Members of the Back Row Gang have been invited to perform during the break at the music nights at Owl’s Head Farm which start around 6 pm. The group will play sometime around 7 pm for about 15 minutes!

The Back Row Gang put on a stellar performance at the Owl’s Head Blueberry Farm during Hot Pickin’ Party’s break. Thanks Rachel, Waylon, and all your family for inviting us and thanks to Viva, Morgan, Henry, Tai, Waylon, and Arin for your wonderful musical gift to the audience! Photo by Christine White

You have to come out to Owl’s Head Farm on one of their concert nights and enjoy the exceptional experience of being able to dance to incredible music while you pick berries!

FRENCH HERITAGE DAY in WINOOSKI

This is a fun annual event in Winooski. John and Sarah have performed with them many times. We won’t be this year but plan to go! Not sure about this years music but Ann Whiting will be there to teach some clogging steps!

French Heritage Day - Downtown Winooski

Summer lessons will be on Thursdays and Fridays. 9:30 am to noon and 3 - 6 pm. The schedule will be made available in early May, though there will likely be open spots all summer. This is a great time for special summer enrichment for those who are new to the fiddle and banjo and would like to try it out just for the summer! Since spots are limited in the fall, and in high demand, priority will be given to those enrolled in summer lessons for fall spots, so it is especially important to keep going over the summer! We will work around your vacation and camp schedule!

Sarah and friends join the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra’s performance in Jeffersonville, VT at the Visions of Vermont Art Gallery Opening.

On Sunday, June 2nd, Sarah and John will be attending the Northeast Fiddler’s Association Meet in Montpelier, Vermont along with their friend and traditional Vermont fiddler, Sandy Kerin-Weaver. We will be inviting any of our students along who’d like to come try it out for the day. We could all play at once, and anyone who would like would also be welcome to sign up for their own spot. Typically participants play three tunes and audience members dance or listen. Youths are welcome to play just one tune if they prefer. If you are interested, let me know so that I can help you prepare!

NEFA History

  In 1964, Goddard College of Plainfield, VT sponsored a fiddle contest under the direction of Ray McIntyre who was the music teacher at that time.  Clem Myers of South Barre attended that contest along with his wife, Ginny.  Clem, a well known and respected musician in the area, had laid down his fiddle years prior to raise his family, and when asked to participate, Clem had to borrow a fiddle to do so.  However, the contest awakened his dormant love of the fiddle, and he became the driving force behind the birth of the Northeast Fiddlers Assoc.

Bob Slora, also of Barre and a friend of Clem, had asked Clem to play at various functions around the State.  At this same time, a young man named Bob Clarke of Middle Hadden, CT was a student at Goddard College, and he was writing a paper on the topic of “Promoting and preserving the art of old time fiddling.”  He contacted Clem to help him start a fiddle club.  The object was to get fiddlers together once a month to play, exchange tunes and provide a good time for the entire family. Clem and Bob Slora diligently worked at this project and were very successful in recruiting fiddlers all by word of mouth.

On December 16, 1965 the Northeast Fiddlers Association was granted a charter, and they incorporated into a non-profit organization. Monthly meetings immerged in town halls and grange halls in small towns such as Hardwick, Wolcott and Adamant with an early membership of 50.  After a fiddle meeting in the Hardwick American Legion in 1965 Clem called a business meeting, and the officers were elected. Clem Myers was elected President, Rene Peloquin elected Vice President, Frank Grow elected Secretary, and Ray McIntyre was elected Treasurer.  Thus the Northeast Fiddlers Assoc. was born.

The weekend of May 28, 1966 was our first two day festival. A full-fledged show was staged on Friday night. Saturday afternoon was spent at the concert followed by a supper and then public dancing at the  Woodbury School in the evening. In 1967 the club presented our two day  contest in Middlebury where many college students participated. It was  also our first exposure to television cameras.

In 1968 the club moved the contest to Montpelier and to the first  weekend in October. It drew such a large audience that we were forced to  move to the Barre Municipal Auditorium in 1972 and to the 3rd weekend in September. The contests ran through 2008, and during that  time we had many distinguished guest fiddlers to entertain us during  intermissions. The first being Graham Townshend of Ontario, Canada in  1971 who was the  Champion Trick & Fancy Fiddler at that time.   Other entertainers were Ivan Hicks, also from Canada and then later on  Graham made many appearances along with his wife Eleanor who was an  accomplished fiddler in her own right. This was the Annual National Old  Time Fiddlers and Step Dancers’ Contest. Step dancing was added in 1982  as a related art.  In 1995 the Vermont Champion fiddle division was  added to the program.  The contest was selected several times by the  Vermont Chamber of Commerce as one of the Top Ten Fall Events in the  State of Vermont. The first Old Time Fiddlers’ Week was proclaimed by  Governor Howard Dean for the week of September 24 – 30, 2000. In 2008  the yearly contests ended due to lack of participants and financial  constraints.

In retrospect, let us thank those 20 fiddlers who gave us our first  concert:  Clem Myers, Frank Rekman, Fletcher MacIntyre, Elroy (Ted)  Hedges, Florence Weed, Wilfred Guilette, Raymond Anair, Frank Grow, Neal  Converse, Wessel Lafoe, Carl, Rene Peloquin, Dennis Clofford, Tom  Azarian, Bill Royer, Ozzie Ploof, Louis Beaudoin, Rene Guimond and Allen  Chertok.

We have been very fortunate to grow to a membership of over 500.   There are now several very good young fiddlers coming along who will  carry on this tradition and hopefully they will enjoy the association as  much as we old timers have and still do.  The association is still  strong, with excellent attendance and a number of very good fiddlers.

The yearly dues started out at $1.00 back in 1965 and are now only  $15.00, $18.00 for Canadians. Our membership now, in 2019, is  considerably down from that high of over 500 during the contest years,  and we are actively trying to increase it.

Written by Lu-Ann (Grow) Mashia in 2014 for the 50th anniversary. 

This is the last day for Sarah’s students who are on the school year calendar. Make sure you sign up for summer lessons at the beginning of May!

NOTE: Friday afternoon students will meet on the first week of June for their last school year lesson.

We will gather outdoors in Sarah’s yard and share tunes and jam with family members and friends. Picnics and snacks will be encouraged. Enjoy the park across the street for Frisbee, Tennis, or the playground! We will also have our Maypole!

The Third Saturday of May is annual World Fiddle Day and we will be hosting a very informal jam session and musicale on my yard between 2 - 4 pm.  Rain date will be Sunday, May19 from 11 - 1 pm.  Here is what you need to know:

1.  Please RSVP so that I know you plan to come. If I don't get enough 'yes' confirmations, I'll need to cancel or modify so I do need to know if you intend to come for some or all of it. 

2.  You may arrive any time during the event but I will plan sort of a rough outline of a schedule:

2:00   Sharing of tunes either individually or as a group (whoever can play the tunes).  All ages and adult students welcomed.  Bring a picnic if you like!

3:15   May Pole practice!  We'll need a band once we get it going! We'll see who wants to volunteer for that and come up with a common tune on the spot.

​3.  Here is the list of things you'd need to know or bring:

your instruments

music stand and book for group tunes

a picnic if you would like, or snacks and beverages

blanket to sit on or lawn chairs

sun protection for your skin and eyes and shoes required for your safety

anything else you think you need!

The park across the street has porta potty, too. and a playground if you need to take restless children over there.

Please stay only on the back yard at my house and do not explore in the woods or other side of the house as there could be things unsafe for children like broken glass in the woods, or gas tanks and fishhooks by the boat for example.​

There​ ​is likely to be soccer across the street which will take up parking places in front of our house. You may need to park a distance.  If anyone will be with someone that needs to park close let me know so that I can make room in my driveway for them.

​If I think of anything else I'll let you know! Let me know if you have any questions.

—Sarah

BELOW ARE IMAGES BY KELLY ADAMS AND SARAH HOTCHKISS FROM A SUCCESSFUL WRAPPING AT THE MMUUF FELLOWSHIP BARN IN JERICHO, LED BY SARAH HOTCHKISS OF GREEN STAR PLAYHOUSE

Fiddleheads and The Back Row Gang (Some of Sarah and John’s students) will be performing!

Sarah’s cousin’s son, Hans Williams is on tour and playing in Vermont! Sarah is unabashidly pleased that she noticed his exceptional talent at age five when he put together a percussion instrument with a pot lid and rubber band. She was so impressed with the rhythms that he created that she instantly recommended to her aunt and cousin encourage and support any music instruction he was willing to have. Her aunt bought him a ukulele that summer and the rest is history! Check out his website to get the full story!

Born and raised in Vermont, independent singer-songwriter Hans Williams grew up listening to the likes of Al Green, Tracy Chapman, Steely Dan, and James Brown – all favorites of his parents. After moving to New Orleans for school, he now calls the city home, continually finding inspiration from its deep-rooted musical scene. Crafting music as a form of personal catharsis, Williams channels his emotions into each composition, aiming to provide solace and resonance for others who connect with his work. With his signature raspy vocals that cut deep and a guitar always at the core of his production, his DIY approach to indie-folk music has connected with audiences worldwide.

Amassing over 65 million streams to date, Williams has found success with singles like “All Is Well,” “Checklist,”, and “Willows,” all racking up millions of streams and propelling the rising artist’s career. Garnering attention from the likes of Billboard and 2022 Ones to Watch, while landing editorial support across streaming platforms, Williams introduced his first single of the year, “Skin,” as he builds anticipation for the release of his debut EP, expected later this year.

John and I would like to encourage any of our audience to attend this concert. Two of Sarah’s previous students (Fiona and Emmett) that were passed on to Pete Sutherland will be performing that night. Also, years ago Pete Sutherland invited John and Sarah, among others, to share the Farmer’s Night stage with him for which we were truly grateful. Sarah and John also performed at this venue two other times; once with the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra and once with their duo, High-Low-Jack. If you haven’t been to one of these concerts you should go. It’s truly a Vermont experience!

“The Farmers Night Concert Series is a longstanding State House tradition which goes back over 100 years to a time when lawmakers entertained themselves in the House Chamber mid-week while away from home.  Artists from around the state, in genres ranging from classical music to bluegrass to spoken word, perform in the well of the House Chamber each Wednesday night at 7:30 during the legislative session.”

April 17: Concert honoring the late Pete Sutherland

A leader of traditional and Americana music, Pete Sutherland touched and inspired many in Vermont and internationally through his composing, playing, mentoring and teaching. We will be joined by musicians who were friends, fans, students, collaborators, admirers and more to celebrate and pay tribute to this beloved Vermont artist. Some of the guest musicians include:

Lee Blackwell, Jim Burns, Patti Casey, Grey Larsen and Cindy Kallet, Tom MacKenzie, Oliver Scanlon, Fiona and Emmett Stowell, Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman

Students of Sarah Hotchkiss will perform with the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra (Founded by Sarah in 2003) for their spring concert. This concert is by donation. It will be a very enjoyable concert!

Sarah’s students will perform with Presto. This is a free concert and very short so it is an excellent one to bring your young children to!

Sarah’s students will perform with Fiddleheads at the Irish Heritage Festival in Burlington, Vermont

Seven of Sarah’s former students and one of John’s current students, Mae Dery, will perform at their first concert for the Young Tradition Vermont Young Touring Group at the Starksboro Meeting House in Starksboro, Vermont. Free, donations accepted!

Sarah and John will be featured in the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra’s 20th anniversary concert.

Our 20th Anniversary Winter Concert will be performed Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Barre Opera House at 7 pm. Save the date!

Traditional music that makes you want to dance and sing is uplifting and uniting, especially in times of hardship.  Admission is by donation with proceeds going to Barre and Montpelier Flood Relief.

Sarah Hotchkiss, who founded the VFO, the first statewide fiddle orchestra, will be the guest soloist.  She will be accompanied by her husband, John Mowad, who composed the tunes they will play with the orchestra, including “Veefer Swing #2” which he wrote for the orchestra’s 10th  anniversary.

The orchestra will also honor its previous director, David Kaynor, by performing several of his tunes.   David took over when Sarah retired in 2013, helping to grow the orchestra to approximately 50 active musicians at any one time.  Susan Reid joined the orchestra soon after David, her friend and mentor, became the orchestra’s musical director.  When his health made it harder for David to always lead the orchestra, Susan stepped up as Assistant Music Director.  The concert will feature 3 lively tunes composed by Susan as well, including an aptly named walking tune “Warm in Winter”.

Peter Macfarlane was so appreciated as the VFO guest artist in 2019 that he was asked to be the Music Director in 2020. His good humor and technical abilities with Zoom kept the orchestra together virtually during the Covid pandemic until we could play together again. The orchestra will play several of Peter’s compositions, including a Rag he has written for the orchestra’s 20th Anniversary Concert entitled “To Twenty More”.

Would you like to know more about the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra? Here is a link to the documentary celebrating the VFO’s first ten years. Here is a link to the first live concert that the VFO was able to play after the pandemic started in December of 2021 under the direction of Peter MacFarlane.

Luke Donforth Caller

Maeve Fairfax and Brian Perkins, musicians

Family Dance | The Mad Robin Callers Collective