North Country Strings concert March 19

DOVER-FOXCROFT — On Sunday, March 19 at 3 p.m. Susan Ramsey & The North Country Strings, as well as students of The North Country Strings Music Studio, will perform “A Program of “Fiddlehyms and Other Good Sacred Tunes” at the Center Theatre.
When one thinks of the north country of Maine, they might envision Thoreau’s Maine Woods; a place of monumental natural beauty and wildness … and the character of the people who live, work and play in the small towns that border this great forest. The music of Susan Ramsey & The North Country Strings has been shaped by this vast landscape, and this locally based acoustic ensemble enjoys performing traditional Christian music in original and energizing arrangements for music lovers all around the state of Maine.
A six to eight piece string band, this group features upright bass, cello, viola, violins/fiddles, guitars, bodhran, Irish whistle and chimes along with vocals in three and four part harmonies. Students of the North Country Strings Music Studio participate, so there may be as many as 12 to 14 fiddlers, (and one wee cellist), performing with the group. Members of The North Country Strings are Susan Ramsey, Peter McGuire, Deb Maynard, Anna McGuire, Ruth Fogg, Chelo McGuire, Caleb McGuire and Joshua McGuire.
This ensemble does two distinct live performance programs; the first is a seasonal show that features the music of Advent and Christmas. The second program is a nonseasonal “fiddlehymn” program that features arrangements of great old hymns done North Country Strings-style. The sources of these tunes are varied; old Protestant hymnals, Farmer’s Grange songbooks, selections from ancient chant, etc.
“It has been a labor of love to arrange these traditional pieces of music into a new groove … a North Country groove, and to celebrate our faith by sharing our music with audiences around the State of Maine and beyond,” Ramsey said.
For more information on the performance, please call 564-8943 or go to www.centertheatre.org. For more information on The North Country Strings, please contact Ramsey at 717-6022 or see the group’s Facebook page.