We invite you to join us for the next CFS Gathering on Friday, February 11th, when we celebrate young performers carrying forward our musical traditions. This year's edition of the annual Young Talent Showcase gets underway at 7:30 PM in the Great Aunt Stella Center, 926 Elizabeth Avenue, in the edge of downtown Charlotte. Front doors open at 7 PM. Accessible entry is available through the ground-floor door on the right side of the building.

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. Visitors may also park in a nearby deck after 7 PM. Parking there is free for those exiting after 8 PM.

Refreshments will be served in the Cafe downstairs after the concert. A song circle, slow and fast jams, and the Charlotte Appalachian Dulcimer Club meeting will follow. The Dulcimer Club makes available loaner instruments to visitors interested in "taking a test drive." Both listeners and participants are welcome to all these activities.

Emcees for the Showcase concert will be two past recipients of the CFS Marilyn Meacham Price Youth Scholarship to the Swannanoa Gathering, CFS Board member Elene Clemens and CFS Junior Board member, Avery McGuirt.

Isabelle Young, last year's Marilyn Meacham Price Youth Scholarship recipient, will be the evening's featured musician. She has performed many times on CFS stages -- both in Youth Showcases and at Festival in the Park. Isabelle is a sixteen-year-old Celtic fiddler who attends Union County Early College. She hopes to attend Appalachian State University to pursue a career in music education. Isabelle performs with both the Union Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Vivace string ensemble. She is now teaching beginner violin lessons and performing in many venues. Isabelle shares, "Music is a passion of mine and I plan on spreading that passion to others." Sam Gibbons, also a member of the Union Symphony Youth Orchestra and Vivace Strings, will accompany Isabelle on cello. Isabelle is the daughter of Ellie and Rick Young.
James Barkley is a returning Showcase performer. He is ten years old and in the fourth grade at Park Road Montessori Elementary School. James has been taking fiddle lessons from Jon Singleton for the past two-and-one-half years. He enjoys playing football and is currently on a rock climbing team. His favorite hobbies are reading, skiing, horseback riding, building with Legos, and launching his new rocket with his father. His parents are Andrea and John Barkley.
The duo of Jake Bartholomew and Marie Larson Hasty will make their debut appearance on the Folk Society stage. Both are fifteen years old and attend Myers Park High School. Jake, the son of Doug and Therese Bartholomew, studies guitar with John Tosco. He primarily plays guitar, but has lately been interested in piano, ukulele, and banjo. Jake is a fan of modern folk, as exemplified by The Avett Brothers. He has recently been studying classical music and music theory and learning to read music. Marie also loves modern folk and The Avett Brothers, but is really inspired by Sara Bareilles. She has lately become interested in playing guitar and ukulele. Marie takes vocal lessons with Melinda Whittington. Mark Larson and Cathy Hasty are Marie's parents.
Annika Bowers is twelve years old and in the seventh grade at Providence Day School. She has been taking music lessons for about three-and-one-half years. Annika takes part in the CFS Celtic Sessions and the Chamber Music program at Queens University. As well, she is a member of the Charlotte Symphony Junior Youth Orchestra. Her violin teachers are Professor David Russell at UNCC a nd Ms. Violet Pan. Her fiddle teacher is Jamie Laval. In addition to violin and fiddling, Annika plays the Appalachian mountain dulcimer, recorder, piano, and viola. She hopes to one day to play the French Horn. Last summer she was the recipient of a Swannanoa Gathering Youth Merit Scholarship and attended Fiddle Week. Annika's parents are Beau and Cheryl Drake Bowers.
Nora Duncan is aged twelve and is a sixth grader at Trinity Episcopal School in Charlotte. She is making her first appearance on a CFS stage. She took violin lessons in the Suzuki Method for six years. Last fall, she began to learn Irish and Scottish fiddle tunes with Jon Singleton. Nora also plays trumpet in her school's band and she enjoys "noodling" on piano and guitar. Nora is the daughter of Thom and Nancy Duncan.
Davy Fee is thirteen years old and an eighth grader at Northeast Middle School. He plays guitar and also enjoys playing upright bass in his orchestra class and around the Folk Society. Davy learned to play guitar from his father. He enjoys playing Gypsy jazz and will be performing in this genre for the Showcase. Davy will by accompanied by Henry Trexler on upright bass and David Fee on rhythm guitar. Davy says, "I can't wait to share this lesser known style of music with the Folk Society!" We can't wait to hear him! Davy's parents are David and Tracy Fee.
This year's showcase marks the fifth year for The Lemonds Family bluegrass band. They have also has performed on our Festival in the Park stage several times as Blue Otis. Clint, age fifteen, is an award-winning banjo player who has been playing since 2005. Bill Rippey is his teacher. He also sings lead and backup vocals. Clint is a sophomore at Myers Park High School, where he's very active in Army ROTC. Vance is eleven years old and in seventh grade at Alexander Graham Middle School. He loves to travel and compete with his mandolin. His favorite bluegrass musicians are Del McCoury and Doyle Lawson. Vance also studies with Bill Rippey. Sarah is eleven and a sixth grader at Alexander Graham Middle School. Early on, she studied violin in the Suzuki Method, but now takes fiddle lessons from Glen Alexander. Her favorite musicians are Cherryholmes and The Grascals. Parents Christi and Gerald round out the band on guitar and upright bass, respectively.
The McGuirt Family has performed as The Whippersnappers in venues ranging from Gospel Shout to the Tosco Music Party; from the Singing Christmas Tree to the Flat Rock Festival. The band made its farewell appearance at our June Gathering last year, so we're delighted to have them taking part in this Showcase. Emmy will be fourteen in March and this is her last year at Davidson IB Middle School. At Davidson, she plays flute in the school band and is a member of National Junior Honor Society. She also plays the violin and, of course, her upright bass. Next year Emmy will join her brother and sister at Mallard Creek High School. Casey turned fifteen in December and got her driver's permit. She recently auditioned for the North Carolina Western Regional Orchestra and was selected to perform in the Repertory Orchestra. Casey studies classical violin with Nora Smilovici. She plays in Mallard Creek High School's orchestra and Charlotte Symphony's Junior Youth Orchestra. She also plays flute and mandolin. Avery is seventeen, a high school junior, and the 2006 Marilyn Meacham Price Youth Scholarship winner. He plays in Mallard Creek's orchestra and Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra. He also auditioned for Western Regional Orchestra and was selected to perform with the Honors Orchestra. The girls are hoping to participate a gain this summer in Fiddle/Traditional Song Week at Swannanoa Gathering on the campus of Warren Wilson College. Through a scholarship he competed to win, this summer Avery will study violin at North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston Salem. David McGuirt, father of the clan, will join Emmy, Casey, and Avery on guitar and vocals, as they perform a tribute to the late Charlie Louvin. Mother, Patty McGuirt, will, as always, provide support to the family band.
Tyler Mitchell, seventeen, has performed at several CFS showcases and at Festival in the Park. He is a senior at Indian Land High School in Lancaster County, South Carolina. The recipient of the 2009 Marilyn Meacham Price Youth Scholarship, he has so far mastered eleven instruments. He studied guitar and music theory under Dr. L. H. Dickert at Winthrop University for two summers running as the recipient of a ST-ARTS scholarship from the State of South Carolina. Tyler writes and conducts music for his high school marching band and is a founding member of his school's jazz quartet. He also plays guitar as a member of the Transformation Church Worship Team. Tyler is a guitar student with John Tosco. His parents are Robert and Robin Mitchell.   Laura Veal is seventeen years old and attends Ardrey Kell High School. She has a powerful, soulful voice and plays acoustic guitar. With Tyler Mitchell, Laura leads a youth group at Transformation Church. She is the daughter of Angela Lear.
Home-schooled siblings Glenn and Polly O'Neal perform as the Do Dogs. They are students of Jon Singleton. Glenn is thirteen and has been playing fiddle for three-and-one-half years. Polly is eight years old and has been playing mandolin for a year. She enjoys singing, as well. Glenn and Polly enjoy a variety of music, from folk to contemporary Christian, from pop to classical. Glenn especially enjoys Toby Mac. This is the second year they've taken part in the Young Talent Showcase. Their parents are Claire and Skip O'Neal.
Nathan Pier is fourteen years old and a home-schooled student. He studies guitar with Jon Singleton and has been learning Celtic and English tunes. He has performed on mandolin in a previous Young Talent Showcase. Nathan is the son of Vikki and Mark Pier.
Returning Showcase performer Sam Richardson has been playing the violin since kindergarten and now prefers fiddle music. He enjoys bluegrass and country music and also plays mandolin and upright bass, on occasion. Sam's teacher is Glen Alexander. He is twelve years old and attends Alexander Graham Middle School. Laurie and Dillard Richardson are Sam's parents.
Ruth Shumway began playing violin at age three and studies with both Ellyn Stuart of Music 4 Life and Jon Singleton at The Violin Shoppe. Highlights from the past year include winning second-place ribbons in the Youth Fiddle category at both the Surry County Old Time Fiddlers Convention and the Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention. As members of an all-girl junior band, Summer Girls, Ruth and her friends captured a fourth place ribbon at the Alleghany County Fiddler's Convention. A meeting at the autograph table during MerleFest 2010 led to Ruth's fiddle performance with the band Scythian on the Watson Stage. Like most eight-year-olds, Ruth enjoys a variety of activities, including soccer, swimming, ice skating, and having fun with her friends. She attends second grade at Charlotte Latin School. Ruth is the daughter of Mary and Dave Shumway.
Ryan Tutwiler, age thirteen, has been playing the hammered dulcimer for about eighteen months. He takes lessons with Carol Raedy. As well, he plays both B-flat clarinet and bass clarinet in the Carmel Middle School band. Ryan is starting to dabble with the penny whistle and handbells. He has also tried bagpipes and loves all percussion instruments. He enjoys attending monthly Charlotte Folk Society Gatherings and participates in the Slow Jams. Ryan's parents are John and Heather Tutwiler.

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.

Our Gatherings are made possible, in part, with funding from the Arts & Science Council and the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Cultural Resources, and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.