Chandler's 20th Annual New World Festival

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Chandler’s New World Festival, a beloved music tradition, celebrates its 20th anniversary year on Sunday September 2.

This 12-hour event on Labor Day Sunday, celebrates the Celtic and French American musical heritage so prevalent in this part of the New World brought to northern New England by English, Scottish, Irish and French-Canadian immigrants. It has earned a reputation as one of the finest traditional music events in Vermont. With Main Street closed to traffic, the festival site is an intimate pedestrian village. Nearly 75 of the best regional and international musicians play concerts, offer workshops, participate in dance bands, and share tunes and traditions.

The New World Festival is unusual in that it is run entirely by volunteers whose only payment is the gratitude of the community and the joy brought to patrons and performers. Even Kevin Dunwoody, the New World Festival’s music director for all 20 years of its existence, works for no pay. Dunwoody is excited about this year’s line-up. “We’ve got a great mix of performers, some musicians who were part of the very first festival in 1993, and some new musicians who will be making their first appearance at the festival.”

The Clayfoot Strutters and Wind That Shakes the Barley are two bands on the 1993 roster returning to the festival this year. De Temps Antan, the Nuala Kennedy Band, and The Fretless are on the line-up for the first time.

Executive Director Becky McMeekin praises Dunwoody’s efforts. “Kevin has built an incredible network of musicians over the years, and the seeds of many new artistic collaborations have been planted at the festival. Patrons trust that he will put together a terrific line-up featuring both new and established musicians.”

The Festival is one of Vermont’s premier cultural heritage events, and it has established a firm niche in the world of traditional music. This year’s anniversary festival was designated as a Top Ten Fall Event by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. While other Vermont festivals have come and gone or struggled financially, the New World Festival has survived, in large part, because it has built an extremely loyal fan-base that returns year after year, often introducing friends and relatives to the Festival. Last year their loyalty was put to the test as patrons and performers braved challenging road conditions in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene.

Notable are the connections and exchanges between audience members and musicians that have effectively championed the Celtic and French Canadian musical traditions celebrated by the New World Festival. Festival-goers appreciate the opportunity to watch performances in intimate settings, to observe musicians connecting with others from the same musical tradition through impromptu musical sessions, and to interact with performers through the sharing of a bowing technique, a fiddle tune, or dance step. The lines between performers and audience members are almost non-existent and it is this intimacy and accessibility that has done the most to build bridges between cultures. The musicians are especially appreciative of students who are their most avid audience members, eager to soak up as much as they can in this rich environment.

People interested in volunteering for three hours in exchange for free admission to the festival are urged to contact volunteer coordinator, Marda Donner at 276-3808 or [email protected].

The New World Festival has sponsorship support from its founding sponsor, Randolph National Bank, and these other area businesses and organizations: Gifford Medical Center, The Holland Fund, Delegation du Québec, New England Land Company, Depot Restaurant, Montague Golf Club, Green Mountain Stock Farm, Morgan’s Put & Grill at the Three Stallion Inn, and The Three Stallion Inn.

Discounted advance tickets are available through August 31 online or by calling the Chandler Box Office at 802-728-6464 between 3 and 6 PM weekdays. For more information, regarding admission and featured performers, please visit the festival’s website at www.NewWorldFestival.com. All performance sites are wheelchair accessible.

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Chandler's 20th Annual New World Festival

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