Latest news with #LowellFolkFestival
Boston Globe
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Fill your playlist (and your plate) with the best of the Lowell Folk Festival
As you plan your journey around the globe, check out a few of the festival's musical highlights, who will each perform multiple times over the course of the weekend. If you can't make it to Mill City, three of the four stages will be streamed live via Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Solas Anna Colliton Solas Reviewing the 1994 Lowell Folk Festival, the late Boston Globe folk critic Scott Alarik marveled at a one-off Irish music group put together by multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan and his ability to 'wonderfully bind ancient traditions to new sounds and ideas.' He added that the 'superb' fiddler Winifred Horan's 'intricately percussive stepdancing' was a constant show-stopper. Advertisement The group went over so well in Lowell that by the next year it had become a band called Solas, which would become one of the most important Celtic music acts of the 21st century. Solas are on a 30th anniversary reunion tour that includes originals Egan, Horan, and accordionist John Williams. Other Lowell favorites making encore appearances this year include Chicago's electric blues guitar marvel Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials, and BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, the band that spearheaded the Cajun music renaissance. Angkor Dance Troupe Angkor Dance Troupe Reamker Lowell is home to the nation's second largest Cambodian-American community, and the city's heralded On Saturday, in addition to performing at Boarding House Park, members of the troupe will participate in the 'From Courtly to Contest: Centuries of Dance' workshop at the Richard K. and Nancy L. Donahue Stage at St. Anne's Churchyard. The session will also include Solas member Kevin Doyle and the dazzling flamenco duo Los Ricos, who were Advertisement Bamba Wassoulou Groove Lowell is also home to a diverse and vibrant African community. The city hosts a three-day African festival every June, and the Cameroonian Lowell will also present the first area appearance by Bamba Wassoulou Groove, a thunderous Malian outfit that boasts twin electric guitars and a magnetic frontman, Ousmane Diakité. They're such a perfect fit for the dance floor that they're playing the Rockland Trust Bank Dance Pavilion twice. On Saturday afternoon, the band is part of a workshop at the Saab Family Foundation Stage at Market Street called 'Dance to the Music: South America to South Asia' with Red Baraat and the two Latin acts on the lineup: Colombian cumbia accordionist Yeison Landero and a salsa orquesta led by singer Edwin Perez. Oghlan Bakhshi Over its 38 years, the Lowell Folk Festival has often featured traditions that are rarely heard in New England. This year's hidden treasure will be the sounds of Turkmen, the historically nomadic ethnic group found in the steppes of Turkmenistan, as well as parts of Iran and Afghanistan. Oghlan Bakhshi grew up a child prodigy in Iran — his stage name means 'child bard' — and has been on a mission to bring Turkmen music to the rest of the world. Now a graduate student at Brown, Oghlan Bakhshi is bringing this musical heritage to American stages, where it hasn't been heard in decades. Advertisement He'll be joined by Zyyada Jumayeva, who also strums the two-stringed dutar and sings Turkmen bardic ballads from a woman's perspective. Sunday's 'Generations in Tune' workshop will feature a combination that could only be found at the Lowell Folk Festival: Oghlan Bakhshi, Boston gospel treasures the Oghlan Bakhshi (center) Courtesy of the artist Ricardo Parreira & Friends Fado, the mournful tavern ballads of Portugal, LOWELL FOLK FESTIVAL Throughout downtown Lowell, July 25-27. Free.
Associated Press
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
2025 Lowell Folk Festival Announces First Group of Performers
Cajun Legend BeauSoleil, Irish Favorites Solas, Blues Rockers Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials and others to Play Free Multi-Stage Fest July 25th-27th 'The Lowell Folk Festival has celebrated folk music from around the world for nearly 40 years. Musicians from North and South America, Europe and Asia will share traditions on multiple stages Lowell.'— Art Sutcliffe, Chairman of the Lowell Festival Foundation LOWELL, MA, UNITED STATES, April 16, 2025 / / -- The 2025 Lowell Folk Festival has announced the first group of artists scheduled to perform at one of America's most popular free summer events. With folk music traditions that span the globe, world class musicians will bring the world to Downtown Lowell July 25-27 on stages throughout the Mill City. 'The Lowell Folk Festival has celebrated the extraordinary spectrum of folk music from around the world for nearly 40 years,' said Art Sutcliffe, Chairman of the Lowell Festival Foundation. 'Musicians from Louisiana to Ireland, Colombia to Chicago, Spain to Quebec, and more will share traditions on multiple stages throughout downtown Lowell.' BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, who played the Lowell Folk Festival in 1989 and again in 1996, is celebrating their 50th anniversary and is back to share the 'beautiful sunshine' of their unique and irresistible celebration of Louisiana's Cajun music; Cécilia brings joy and virtuosity to the rich Québécois and Celtic music of Eastern Canada; Crooked Road Revival pays homage to the Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail and the vibrant music of the region, including bluegrass, old-time, and gospel. Embodying classic Chicago blues, one of the most thrilling and iconic sounds in American music, Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials have been called 'the world's #1 house-rockin blues band.' LOS RICOS featuring Sonia & Ismael, the 'golden couple' of flamenco, transmit the intimacy, grace, power, and emotional intensity of flamenco. With its huge brass band sound anchored in the traditional rhythms of the Punjabi dhol, Red Baraat delivers an unparalleled immersion in the sounds of the South Asian diaspora, infused with the sounds of Bollywood, jazz, and hip hop. Solas, hailed as 'the finest Celtic ensemble this country has ever produced,' has been a galvanizing force in the Irish music scene since they got their start at the 1994 Lowell Folk Festival. Solas officially became a group in 1995, and founding members Seamus Egan, Winifred Horan, and John Williams are joined by Nuala Kennedy and Alan Murray for this 30th anniversary tour. Inheriting the talent and energy of his grandfather, Andrés Landero—affectionately known as 'el rey de la cumbia' ('the king of cumbia')—Yeison Landero and his powerhouse band keep alive the classic Colombian cumbia sound and update it for the 21st century. The Lowell Folk Festival is more than just dozens of musical performances on four different stages over the festival's three-day schedule. Every year foods from around the world are prepared and served by local non-profits representing different cultures found in New England. This free, family-friendly festival hosts the Experience Lowell Marketplace in partnership with Mosaic Lowell, featuring area artists, craft makers, and organizations, enabling festival attendees to experience everything that Mill City's arts and culture community has to offer. Additional acts and other details on the festival will be announced in the coming weeks. has updated information regarding performers, activities, crafts, and food stands representing cuisines from around the world, as well as information on how to sponsor or be an exhibitor is available at the festival. The Lowell Folk Festival is produced by the Lowell Festival Foundation, City of Lowell, Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce, Greater Lowell Community Foundation, Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, Lowell National Historical Park, and National Council for the Traditional Arts. Major support for the Lowell Folk Festival comes from Saab Family Foundation/Saab Center for Portuguese Studies, Mass Cultural Council, Gate City Casino, Mass Office of Travel & Tourism, Lowell Cultural Council, Demoulas Foundation, F.W. Webb, Tito's Handmade Vodka, Quality Beverage, John Hunnewell Trust, Middlesex Community College, UMass Lowell, Mahoney Oil/Eastern Salt, Mosaic Lowell, Hilton Garden Inn Tewksbury Andover, Aubert Fay Foundation, Dylan & Pete's Ice Cream, Enterprise Bank, Joseph P. Donahue Charitable Foundation Trust, Suffolk Construction, LAZ Parking, Lowell Sun Charities, Albert E. J. Bergeron Insurance Agency, The Lowell Plan, The Lowell Development & Financial Corporation, Owl Stamp Visual Solutions, All Sports Heroes, Lowell Litter Krewe, Mark-One, 92.5 The River, Lowell Telecommunications Corporation (LTC), Chelmsford Telemedia, Fred C. Church Insurance, WCAP, Marte Media, and Mill City Weather. Folk Festival acknowledges the contributions from exhibitors: Cannabist, Lowell Humane Society, NRG, Renewal by Andersen, Reverie 73, United States Marine Corps, and Vinfen. Business sponsors include Athenian Corner, Brew'd Awakenings, Cobblestones, El Potro, Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union, La La Books, Lowell Memorial Auditorium, The Old Court, Washington Savings Bank, and Worthen House Cafe. For information about the 2025 Lowell Folk Festival, including how to sponsor or be an exhibitor, musical artists and schedules, and other programming, visit to stay posted on all updates for the 2025 Lowell Folk Festival. Adam R. Klein CK Communications Group Inc +1 617-504-6156 email us here Visit us on social media: Facebook X Instagram YouTube Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
