Molly Andrews & Melissa Dunning (Special Event)

Voices from the Bluemont PassTWO WOMEN with incredible voices, great style, and a vast repertoire of unusualtraditional songs.Molly Andrews is primarily an American singer -- she is originally from WestVirginia and sings those intensely beautiful mountain ballads. Melissa singsmostly English, Irish and Scots songs and ballads. Together, they sing SacredHarp and other hymns in two parts -- and have a tremendous blend. They've been singing together for over 15 years.MOLLY ANDREWS has been described as a 'singers' singer.' One of the finest interpreters of traditional music as well as an outstanding vocalist inother styles, she brings a directness and intensity to everything she sings. Her repertoire is rooted in southern Appalachian music but she isknown to bring her soulful, expressive voice to jazz, blues, classic pop standards, early and ethnic music and more, appearing in professional theatres and performing art centers throughout the US. This spring, Molly will take a leading role in the World Premiere of 'Fire on the Mountain,' at San Diego Repertory Theatre in California, in amusical focusing on the life of coal miners and bringing traditional Appalachian music to the stage.Molly has recorded and collaborated with many fine and diverse artists, from avant gardist John Zorn at CBGB's in NYC, the St. Luke's Chamber Orchestrain Brooklyn, to John Renbourn, and Mike Seeger in recent concerts forThe Prism Coffeehouse in Charlottesville, VA.Her last FSGW appearances were with guitarist Duck Baker, the Classic Ballads workshop and a guest spot with Bruce Hutton for the Mini-Festlast February. She has sung and toured with such a cappella groups as 'The Bayley-Hazen Singers' from Vermont, 'The Bobs', and has performed on NPR'sMountain Stage, E-Town, West Coast Weekend, as well as programs for the BBC, BBC Scotland, Radio Oslo, among others. Molly teaches andsings at folk camps, clubs, festivals, concert halls and house concerts across the country and in Europe, and was nominated for the VirginiaGovernors Awards for the Arts, 2000. MELISSA WEAVER DUNNING is a singer of traditional ballads and songs specializingin the music of England, Ireland and Scotland. Melissa's powerful and clearunaccompanied singing brings the old story songs to life and weaves vibrantpictures of life in another age. She has performed throughout the Eastern USand in the British Isles and France, including performances at the SmithsonianMuseum, Georgetown University and with the Boston Camerata. A resident ofBerryville, Virginia, Melissa and her husband Peter work together to run theBluemont Concert Series. Melissa sang with Vermont's Word of Mouth Chorus; she was the founder and leader of Jubilo, a community shapenote singing group, and currently sings with the a cappela women's trio Sine Nomine, which specializes in European sacred and secular musicof the 10th to15th centuries. She has been studying weaving with Norman Kennedy and is dedicated to carrying on his traditions, both inweaving and in music.