Young Tradition Vermont Showcase at Summervale!

By Zaidee Laughlin, Music Intern

When we think about Summervale we think about the families and friends that gather and the delicious local food that is so vital to the food and farming culture here in Burlington. This week we’re hoping to add another dimension to our celebration of local community and culture by showcasing the music and dance of Trad Camp, a weeklong youth camp put on every summer by Young Tradition Vermont. For five days, campers explore the history, techniques, and cultural ties of a variety of traditional styles of dance and music. By playing new instruments, learning traditional dances, and connecting with older members of the traditional song and dance community, the camp is a strong example of how Young Tradition VT works to further their mission to “ensure that children, youth and young adults have opportunities to be inspired by, learn about, and perform traditional music and dance, and to use traditional music and dance to serve their communities.”

This week our first set will be a performance highlighting the work that campers have put in throughout the week. Accompanied by instructors Pete Sutherland, Brian Perkins and Oliver Scanlon, students will be given the opportunity to express all they have learned. Expect to see fiddlers, guitarists, mandolin players, singers, and dancers!

Our second set will be a bit more established, featuring Quebecois guitar and fiddle duo Yann Falquet & Pascal Gemme alongside celebrated step dancer Marie-Soleil Pilette, all of whom are working this week as instructors for the camp. Falquet and Gemme have been playing together for more than 20 years, performing over a thousand shows in 20 countries as part of the folk trio Genticorum, and now have put out an album just the two of them, Princes et Habitants. Pillette is trained in the gigue style and has played a monumental role in bringing traditional dance to the stage in the last 20 years, founding her own dance company Sans Temps. These three represent the beauty of the Quebec regional folk scene, and we so look forward to experiencing their musicality firsthand.