Affiliate artist Pete Sutherland performed at the Mahaney Center for the Arts this past Friday night, entertaining the audience with a rousing concert of both original and classic folk music. Joined by a slew of friends and family, including his wife Karen, the multitalented instrumentalist, singer and composer put on a splendid show featuring the best of traditional folk. The repertoire featured ballads, instrumentals and rousing fiddle pieces, including Sutherland’s original pieces; his compositions spoke of topics close to home and heart, such as the Otter Creek or hiking in the hills. Another original piece described the anecdotes of a local elderly woman via song.
Sutherland was frequently joined onstage by his musical guests, including fellow affiliate artist Tim Cummings on vocals, bagpipe and whistles, Will Patton ’70 on bass and mandolin, a “Singing Crew” and a “Fiddling Flash Mob” featuring Vermont fiddlers and Anika James ’11.
As an avid fan of Celtic music, I was particularly struck by the soaring and wonderfully melancholy sounds of Cummings’ whistles and bagpipes, and when combined with Sutherland’s weeping violin, the two created a duet that was both incredibly mournful and inspiring. However, the true highlight of the show for most of the audience was the final number, which featured the Fiddling Flash Mob performing a fast-paced piece. The sight of all the violins’ bows moving in swift unison was really something awesome to see, and it was clear from the smiles on the performers’ faces that they were absorbed by their art, feeding off the awesome energy generated by the rousing music.
“Remember, no dancing,” Sutherland would cheekily remind the audience between pieces from time to time, though that did not stop some audience members from getting up and dancing during the last piece, or clapping along to some of the faster, upbeat songs.
Sutherland is certainly no stranger to folk music. For nearly four decades, he has performed in bands such as the Arm and Hammer String Band, the Woodshed All-stars and Rhythm in Shoes, as well as in the contemporary folk trio Metamora. Locally, he served as artistic director for the Champlain Valley Folk Festival, the Fort Ticonderoga Folk Festival and the Vergennes Opera House, was a charter member of Burlington’s Social Band and has produced more than 80 studio albums. Sutherland also occasionally fiddles for his contradance jam-band, the Clayfoot Strutters. He holds many honors in folk music, including “numerous cheap fiddle contest ribbons” and the 1991 Ralph Nading Hill Award, as well as being a finalist for the Vermont State Historical Society’s 2009 Hathaway Prize. His original music has been covered by other folk artists, and was featured on two pieces of NPR’s All Things Considered. Recently, Sutherland wrote for the score of the film The Summer of Walter Hacks.
Sutherland intended this concert to be a kick-off event for a new scholarship fund for the Northeast Heritage Music Camp, an annual week-long gathering of folk musicians for classes, workshops, dances and concerts. Sutherland hopes that by creating the scholarship and raising awareness for the camp’s mission at his concerts, he can broaden the access for even more talented young musicians to attend and develop a love of folk music that will last a lifetime.
For more information on Pete Sutherland and his projects, visit these sites:
Epact Music
Northeast Heritage Music Camp
Sutherland performs the best of folk
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