17th Annual New Bedford Summerfest Folk Festival July 6-8

New Bedford, MA. – The 2012 Greater New Bedford Summerfest Folk Festival will feature the best in contemporary, traditional and Celtic folk music from Friday July 6 through Sunday July 8, 2012 in the Whaling National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The Summerfest is an affordable destination for families seeking a fun-filled weekend.
Featured among the nearly fifty musical acts are Peter Yarrow, Patty Larkin, Catie Curtis, Melissa Ferrick, Garnet Rogers, Peter Mulvey, Pete and Maura Kennedy, Dala, Annalivia, Zoë Lewis, Jeremy Kittel and Nathaniel Smith, Cassie and Maggie Macdonald, The Boxcar Lilies and Seth Glier. Situated in the city’s beautiful National Park, the New Bedford Summerfest has gained a reputation as one of the finest folk festivals in the country. The festival also features a high quality crafts show with over ninety juried, handmade crafts for sale at affordable prices. Food will also be available including the justifiably world famous New Bedford scallops. Since Summerfest is a family festival, a children’s activities area will also be featured.
The festival opens on Friday evening, July 6th at 6:30PM with a special evening concert featuring Peter Yarrow, Annalivia and Women in Docs. Peter Yarrow’s talents as a creative artist—both with the legendary trio Peter, Paul & Mary and as a solo performer—are frequently directed at using music to convey a message of humanity and caring. His gift for songwriting has produced some of the most moving songs from Peter, Paul & Mary, including “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” “Day is Done”, “Light One Candle” and “The Great Mandala.” As a member of the renowned musical trio, Yarrow has earned multiple gold and platinum albums, as well as numerous Grammy Awards. Annalivia is at the cutting edge of acoustic and traditional music and fuses old and new world sounds to create an authentic new sound, both steeped in tradition and alive with energy, innovation and originality. Drawing from the musical traditions of Appalachia, Cape Breton, Scotland, England and Ireland, the members of Annalivia also write their own material, including inventive, quirky fiddle tunes and lushly arranged songs. With a reputation for stirring and humorous live performances and a vigorous touring schedule, Women in Docs have built a fiercely loyal following throughout their native Australia, as well as touring internationally to win over audiences in North America, Europe, New Zealand and China. With their refreshing acoustic style of music, Women in Docs, Roz Pappalardo and Chanel Lucas, are a breath of fresh air. They are loved by audiences of all ages and cultural backgrounds, worldwide.
On Saturday, July 7th and Sunday, July 8th, between 11:00 AM and 9:00 PM, the New Bedford Summerfest expands to seven stages in the National Park that range from the twelve hundred seat “Custom House Stage” to the intimacy of a sixty seat “Meet the Performer” area and a “Southcoast Musician Stage” featuring the best of local New Bedford musical talent. An array of well-known and emerging artists will be featured on all seven stages over the weekend.
Contemporary singer-songwriters are well represented at the 2012 Summerfest. These include Patty Larkin, an urban-folk/pop music phenomenon that spun off of the singer/songwriter explosion of the seventies, reinterpreting traditional folk melodies, rock, pop and bossa nova, drawing on anything from Dylan (Bob) to Dylan (Thomas); Melissa Ferrick whose incredible guitar work perfectly complements her soulful vocals as she spins tales of love and hope; Garnet Roger, whose music, like the man himself, is literate, passionate, highly sensitive, and deeply purposeful; Catie Curtis who has recorded ten critically acclaimed solo albums and has had songs featured in numerous TV shows including Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, Grey’s Anatomy and Alias, as well as in films such as 500 Miles to Graceland and A Slipping Down Life and Peter Mulvey who has pursued a restless, eclectic path as a writer and musician – immersing himself in Tin Pan Alley jazz, modern acoustic, poetry, narrative, and Americana stylings.
Each year, one of the highlights of the New Bedford Summerfest is the “Celtic Extravaganza” which is the finale of the festival. This year there is no shortage of great musicians who will perform over the weekend and participate in this eagerly anticipated spectacle. Cassie and Maggie MacDonald, with strong roots in Nova Scotia, have been wowing audiences with their unique blend of original and  traditional Celtic music. Cassie’s fiddle playing has been described as “sweet and elegant with just the right amount of raw power” while Maggie’s piano playing has an “irresistible drive that will leave your foot incapable of staying still” and complements Cassie’s playing perfectly. Jeremy Kittel and Nathaniel Smith bring their Celtic and Jazz music to the festival. Jeremy is currently the violinist for the Grammy-winning Turtle Island String Quartet. He has toured and recorded with such musical giants as Mark O’Connor, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile, and Darol Anger.
He has appeared on the NPR radio show, “A Prarie Home Companion”, has been a guest performer with multiple symphony orchestras, and has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Nathaniel has been the cellist for Natalie MacMaster since 2007, touring extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada. He collaborated with internationally renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma on the Grammy-winning recording, “Songs of Joy and Peace”. Add Annalivia and the popular French-Canadian musician and dancer Benoit Bourque, and you have an all-time great Celtic Extravaganza.
The Summerfest workshops have proven to be popular with audiences. There is nothing dry or academic about a Summerfest workshop. It is a gathering of musicians who seldom, if ever, share the same stage. All perform their music with a focus on a common theme. Each workshop is a show that you’ve never seen before and will not see again. A workshop of special interest this year is called “And I Followed My Footsteps: my musical inspirations” which combines the talents of Garnet Rogers,
Peter Mulvey, Nashville singer-songwriter Jeff Black and Canadian folk star Dave Gunning. Born and bred in Nova Scotia, Dave Gunning’s name is regularly included in conversation with Canadian artists such as David Francey, James Keelaghan, Stan Rogers, Bruce Cockburn and Gordon Lightfoot. Including flavors of Irish, Scottish, French Acadian, folk and country musical styles in his music, Dave Gunning transcends genre with songs that fill your senses and touch your soul. He is the winner of six East Coast Music Awards and two Canadian Folk Music Awards. He was the winner of the Indie International Song Contest and a finalist in the Great American Song Contest, the USA Songwriting Competition, the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the International Songwriting Contest. All of the hardware and certificates aside, however, it is the personal connection that Dave Gunning’s music engenders with his audience that is the greatest testament to his craft.
Another workshop called “What a Wonderful World: an international music session” features French-Canadian musician/ dancer Benoit Bourque from Montreal, Canada, singer Livio Guardi from Florence, Italy, Australian folk/pop duo Women in Docs and guitarist/songwriter Hiroya Tsukamoto. Hiroya Tsukamoto is a composer, guitarist and singer from Kyoto, Japan. He began his musical career playing the five-string banjo when he was thirteen, and took up the guitar shortly after. In 1994, Hiroya entered The Osaka University and in 2000, Hiroya received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music and came to the United States to study and perform. His music combines American folk music with Japanese melodic elements. While at college in Japan, he was introduced to a musical and social movement in South America called Nueva Cancion pioneered by musical legends Victor Jara and Violeta Parra and has incorporated this style into his repertoire. He has released three albums and played such venues as the Blue Note in New York and the Lowell Folk Festival.
The Summerfest musical mix also includes the Americana sounds of The Deadly Gentlemen and The Boxcar Lilies, the French-Canadian band Raz-de-Marée (Tidal Wave), the sweet harmonies of Dala, traditional music masters Molly Andrews and Joel Mabus, the traditional choral sounds of the Sunday morning Sacred Harp Sing, English musicians Ian Robb, Zoë Lewis, John Dipper and John Roberts, the great music of New Bedford talent including festival favorite Art Tebbetts and many more.
The lineup of performers is as follows: Molly Andrews, Annalivia, Claudine Arcand, Jim and Cindy Bean, Amy Black, Jeff Black, Benoit Bourque and Son, The Boxcar Lilies, Andrew Calhoun, Catie Curtis, Dala, Jeff Davis, The Deadly Gentlemen, John Dipper, Seth Glier, Melissa Ferrick, Bob Franke, Livio Guardi, Dave Gunning, Pete and Maura Kennedy, Jeremy Kittel, Patty Larkin, Zoë Lewis, Joel Mabus, Cassie and Maggie MacDonald, Rod MacDonald, Peter Mulvey, Chris Pahud, Raz de Marée, Ian Robb, John Roberts, Garnet Rogers, Hiroya Tsukamoto, Nathaniel Smith, Art Tebbetts, Women in Docs and Peter Yarrow. All performers are subject to change.
The festival opens on Friday, July 6 at 6:30PM with a special Summerfest fundraising concert featuring Peter Yarrow,  Annalivia and Women in Docs. Tickets are $15. Weekend festival hours are Saturday and Sunday, July 7 and 8 from 11:00AM to 9:00PM at $20/day (available on site only); Weekend Pass (Saturday and Sunday only) at $25 advance/ $30 gate.
Concert tickets and weekend passes can be purchased at http://www.newbedfordsummerfest.com/tickets.html
Become a Facebook fan of the New Bedford Summerfest at http://www.facebook.com/SummerfestNewBedford
Sponsors for the Summerfest include, in part, The City of New Bedford, New Bedford Economic Development Council, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, Southcoast Health System and Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts. The New Bedford Summerfest is supported in part by grants from the Cultural Councils of New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett and Marion, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Source URL: http://www.newbedfordsummerfest.com/