The closing public performance at the 2013 Festival of American Fiddle Tunes is a highlight of the weeklong gathering, and a true musical celebration. The show takes place at McCurdy Pavilion, a World War I-era balloon hangar converted into one of the West’s most distinctive performance halls (and if the weather is good, we’ll open the hall’s massive doors so that you can also enjoy the music outside).

This performance will begin at 1:30pm, and the Pavilion box office will be open at 12:30pm.

• Reserved Seating $20/25; 18 & under free

Saturday, July 6, 2013
Fiddle Finale

• Don and Cindy Roy—Down East from Maine
• Dan Gellert—Old-time from Indiana
• Joseba Tapia, Arkaitz Miner and Leturia—Basque
• Jos Jilguerillos del Huerto—Michocan, Mexico
• Vivian and Phil Williams—Old-time from Washington state
• Bobby Taylor and Kim Johnson—Old-time from West Virginia

Don and Cindy Roy—Down East from Maine

Franco-American ace fiddler, Don Roy, has been called the dean of Franco-American fiddling in Maine. After many years performing with the Maine French Fiddlers, Roy now leads the Don Roy Trio. Nationally recognized for his skill, Roy has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall and Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” He has twice been awarded the Maine Fellowship for Excellence in Traditional Music. Cindy Roy, also a member of the former Maine French Fiddlers, is well known for her step dancing piano accompaniment which is among the best in New England.

Dan Gellert—Old-time from Indiana

Dan Gellert is a legend in the field of old time American music. As a result of the folk music revival of the 1960s and records he heard growing up in New Jersey, he began to master the banjo, guitar, and fiddle, and sing. Dan has given a lot of thought to what it takes to make the music sound and feel like the field recordings and old 78 rpm records he has listened to.

Joseba Tapia, Arkaitz Miner and Leturia—Basque

In the late ’70s, accordionist Joseba Tapia gained local fame as a young folk dance player who played with blistering speed and accuracy. He teamed up with virtuosic pandeiro (tambourine) player Javier Leturia in 1984, and together they played Basque folk music and so much more. Their 1995 self-titled disc draws on reggae, rap, punk, and the radical rock scene in their homeland. Tapia has launched a solo career that includes performing modern Québécois songs translated into Basque, and an album that features Basque songs, many of them unpublished, from the Spanish Civil War era. Joining the pair is their favorite fiddler, Arkaitz Miner.

Jos Jilguerillos del Huerto—Michocan, Mexico

Martin Dagio Almónte, Alaín and Huber Figueroa Ziranda were born into a musical family in the village of Cieneguillas del Huerto, Turicato, Michoacán, México. They’ve studied with many of the iconic masters of Mexican traditional fiddling, and have performed widely – including the Museo del Estado (Michoacan State Museum), Museo de Arte Colonial, Teatro Ocampo, Teatro José María Morelos, Casa y Palacio de Gobierno, all in Morelia; the Colegio de Michoacán in Zamora; in the National University’s center in Jiquilpan, Michoacán; the National School of Folkloric Dance and Radio Educación in Mexico City and the Regional Museum in Chilpancingo, Guerrero.

Vivian and Phil Williams—Old-time from Washington state

Vivian and Phil Williams have been documenting and performing Northwest folk music since their teens in the 1950′s. Vivian is one of the leading old time and bluegrass fiddlers on the West Coast – a three-time Washington State fiddle champion, four-time winner of the West Coast International in Canada, and winner of the Smithsonian Fiddle Contest in Washington, D.C. Phil and Vivian own and operate Voyager Recordings & Publications, which has released recordings of over 85 fiddlers and has developed the most extensive recorded archive of Northwest fiddle and old time music in the country.

Bobby Taylor and Kim Johnson—Old-time from West Virginia

Bobby Taylor is a fourth generation West Virginia fiddler who has been playing since the age of 13. He learned from legendary fiddlers Clark Kessinger and Mike Humphreys. He has served as a judge at the Grand Masters Fiddle Championship Judge in Nashville TN, and he also performs and records with the Old-Time band Kanawha Tradition. Kim Johnson’s banjo playing complimented the legendary William Douglas’s fiddling so well that the two made three recordings together:Boatin’ Up Sandy (1989), Common Ground (1993) and Back Porch Symphony (1995). Kim’s song list includes many old-time fiddle tunes common in Clay County, WV, such as “Liza Jane,” “Pretty Little Cat,” and “Elzic’s Farewell.”