The Blue Ridge Music Center is celebrating 20 years of summer concerts at its hillside outdoor amphitheater on the Blue Ridge Parkway with its Summer 2022 Concert Series.
Taking the stage are fan favorites, including North Carolina-based acts such as the Steep Canyon Rangers, Kruger Brothers accompanied by Kontras Quartet, and Chatham County Line, and Virginia-based acts The Steel Wheels, Dori Freeman accompanied by a Winston-Salem Symphony String Quintet, and Bill and the Belles.
The roster is strong on bluegrass and old-time music, featuring traditional acts as well as artists that perform in a more contemporary vein. Representing the music of the Blue Ridge Mountains are Unspoken Tradition, Five Mile Mountain Road, Nobody’s Business, None of the Above, The Mike Mitchell Band, Zoe & Cloyd, and ShadowGrass.
Feature performers who represent diversity and inclusion in the American roots music community include Rissi Palmer (Color Me Country Radio), Joe Troop & Friends, Earl White Stringband, and several female-fronted bands such as Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, The Amanda Cook Band, The Burnett Sisters Band, and Dori Freeman.
Tuba Skinny kicks off the series on Saturday, May 28 (Memorial Day weekend). An ensemble of former street musicians, the group’s sound evokes the rich musical heritage of their New Orleans home, from spirituals to Depression-era blues, from ragtime to traditional jazz.
The series concludes on Saturday, September 3 (Labor Day weekend), when Californian Molly Tuttle, the first woman ever named Guitar Player of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association, takes the stage. She is one of the most compelling young voices in American roots. Tuttle and her top-notch Golden Highway Band will perform songs from her critically acclaimed bluegrass-focused album, The Crooked Tree.
Performances start at 7 p.m. on Saturdays, with admission gates opening at 5:45 p.m. Ticket prices range from $20 to $40. Tickets, season passes (full, half, and Pick 3), and memberships can be purchased at BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org.
Summer Concert Series Schedule
May 28: Tuba Skinny
June 4: Symphony Unbound with Dori Freeman accompanied by Winston-Salem Symphony String Quintet
June 18: Kruger Brothers accompanied by Kontras Quartet
June 25: Zoe & Cloyd + The Burnett Sisters Band with Colin Ray
July 2: Old Time Dance Party with Five Mile Mountain Road + Earl White Stringband
July 9: Mike Mitchell Band + None of the Above
July 16: Bill and the Belles + ShadowGrass
July 23: Rissi Palmer + Joe Troop & Friends
July 30: Amanda Cook Band + Unspoken Tradition
August 6: An Evening with the Steep Canyon Rangers
August 20: The Slocan Ramblers + Nobody’s Business
August 27: The Steel Wheels + Chatham County Line
September 3: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway + Wayne Henderson & Herb Key
The Blue Ridge Music Center, located at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Galax, Virginia, celebrates the music and musicians of the mountains. The Music Center is a national park facility, a major attraction along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and a venue partner of The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail and Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina. For more information, visit BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org.