The Arts Council for the Northern Adirondacks and The Westport Heritage Festival is pleased to present a day of festivities with the music of
Christopher Layer and Peter Sutherland
and the music of
Atlantic Crossing
Come join us on Saturday, August 8th, 2009 from 2-4pm for Chris Layer and Peter Sutherland Dockside at Le Bistro and then from 7-9pm for the music of Atlantic Crossing at Ballard Park along Lake Champlain in Westport, NY.
Christopher Layer
Christopher Layer (Irish Uillean Bagpipes, Wood Flutes, Whistle, Scottish Highland Bagpipes) is an extremely diverse musician. His orchestral appearances include: The National Symphony (Kennedy Center), The Alabama, Detroit, Lafayette, Knoxville, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Muncie, and Richmond Symphony Orchestras, as well as The Aspen Festival Orchestra, and The Bard Festival Orchestra. Festivals include: Moab Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Bard Music Festival, Festival Internacionale de Louisianne, Musiksfest-Regensburg, BDR, The Bard Festival at Lincoln Center. Concert Production: The First Folklife Concert at Ticonderoga, "La Nouvelle Orleans" and "Music In The Barn" both for Project America at the 92nd St. "Y". Compositions include: Scoring for the Irish independent film Exile. Solo recordings: Out Of Thin Air, Return Of The Rivers, both available through the artist. Christopher is a native "Hoosier" and the son of Soprano Dolores Layer and Fiddler Ed Layer. Since 1996 he has been the principle pipe soloist and flautist for the Trinity Irish Dance Company and currently resides in New York City.
Peter Sutherland
Raised on a diet of Broadway show tunes, operatic arias and British invasion melodies, Pete Sutherland discovered both traditional music and songwriting in college and like Huck Finn "lit out for the territories". A warm-voiced singer and multi-instrumentalist known equally for his potent originals and intense recreations and ago old ballads and fiddle tunes, his performances "cover the map" and . . . “shine with a pure spirit, which infuses every bit of his music and cannot fail to move all who hear him". The American Festival of Fiddle Tune. He is producer of over 70 recordings of traditional and contemporary acoustic music and a composer of dozens of vocal and instrumental pieces performed and recorded by over 100 artists . He is also a workshop leader in traditional folk instrumental styles, contra and square dancing, folk singing and songwriting at festivals and camps and in numerous in-school residencies and multi-generational settings.
"Practically the most musical person you may ever meet" - The Champlain Valley Festival
"If I were mixing an album, I'd get Pete Sutherland's ears" - Sing Out! magazine
www.epactmusic.com/Pete.html
Atlantic Crossing
Our Festival audiences have enjoyed the inspiring performances of Atlantic Crossing in the past and we are please to welcome them back again to the Westport Heritage Festival.
Rich harmonies and compelling rhythms imbued with a deep love of the tradition, high levels of creativity and emotional expression, and a healthy dose of fun are the hallmarks of an Atlantic Crossing performance.
For over a dozen years, the Vermont band Atlantic Crossing has been thrilling concert audiences and contra-dancers with traditional songs and acoustic instrumental music from New England. The band brings to life traditional New England songs, and researches, writes and performs material relating to local history. www.atlanticcrossingvt.com
Fireworks will follow the concert at 9:00pm.
Donations are requested to keep these performances available to the public. With state cuts we depend on the audiences to help support these wonderful performances. This Program is made possible in part by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Westport Chamber of Commerce, Stewarts, The Honeybee Community Fund, Westport Marina, and Essex County STOP DWI.
For more information about this and other concerts in our Summer Concert Series contact The Arts Council at: 518-962-8778 or visit our web site at:www.artsnorth.org
Athena Roth
Arts Council for the Northern Adirondacks