BRATTLEBORO-Under the Maple/Brattleboro House Concerts will host a benefit concert for RiverJam Romp on Sunday, June 23, at 6:30 p.m. The concert will feature Peter Siegel, Amanda Witman, and friends.
Peter Siegel is an award-winning musician, educator, and founding member of The Gaslight Tinkers. Influenced by the songwriting of Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs, Dixieland, old-time fiddle tunes, and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, Siegel grew up singing on the Hudson River sloop Clearwater. He moved to the Pioneer Valley as a young adult, where he became a longtime member of the Greenfield Dance Band and a recognizable figure in the New England contradance scene. Siegel lives in Brattleboro and is a public school teacher in Keene, New Hampshire.
Amanda Witman is a carrier of songs from old and evolving musical traditions. For years, she has helped develop Brattleboro's participatory sings and sessions, including the Brattleboro Pub Sing, which she co-founded in 2011 with English folk legend Tony Barrand. Witman also leads a weekly trad and folk singers' workshop at the Brattleboro Music Center; performs with southern Vermont a cappella quartet, Big Woods Voices; and can be found most Sunday mornings singing at Fire Arts Cafe with friends.
All proceeds from this concert will benefit RiverJam Romp's scholarship fund as they head into their third season. In addition to Siegel and Witman, this year's staff will include Becky Tracy, Mark Roberts, Anna Patton, Karen Axelrod, Garrett Sawyer, Lisa McCormick, I-Shea, David Millstone, Louisa Engle, Mary Lauren Fraser, and Steve Zakon-Anderson.
RiverJam Romp is an annual weekend event celebrating the music and dance traditions of southern Vermont, the Monadnock Region, and the Pioneer Valley. This year's edition will be held Friday through Sunday, Sept. 6 through 8, at Potash Hill in Marlboro. With a rotating staff of trad musicians of the region, RiverJam Romp strives to nurture these traditions and strengthen connections through inclusive, community-based music and dance activities.
Space is limited for this concert. To attend, email [email protected] and the address and further details will be included in reply. A suggested donation of $15, or any amount, is welcome. To donate without attending, go to riverjamromp.org/donate.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.