the revival of the hammered dulcimer, Walt's wide repertoire ranges from old-time Southern Appalachian, to Celtic, to folk, to breath-taking original compositions. His various musical incarnations, including Bottle Hill, Michael, McCreesh & Campbell and Walt Michael & Co. have spanned over 35 years and taken him from the coal camps of Appalachia to the Closing Ceremonies of the 13th Olympic Winter Games in 1980, when 900 million world viewers heard his signature composition, Snowblind. As a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist he has recorded sixteen albums and instructional videos, appeared at the White House, the Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center and toured extensively throughout the US, Canada, Europe and the UK. His music has been heard on ABC-TV, NBC's Tonight Show, Broadway, BBC, TNN, CBC, OLN and PBS. Walt is the Artist in Residence at McDaniel College, as well as Founder and Executive Director of Common Ground on the Hill.
TICKETS
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Ring in the Holidays with these artists in two evening performances!
Barry Mitterhoff Shelley Ensor
Tom Wetmore Alexander Mitchell
Ralph Gordon
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