Evan Premo

MARQUETTE — The Beethoven and Banjos music festival will be held during through Sunday, with community concerts at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Houghton at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts (on Michigan Tech campus); at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Marquette at the Forest Roberts Theatre (on Northern Michigan University campus) and at 2 p.m.. Sunday at the Crystal Theatre in Crystal Falls.

The Rozsa Center performance will also be live streamed and available for viewing on the Rozsa Center and Beethoven and Banjos Facebook pages.

In true Beethoven and Banjos form, the festival brings together world class folk and traditional artists with world class classical music artists.

The special musical guests this year include the outstanding Owen Dalby (principal violinist with the St. Lawrence String Quartet), amazing violist Meena Bhasin (co-founder of Decoda, the affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall), award-winning banjoist, fiddler, singer and ethnomusicologist Jake Blount, and One of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” traditional dancer Nic Gareiss.

These phenomenal musicians along with Evan Premo (bassist and artistic director) and Laurel Premo (fiddle and guitar) will present combinations of banjo, fiddle and percussive dance, with traditional classical, and contemporary music. The program will include a world premiere by Laurel Premo celebrating the call of the loon.

The Beethoven and Banjos music festival is sponsored by Northwoods Music Collaborative with generous donations from Michigan Arts and Culture Council and National Endowment for the Arts, as well as many generous individuals and businesses.

Because of this, the events are offered to communities as “come as you are, pay what you can.” Northwoods Music Collaborative also sponsors special music programs for schools. This May programs were held for schools in Houghton, Baraga, Iron and Marquette counties.

For more information and details about this festival, visit: www.beethovenandbanjos.org or find the Beethoven and Banjos Facebook page.