The Edwards Arts Council

The Edwards Opera House is located in the Edwards Town Hall at 161 Main Street, Edwards, New York. For general information, call 315-562-8213, e-mail info, or write: Edwards Arts Council, PO Box 241, Edwards NY 13635. Performing groups interested in participating in the upcoming season are encouraged to contact us. Donations for use and restoration of the Opera House are tax deductible.

Two acts have now been confirmed for the '09 season. Keep checking in. As events are finalized, the information on them will be posted.

Eliza Gilkyson appeared here on November 11, 2006. She liked the Edwards Opera House so much, she made it the cover of her newest CD, "Your Town Tonight." You can see it on her label's web site, http://www.redhouserecords.com/205.html. Our web address will be listed on the album as well as a photo credit.

Saturday July 11 7:00 PM	George Dodds and Friends ... The Tree Eaters Edwards native George and his very talented friends are known for their lively mix of country, western swing, bluegrass, and gospel music. George has been known to write a song or two of his own as well. Featuring: George Dodds, Carter Houk, Ron Kirkpatrick, Jay Seymour, Mike Welch, Floyd Sherman and Josh Kirkpatrick. Tickets are $8.00 at the door.
Saturday August 15 7:00 PM	The Andrew & Noah VanNorstrand Band Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand have been bringing their brand of high-energy alternative folk music to concert halls, festival stages and dance floors across North America for several years. Both boys are prolific composers and multi-instrumentalists; playing nearly twenty different string and percussion instruments between the two of them! Their music if a finely crafted blend of genres including Celtic, Appalachian, Swing, Old-time Country and Bluegrass with equal emphasis on both daring improvisation and intricate arrangements. In addition to their well-known instrumental chops they have recently added a whole new dimension to their repertoire with their skillful songwriting and tight harmony vocals. They often appear as a duo but they have also toured extensively as The Great Bear Trio with their mother Kim on piano and occasionally perform with Jay Ungar & Molly Mason as well as the psychedelic contra-rock group Giant Robot Dance. Now they are expanding their sound with a new band of their own. The Andrew & Noah VanNorstrand Band finds it's niche somewhere between Nickel Creek, Iron & Wine, The Tin Hat Trio and Lunasa. Joining them are Rachel Bell on accordion, Kevin Dorsey on bass and special guest Kailyn Wright singing harmony vocals. NCPR will be our media sponsor for this show ... Tickets are $8.00 at the door. Tickets for children age 12 and under are 1/2 price. Visit Andrew and Noah's web page: www.myspace.com/andrewandnoah
Saturday September 5 7:00 PM	End of Summer Blast Northbound and Delia with Gwen Tracy. Two bands, two drumsets, one super fun evening. Details coming soon.
Friday & Saturday September 11 & 12 7:00 PM	Melodrama Weekend Come cheer for the hero, boo and hiss at the villain and sigh for our heroine. This audience participation evening of comedy is suitable for the entire family. Note the date change ... more information coming soon. Curtain time is 7:00 p.m.
Saturday October 3 7:00 PM	Jay Ungar and Molly Mason and The Family Band What is it they say about the family that plays together? Well, even if they don't all live under the same roof, this family makes terrific music and has a rip-roarin' good time while they're at it. The Jay Ungar & Molly Mason Family Band features Jay, Molly, Jay's daughter Ruth Ungar Merenda, and her husband Michael Merenda. The band travel's with Ruthy and Mike's son Will, born January 28, 2008. He's not playing an instrument yet but is sometimes heard none the less. With exceptional musicianship and a vast knowledge of a number of music styles, Jay Ungar & Molly Mason are one of the most celebrated duos in American acoustic music. They achieved international acclaim in 1990 when their performance of Jay's composition Ashokan Farewell became the musical hallmark of Ken Burns' The Civil War on PBS. You may know Ruth and Mike Merenda from their band, The Mammals. Ruth Merenda cut her teeth on traditional music, and grew up to be a top-flight performer. She brings fiddle, ukulele, guitar and deeply moving vocal performances to the Family Band. Mike Merenda favored rock and ska before being drawn into the world of acoustic music. He adds old-time banjo, guitar and percussion to the mix. Four terrific musicians. Put them together and the sum really is greater than its parts. Double fiddles, sweet vocal harmonies and rhythmic energy abound as two generations collaborate to entertain you with music from the heart and soul of America. NCPR will be our media sponsor for this show ... Tickets are $20.00 in advance, $22.00 at the door. For more about the Merendas visit www.mikeandruthy.com. For more information about jay and Molly visit www.jayandmolly.com. Advance tickets will go on sale by mail in January 2009. Send a Check or Money Order to: The Edwards Arts Council, Inc. P.O. Box 241 Edwards, NY 13635. SASE Appreciated. About 4 weeks before the event, advance tickets will also be available at our usual locations.
Saturday November 14 7:00 PM	Amy Gallatin and Stillwaters "Three short phrases: Clear true singing, clean sweet playing, great song choices...what more could we ask?" ~Susan Forbes Hansen: host/producer NPR's "Valley Folk" - WFCR, Amherst, MA Gallatin and Stillwaters presents a mix of country, bluegrass, western swing and folk. Amy on guitar and vocals, Roger Williams on resophonic guitar (dobro) and vocals, John Urbanik on acoustic bass and vocals, and D.J. Williams on Mandolin. Born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Amy lived in several states before settling in the West, where she was raised. During her ten years in Idaho and Montana, she had had the good fortune of being able to work at two of her loves in life: horses and music; Amy helped to organize the horseback riding programs and was the featured entertainer at various guest ranches. Her performing background had been as a solo artist out West prior to her meeting some Connecticut musicians while wintering in New England in 1992. With that Connecticut connection came the opportunity to tour as a working unit, so Amy packed her guitar and moved east in the fall of 1993 to pursue her music. Four albums later (including a live album and a project recorded in Nashville with ace producer Rich Adler), Amy Gallatin and her band Stillwaters have taken the stage at some of the most prestigious venues in the U.S., Mexico, and Europe. They were invited in 1996, '98, and 2003 to tour several European countries. Their most recent performances in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark drew extremely enthusiastic crowds at house concerts, music clubs, theaters, country & bluegrass festivals, and National Radio, as well as representing the United States as the featured performers at the European World of Bluegrass convention in The Netherlands. Amy is at home singing various musical styles -- country, folk, bluegrass or western swing--branding each song with soulful sincerity. Her influences are diverse, ranging from old and contemporary cowboy tunes learned out West, to great country artists like Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, and the Everly Brothers, with even a dash of blues influence thrown in--Koko Taylor, Katie Wilson, BB King, and Shemekiah Copeland. Roger Williams started playing the resophonic, Dobro style guitar in 1963, when he was just a young teenager. Within the first year, he had already debuted with The Lilly Bros. and Don Stover at the Hillbilly Ranch in Boston, Mass. where they had performed for nearly two decades. Since then he has gone on to perform and/or record with many well respected Bluegrass and folk acts on the national and international circuit, including Don Stover,White Mountain Bluegrass, Hazel Dickens, Joe Val, Bill Harrell, Wyatt Rice, Delia Bell & Bill Grant, Southern Rail, Ray Legere, Mark Schatz, Mac Wiseman, The New England Bluegrass Band, Salamander Crossing, Amy Gallatin and Stillwaters, Slavek Hanzlik, Mark Erelli, Hiro Arita and others. Career highlights include nine overseas tours with various artists, including a performance at the prestigious Dobro Festival in Slovakia, and teaching workshops during Bluegrass Week at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, WV. Roger has recorded three solo projects: 'Fireball', 'Rt. 2 To Amherst', and 'River Of No Return', a collaboration with long-time friend and musical associate Ray Legere. Most recently, Roger has been involved in CMH label's 'Pickin' On' series, where different musical genres are interpreted in the bluegrass vein. About Roger, Bluegrass Unlimited magazine has said: "Williams, like all great acoustic slide players, can be mellow and lingering or crisp and jaunty. He's also a very fine singer (with) more than a little of Merle Haggard in voice and emotion." "Roger Williams is one bad-ass Dobro player." - Jim Chapdelaine; Engineer, Composer, Producer, Guitarist John Urbanik, a seasoned acoustic bassist from Salem, CT, blends his husky baritone in harmony with Amy's soprano and Roger's tenor, making for some great country and "brother-style" duets. John's musical experience and tastes span a wide range of genres and instruments, beginning with guitar at age 8, jamming to old time bluegrass with family members, then as a drummer at age 14 with the rock-and-roll group Davy and the Dolphins. He played percussion in a jazz group, the Jimmy D Trio, while he was in the Air Force, a country band in the 80's, and then bluegrass bass in the Eight Mile River Band with local legend (and cousin) Dave Liska in the late 80's and 90's. John has fond memories of his Air Force days of playing clubs six nights/week until 3 am, going to breakfast and then straight to work! For many years John, with his brother Don, owned and operated Cardinal Sound, providing professional sound reinforcement for music festivals and concerts. He is an invaluable and experienced resource for those engagements for which Stillwaters provides sound. Stillwaters also features J.D. Williams on mandolin ( more information coming soon) "Sometimes it's easy to overlook talent right under your nose. Take Amy Gallatin, the transplanted Westerner who brings a truth and a yearning to her voice that translates into real country traditionalism." ~Roger Catlin, Hartford Courant "In times of expensive light shows and over-produced videos...Amy has tried to recapture the roots, to return to the simple yet endearing sounds of traditional country music." ~Hartford Courant "To only listen to a recording of Amy is not enough; in person she radiates a friendliness that sets her apart from most other performers and enables her to really connect with her audiences." ~the late Bill Domler: CT folk venue entrepreneur, concert promoter - W. Hartford, CT "Amy's voice is a cross between Emmylou Harris & Nanci Griffith: her songs are filled with images of tender emotions and the rugged West." ~Ed McKeon: host "Folkrama" on WWUH Radio, film documentary director/producer, music reviewer Amy is on-line at www.amygallatin.com. Tickets are $12.00 at the door.

We have several ticket locations to purchase tickets locally: Wood Family Grocery in Edwards; The Oswegatchie Coffee Company in Gouverneur; in Canton at The Brewer Bookstore and The Pear Tree; in Potsdam at Strawberry Fields Music and Northern Music and Video.

Advance tickets are also available by mail. Send a check or money order to: The Edwards Arts Council, Inc. P.O. Box 241 Edwards, NY 13635. Please include a SASE.

The 2009 order form will be posted as soon as the schedule is finalized. You must have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to access the order form. If you need to download Acrobat Reader, click on the Adobe logo at the right. If you are unable to download this form, you may simply write to the Edwards Arts Council at the above address. Directions to Edwards are available on this website. Additional information is available by calling (315) 562-8213 or by e-mail at info@edwardsartscouncil.org. For questions or comments on the technical side of this website, please contact the webmaster.