MOUNTAINGRASS Festival is coming home, with the event returning to Bright this weekend after several years in Beechworth.
Festival secretary Helen Ludellen said the event - running from this Friday to Sunday - is on track for a great weekend, with a strong level of interest.
“It’s all going well and we’ve been engaging closely with people in the local area to enhance our event,” she said.
“There’s a stronger interest in the festival this year which I think is partly to do with Bright being such a wonderful destination, we’re all really looking forward to it.
“Ticket sales are higher this year, with around 400 people coming along so far.
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“That size is perfect for us because this festival isn’t just entertainment, it’s based in participation as well.
“We want it to be more intimate because it’s people who love the music and also play music; whether they’re beginners or emerging or experienced.
“They just love to come and jam together so there’s an emphasis on our workshops.
“The concerts are very much part of it but the workshops and jamming with other likeminded musicians and music lovers is important to our crowd.
“Keeping it smaller keeps that intimacy and that’s possible to do this in these venues and spaces.
“It’s also an entirely volunteer-run festival so this is about what we can manage.
“We’re super excited, it feels like we’re coming back to our home in the mountains.”
The team is excited to be presenting a program of Bluegrass and American old time music with special guests from the United States.
“High Fidelity with their bluegrass gospel harmony singing, fiddle tunes from the Nokosee Fields Duo, and The Alum Ridge Boys and Ashlee who wowed us on their tour of Australia last year are among the artists performing,” Ms Ludellen said.
“Add to that Pete Denahy with his band Wide Island which includes Japanese friends Hiroki Maeta, a virtuoso mandolist, and banjo player Montz Matsumoto.
“To top that we have a selection of the best bluegrass and old time acts from Australia and New Zealand.
“In addition to our main concerts at the Bright Community Hall and Bright Senior Citizens Centre we will have two very special, purely acoustic concerts on Saturday and Sunday afternoon at the Bright Courthouse Theatre, a performance space with a great acoustic.
“And, on Sunday morning we have our very popular Sunday Morning Gospel concert; expect to see our US guests there.”
This year, aside from the instrument workshops at all levels for guitar, banjo, mandolin, upright bass and resonator guitar, the festival will have a workshop on gospel singing with High Fidelity; several performance skills workshops for players who want to learn some stagecraft; and an Old Time dance styles workshop.
Mountaingrass will be held in Bright from 4pm Friday, November 15 to late on Sunday, November 17 at the Bright Community Hall on Railway Avenue; the Senior Citizens Centre at 2 Cobden Street; and the Bright Courthouse Theatre at 1-3 Parks Street.
For more information and to grab a ticket, go to mountaingrass.com.au.
