The Young Tradition Festival is an annual event which takes place in early May in Burlington, Vermont. It celebrates young artists and multi-generational relationships in diverse traditional music and dance communities.

The Young Tradition Festival provides engaging opportunities for youth, families, and the greater community to become immersed and involved in traditional music and dance from Vermont’s traditional communities.

The 2024 Young Tradition Festival celebrates young artists and multi-generational relationships in diverse traditional music and dance communities while providing opportunities for youth, families, and the greater community to immerse themselves in several types of traditional music and dance. 

This year’s festival includes concerts at Contois Auditorium: World-renowned Nepali Sarangi player Shyam Nepali’s band Himalayan Dreams will perform Friday night, and the well-known Quebecois trad band Genticorum will play Saturday night, with an opening act by the 20 teen performers of the Young Tradition Touring Group. Young musicians and dancers will perform alongside their teachers Saturday morning at the Burlington Farmers Market during our Student/Mentor Showcase. Performances will include Burundian dancing, Folk fiddling, Tibetan singing, Nepali Sarangi, and more. On Sunday all-ages will have an opportunity to join in the fun at a family-friendly jam session and contra dance at Contois Auditorium. The festival's programming also includes free performances for students at Burlington’s Integrated Arts Academy and residents at the Converse Home.

Schedule of Events:

Friday, May 10, 2024

7:00pm - 9:00pm: Himalayan Dreams

Hear world-renowned Nepali Sarangi Player Shyam Nepali perform with his five-member band Himalayan Dreams at the 2024 Young Tradition Festival’s opening concert.

Band Members:

- Shyam Nepali (Sarangi & Vocal)

- Pramod Upadhya (Percussions-Tabla & Madal)

- Ranjan Budathoki (Bamboo Flute)

- Tilak Shrestha (Vocal & Effects)

- Sushil Gautam (Author, Percussions, Mouth Harp & Effects)

Hailing from the centuries old Gandharba musical tradition of Nepal, Shyam Nepali has enjoyed an almost 30 year long career bringing the sounds of the Sarangi to audiences around the world. New Hampshire-based Shyam Nepali has been instructing local Burlington musician and music educator Brian Perkins on the Sarangi through Vermont Folklife’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program for the last several years. Brian’s objective has been to learn the instrument in order to teach it to local Nepali and non-Nepali youth in Burlington’s Old North End. Brian’s Sarangi Club will also make an appearance at the concert.

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Saturday, May 11, 2024

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Student/Mentor Showcase

Join us at the Burlington Farmers Market for a showcase performance of students performing music and dance from a wide range of traditions alongside their teachers and mentors.

Performances will include Burundian dancing, Folk fiddling, Tibetan singing, Nepali Sarangi, and more, with acts from both Vermont Folklife’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program and the Fiddleheads program, among others!

Location: Burlington Farmers Market, 345 Pine Street, Burlington, VT 05401

7:00 PM - 9:30 PM: Genticorum with the Touring Group

Vermont Folklife’s Young Tradition Touring Group will open for Genticorum for the Young Tradition Festival’s Saturday night concert

Location: Contois Auditorium, 149 Church Street Burlington, VT 05408

Sunday, May 12, 2024

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Family Friendly Jam

Join Pascal Gemme & Véronique Plasse for this family-friendly jam session.

Pascal and Veronique will lead tunes and provide helpful guidance to newcomers to jams.  Adults and youth of all ages and skill levels are welcome to bring instruments and join in the fun. 

Stick around in the afternoon for a family contra dance!

About Pascal Gemme: Pascal is a leading light in Quebec’s traditional music scene.Known as much for his original compositions as his fine interpretation of traditional tunes, Pascal is the fiddler, singer and arranger of the band, Genticorum, whose CDs have met with critical acclaim in several countries.

From a young age, the fiddle music and songs of his native province have captivated him.  After graduating with a degree in composition and band arrangements at Montreal’s St Laurent College, he immersed himself in the traditional music around him, playing, collecting and recording music found all over Quebec.  Pascal has developed a vast knowledge and is a leading exponent of the music.

About Véronique Plasse: Véronique, a trained actress and a musician, has joined the world of traditional music since a score of years, working at enhancing Québec cultural heritage. Her commitments and involvements are driven by goals which are at the heart of whatever she undertakes: creation, gathering, preservation and diffusion. Endowed with a very sensitive and positive energy, Véronique really enjoys bringing to the public her knowledge and a kind of cultural expertise she acquired through encounters and research.

Spurred by her passion for Québec traditional music, this violinist and singer has been active on the international traditional folk scene for about 20 years. Recognized by her fellow trad musicians as a high-calibre performer, Véronique strongly believes that we must carry on the effort of creating moments and places where beauty, sharing and human interaction weave the threads of a sociocultural fabric we can all call our own. Latest addition to the Bon Débarras trad trio, Véronique performs also in several other significant projects: Beaton-Plasse, Les Commandos Trad, Barbo and Hurlevent.

Location: Contois Auditorium, 149 Church Street Burlington, VT 05408

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM: Family Contra Dance

Join us for a family contra dance with caller Luke Donforth and live music by Pascal Gemme, Véronique Plasse and friends.

All welcome and no experience necessary! All dances are taught by the caller. Bring clean, soft-soled shoes.

Location: Contois Auditorium, 149 Church Street Burlington, VT 05408

Cost: $10 per person or $30 per family.

About Luke Donforth: As a caller, Luke brings a warm and inviting playfulness to the stage. He calls new compositions and traditional contras at weekly dances, barn dances, weddings, and festivals all over the country. On the local front, he currently runs a monthly family dance in Burlington and he is also a published author! If you don’t already own a copy of his book The ABCs of Contra Dancing, pick one up for the young dancers in your life.

About Pascal Gemme: Pascal is a leading light in Quebec’s traditional music scene.Known as much for his original compositions as his fine interpretation of traditional tunes, Pascal is the fiddler, singer and arranger of the band, Genticorum, whose CDs have met with critical acclaim in several countries.

From a young age, the fiddle music and songs of his native province have captivated him.  After graduating with a degree in composition and band arrangements at Montreal’s St Laurent College, he immersed himself in the traditional music around him, playing, collecting and recording music found all over Quebec.  Pascal has developed a vast knowledge and is a leading exponent of the music.

About Véronique Plasse: Véronique, a trained actress and a musician, has joined the world of traditional music since a score of years, working at enhancing Québec cultural heritage. Her commitments and involvements are driven by goals which are at the heart of whatever she undertakes: creation, gathering, preservation and diffusion. Endowed with a very sensitive and positive energy, Véronique really enjoys bringing to the public her knowledge and a kind of cultural expertise she acquired through encounters and research.

Spurred by her passion for Québec traditional music, this violinist and singer has been active on the international traditional folk scene for about 20 years. Recognized by her fellow trad musicians as a high-calibre performer, Véronique strongly believes that we must carry on the effort of creating moments and places where beauty, sharing and human interaction weave the threads of a sociocultural fabric we can all call our own. Latest addition to the Bon Débarras trad trio, Véronique performs also in several other significant projects: Beaton-Plasse, Les Commandos Trad, Barbo and Hurlevent.

Dates: May 10 – 12, 2024

Locations:

Contois Auditorium, 149 Church Street Burlington, VT 05408
Burlington Farmers Market, 345 Pine Street, Burlington, VT 05401

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