Highland County Arts Council
and the
Church of the Good Shepherd

Concert by Mike Seeger

Last Update: 27 September 2004

Traditional player-singer Mike Seeger will appear in concert on Saturday, 21 August 2004, at the country church of the Good Shepherd outside the village of Blue Grass, Virginia. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. and seating is limited. Tickets may be reserved by telephone and, because of limited space, are not expected to be available at the door.

General admission is $15.00 per person. Tickets are available by calling 540-468-3192 or 540-499-2175 or by mailing a check to HCAC, Box 175, Monterey, VA 24465. The Church of the Good Shepherd is located one mile south of the village of Blue Grass, with driving directions printed on the tickets.

Mike Seeger has devoted his life to singing and playing the traditional mountain music of the southern United States – the home music made by American southerners before the media age. He is a founding member of the vanguard old-time-style band, The New Lost City Ramblers. He has been the recipient of grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Smithsonian Research Fellowship Program, the Guggenheim Foundation, and The Grateful Dead’s Rex Foundation. Mike has also received six Grammy Award nominations. It has been said that he “remains one of our great musical and cultural resources. To see him perform is to experience the richness of our traditions.” He accompanies his singing on banjo, fiddle, guitar, jaw harp, harmonica, quills, lap dulcimer, mandolin, and autoharp. The photo at left is from Mike Seeger’s personal web site. Please visit this site for more information on the artist and his music.

The Concert will be sponsored by the Highland County Arts Council and will be hosted by the Church of the Good Shepherd. We have chosen this venue because of its wonderful acoustics and intimacy. This is an ambitious project and we hope that it will grow into a concert series that will not only entertain the citizens of Highland but also bring music lovers into the area.

Mike performed on banjo (above), fiddle, guitar, and several other instruments. He also talked about Appalachian music and instruments, including the mountain dulcimer (below).   Both photos by John Sweet.

During intermission refreshments were served outside the church on a pleasant summer evening and after the show Mike discussed his instruments with concert goers (below).   Both photos by Jim Jacenich.