Finnders & Youngberg, Colorado’s premier Americana quintet, will add yet another honor to their impressive resume: they’ve been chosen as an official showcase act for the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass conference in Nashville, Tenn., this fall. They are one of just 13 acts invited to perform during the bluegrass industry’s biggest and most important week.
Festival Mozaic has announced its 2012 summer season, which will take place July 12-22 in the most charismatic spaces across California's Central Coast including Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, Chapel Hill in wine country, Hearst Castle overlooking the sparkling Pacific Ocean, and Mission San Miguel . The theme, "In The Footsteps of Giants," will showcase a lineage of masterworks which inspired – and were inspired by – phenomenal composers over the ages.
The San Francisco Mandolin Orchestra with singers Susan Gundunas and Twila Ehmcke will be performing one of the gems of the Baroque music era, Stabat Mater, written in 1736 by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.
The Newport Festivals Foundation has announced the lineup for the 2012 Newport Folk Festival set to take place July 28-29 at Fort Adams State Park.
A neurological disorder called dystonia is estimated to have ended the careers of at least one member of every major American metropolitan orchestra. Dystonia has claimed the livelihoods of musicians across genres including the acclaimed pianist Leon Fleisher of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, former first oboist of the Chicago Symphony Alex Klein, acoustic guitarist Billy McLaughlin, classical guitarist Liona Boyd, keyboard player Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and others.
Old News
Solly Burton Wins National Mandolin Championship
Solly Burton participated in the 2011 National Mandolin Championships, featured by the 40th Annual Walnut Valley Festival. He is not a first time winner.
By Reidar Falch
Peter Danzig, Solly Burton and Andrew Hatfield
According to Rex Flottman, Media Director at Walnut Valley Association, eighteen contestants from 10 states and Japan gathered on September 16 to compete in the spirit of music to decide the 2011 National Championship of Mandolin playing. After the music had been played and the numbers tabulated, twenty year old Solly Burton from Sullivan, Indiana was the last man standing.
Solly is a student in his junior year at Indian State University. 2011 was the third time he attended the Walnut Valley Festival and the second time to compete for the championship.
According to Solly's website, he has competed in numerous instrument contests since 2004. All of the Mandolin competitions have been in the adult catagory.
Solly enjoys the campground jams and said there were more pickers in Winfield than any of the other festivals he attends. Solly played a Weber mandolin in the contest and selected the Collings MF-Custom Mandolin for his prize instrument.
Runner ups were Peter Danzig (second) of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Andrew Hatfield (third) of Peoria Illinois.
Held annually each year on the 3rd weekend in September, the Walnut Valley Festival is the home of the International Autoharp Championship, the International Fingerstyle Guitar, the National Mountain Dulcimer, the National Flat Pick Guitar Championship, the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship, the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship, National Mandolin Championship and the Walnut Valley Old Time Fiddle.
Solly Burton - Red River Valley