The annual Charlotte Folk Society Young Talent Showcase approaches! On Friday, April 17th, young performers from the Charlotte area will play during our monthly Gathering at the Great Aunt Stella Center, 926 Elizabeth Avenue, in downtown Charlotte. We hope you'll join us at 7:30 PM and support our young musicians! CFS Gatherings are family-friendly, open to the public, and free. Donations, which support the series in part, are greatly appreciated. Free surface parking is available adjacent to the Stella Center. The arm of the nearby parking deck goes up for the weekend at 8 PM. So, if you pick up a ticket on the way into the deck, you won? have to pay on the way out, as long as you leave after 8 PM.

This year, there will be an exciting lineup of talent - with a variety of both instruments and styles:

Ruth Shumway	Ruth Shumway, age six, is a kindergartner at Charlotte Latin School. She started playing the fiddle when she was three, and bluegrass and old-time music rank among her favorite types of music. Ruth studies with Ellyn Stuart and has performed twice in the youth showcase at MerleFest and competed twice at Fiddler's Grove.	Blue Otis	Blue Otis is the Lemonds Family's bluegrass band - composed of Clint, 13, Vance, 10, Sarah, 9, and their parents, Christi and Gerald. All of the kids study with Jon Singleton - Clint on banjo, Vance on mandolin, and Sarah plays the fiddle. Blue Otis has played in our showcase several years, as well as on the Folk Stage at Festival in the Park.
Sam Richardson	Sam Richardson is ten years old, and has been playing the fiddle for five years. He studies under Jon Singleton, primarily focusing on bluegrass and country music. Sam also plays mandolin and has performed on the Folk Stage at Festival in the Park, as well as in previous youth showcases. When not playing music, he enjoys model trains, mountain biking, and technology. Sam would like to be a radio DJ when he grows up.	Abby Corrigan	Abby Corrigan is a 5th grader at Eastover Elementary. She is 11 years old, and has been taking guitar lessons with Jon Singleton for nine months. She will be accompanied by her father, Mike Corrigan, who plays guitar and mandolin. Abby is an established young actor and has appeared in several productions at The Children's Theatre of Charlotte, several commercials, and a children's video. She also studies dance and voice. We look forward to Abby's first appearance with the Folk Society.
Jacob Nielsen	Jacob Nielsen is 12 years old, and has been playing the guitar for four years. He is in the 6th grade and home schooled, taking lessons with Mr. Art Meehan. Jacob also enjoys playing soccer. This is the second year that Jacob has volunteered to play for our showcase	Maddie Shuler	Maddie Shuler is an 8th grader at South Charlotte Middle School, and has played the guitar since she was five. She takes lessons from John Tosco, writing and performing her own songs. Maddie has performed on the Festival in the Park Folk Stage and at the Tosco Music Party, as well as making her CFS debut during last year's showcase.
Brandon McCandless	Brandon McCandless is 14 years old and studies banjo with Jon Singleton. He has been playing the banjo for three years.	Isabelle Young	Isabelle Young is 14 years old and attends Piedmont Open IB Middle School. She has been playing the fiddle for three years and is trained in old-time, bluegrass, and Celtic fiddle. She has developed a preference for Celtic music. Isabelle is currently taking lessons with Tatiana Karpova. She has attended Fiddle Week at the Swannanoa Gathering for the past two years.
The Whippersnappers	The Whippersnappers are a family band, specializing in bluegrass, gospel, and folk music. Emmy, Casey, and Avery McGuirt are 12, 13, and 15, respectively, and perform with their father, David. Emmy and Casey take bass and mandolin lessons, respectively, from Jon Singleton. Avery, winner of the 2006 Marilyn Meacham Price Youth Scholarship, studies bluegrass fiddle with Glen Alexander. The Whippersnappers have performed on the Festival in the Park Folk Stage, with the Singing Christmas Tree, at Gospel Shout, at the CFS 25th Anniversary Concert, and many other public events. The band currently has a recording project in the making.	Carson Hedberg	Carson Hedberg is 15 years old and a student at Myers Park High School. She has been playing the dulcimer for over seven years and loves the versatility of the instrument and the chance to experiment with different techniques. Carson has played on the CFS Folk Stage at Festival in the Park since she was eight. She performed on dulcimer at the CFS 25th Anniversary Concert. In 2007 Carson was the recipient of the Marilyn Meacham Price Youth Scholarship to the Swannanoa Gathering.
Tyler Mitchell	Tyler Mitchell is a 16-year-old guitarist from Indian Land, South Carolina. He is a sophomore at Indian Land High School. Tyler studies guitar with John Tosco. He plays a wide range of styles, and is a fan of traditional and contemporary folk music. He also plays many instruments in addition to the guitar, including harmonica, mandolin, piano, and trumpet. Tyler joins a weekly jam of "more seasoned" old-time and bluegrass musicians and sometimes fills in on vocals, mandolin, and fiddle with the Osceola Boys (bluegrass band).	Cameron Faryadi	Cameron Faryadi, 16, plays the fiddle, taking both bluegrass lessons with Glen Alexander and classical violin lessons with Morgan Champney. He has a strong appreciation for traditional music, which he expresses through his bluegrass fiddling. Cameron enjoys playing at contra dances and fiddlers conventions, where he has won numerous awards.
Elene Clemens	Elene Clemens, 17, takes fiddle lessons from Jon Singleton. She began playing classical violin when she was in second grade, but now focuses primarily on Celtic (especially Scottish) music. She has attended and enjoyed three sessions of the Swannanoa Gathering. Last summer she attended as the 2008 Marilyn Meacham Price Scholarship recipient. Elene serves as a junior member of the Charlotte Folk Society Board.

Please come out and enjoy these fantastic young musicians playing in our annual showcase! Immediately after the concert, we'll take a refreshment break before the usual song circle and jam sessions get underway and the Charlotte Appalachian Dulcimer Club holds its monthly meeting. This month a special "Youth Jam" will be offered, as well.

Charlotte Folk Society Gatherings are made possible, in part, through a Cultural Project Grant from the Arts & Science Council and the Grassroots Program of the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency.