MSU Mountain Music Ambassadors to perform at Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival
Students with Morehead State University's Kentucky Center for Traditional Music (KCTM) will get a showcase on a stage featuring national touring bluegrass acts this weekend.
The touring group of student musicians known as the Mountain Music Ambassadors performs at the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival, Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 10-12, at the Roberts Convention Center in Wilmington, Ohio. The festival's headliners include The Del McCoury Band, The Grascals, Junior Sisk, the Dan Tyminski Band, and the Kody Morris Show. The Mountain Music Ambassadors perform at noon on Saturday, Nov. 12.
"The Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival received the Event of the Year award from the International Bluegrass Music Association. To be invited to present at one of the industry's top festivals can make a difference in our student's future and exemplifies the experiences and education students receive at the KCTM," said Daxson Lewis, director of KCTM.
The Mountain Music Ambassadors is KCTM's flagship touring ensemble featuring some students majoring in Traditional Music. The fall 2022 group includes Tommy Cole (guitar) of Mt. Sterling, Izaac Daniels (banjo) of Ashland, Hayley King (fiddle) of Blythewood, South Carolina, and Tom Lyngklip (mandolin) of Rockford, Michigan. All band members perform lead and harmony vocals. Lewis and Ruth McLain Smith direct the Mountain Music Ambassadors.
"The Mountain Music Ambassadors provide a dynamic blend of bluegrass, old-time and country music. Audience members can expect to hear a wide range of material, including fast-paced fiddle tunes, intimate vocal numbers and twin fiddle and banjo harmonies," Lewis said.
The Mountain Music Ambassadors sharing the stage with some of bluegrass music's most notable artists is one of several opportunities that make the KCTM unique and beneficial to students.
"The Ambassadors have entertained audiences regionally, nationally and internationally, appreciating every opportunity to represent Morehead State University, the traditional music program and our region's musical heritage," Lewis said. "This opportunity to share inspiration and information can bring awareness of the traditional music program to potential students and donors while also giving our students first-hand, real-world experience as touring performing musicians."
For information about tickets to the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival, call 800-965-9324.
To learn more about programs with MSU's Kentucky Center for Traditional Music, contact kctm@moreheadstate.edu or 606-783-9001.
Photo, left to right: MSU's Mountain Music Ambassadors perform at the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival on Nov. 12. Performers include Tommy Cole, Hayley King, KCTM director Daxson Lewis, KCTM faculty member Ruth McLain Smith, Izaac Daniels and Tom Lyngklip.
