The Denison Bluegrass Ensembles will perform at 8 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 11) in Burke Recital Hall. Directed by Associate Professor Andrew Carlson, chair of the music department, and Associate Professor Richard Hood of the English department, the Denison Bluegrass Ensembles bring together students interested in the performance of traditional Appalachian, country, bluegrass, and progressive acoustic music. At this concert, which is free and open to the public, the ensembles will play a variety of traditional and contemporary works.

The ensembles also will perform an opening set for the national bluegrass recording artists "Cherryholmes" later this month. Named IBMA Entertainer of the Year in 2005 and Grammy-nominated for best bluegrass album of the year, Cherryholmes will appear at the Midland Theatre in Newark on Thursday (Nov. 16). Calling it "an incredible opportunity for our students," Carlson encourages bluegrass fans to come to the show and "hoot and holler" for the Denison "Bluegrassers."

Ensemble players performing at the Midland include: Kyle Adamcik, Bethany Corrigan, Matthew Ezzard, Hayes Griffin, Jenna Lawson, Brynn Lewallen, Rachel Liber, Jon Mecoli, Lauren Saks, Nellie Schrantz, and Jimmy Sheppard.

Carlson is a recognized performer on the "fiddle," as well as the classical violin. He began learning traditional fiddle music from his grandfather at age 5, and has been twice named the State Champion fiddler in Georgia and once named the Grand Champion fiddler of Ohio. As a studio musician and string arranger Carlson has recorded for Warner Bros., Atlantic, Elektra, and Polydor. He earned his bachelor and master degrees in music at the University of Georgia and his doctorate at the University of Iowa. Carlson joined the Denison faculty in 2000 and teaches violin and music history.

In addition to his teaching in the English department, Hood is well-known locally for his playing of Old Time acoustic music on a variety of instruments during regular jam sessions in the Denison student union. He plays professionally with The Bristol Brothers (Dynamic Recording), and plays two-finger banjo for the old-time dance band, The Butterbeans. Hood earned his degrees at Wesleyan University, the University of Chicago and the University of Rochester and specializes in American and modern literature. He also is the author of the novel "White Oak Flats" forthcoming from Mayhaven Press.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- Denison Bluegrass Ensembles Concert; 8 p.m., Saturday (Nov. 11), Burke Recital Hall. Free and open to the public. Contact 740-587-6220 to confirm information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

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