The Lanesville Heritage 2012 Fiddlers Contest will be held on Friday, September 14 at 8:00 p.m. in the Heritage Community Center. There are two divisions: 16 and under and 17 and over. There will be $300 in cash prizes. If you are interested in participating again this year, you will want to visit the website and print the entry form in advance or email Barry Purcell. If you prefer, you can wait until the contest. They will be handing out blank forms about 30 minutes or so in advance of the contest.
The Arts Council of Southern Indiana will sponsor a Fiddle Fest from 3:30-5:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12 during New Albany’s Harvest Homecoming. The contest, with $600 in cash prizes, will be held on the stage at Market and State streets. The categories, divided by age, are: Under 13; 13 -18; and 19+. There will also be a non-violin open class (bass, viola, cello, etc.).
The judge’s panel will include Rachel Blanton, Doug Elmore, and Emily Poe Stumler.
Rachel Blanton has been teaching violin at Sacred Heart School for the Arts since 2000 and spearheaded the development of its strings program. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Louisville. Ms. Blanton has also completed teacher training courses with the Suzuki Violin Foundation. In addition to teaching, Ms. Blanton is active in the Louisville area as a performer, playing with local folk bands, the latest being an old-timey bluegrass band, The Porch Possums, and Bourbon Baroque, a period-instrument ensemble. You can also find her on stage each Memorial and Labor Day weekend at the Lousivlle and Washington, DC based event "Abbey Road on the River," a music festival consisting of bands and musicians from all over the world paying homage to The Beatles.
