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Rachel will be giving a concert and a workshop for all fiddle-players.  Bring your instrument.

Inspired by her Norwegian roots, Rachel has built a career around her love of music, performance, teaching, and Scandinavian tradition. She earned her BA in Music and Norwegian from St. Olaf College in 2007, followed by a master’s degree in Violin Performance and K-12 Teaching Certificate from Central Washington University in 2011. Rachel completed additional studies in both classical and jazz violin at the Music Conservatory of the University of Stavanger, Norway, also using the opportunity to polish her Norwegian language skills. Although violin is her main jam, Rachel is an avid Hardanger Fiddler (the national folk instrument of Norway), an aspiring violist, an enthusiastic conductor, and a novice improv actor!

Rachel’s love of playing music includes her dedication to teaching. She absolutely loves coaching summer camps such as the Seattle Rock Orchestra Summer Intensive, Icicle Creek Summer Symphony, and Pipestone Music Camp. Always inspired to wear many different hats, she also conducts the West Seattle Community Orchestras’ Debut Symphony. The group is a fun, full orchestra that consists of players of all ages (youngest age 8 and oldest 80!) who have 1-3 years of experience playing their instruments.

Fellow Pynins is an award winning contemporary folk duo with a keen and bucolic sense of vocal harmony and song craft. The live performance is a whimsically emotional escapade through the chasms of our, yes, feelings.. Dashed with spontaneous and clever banter, mirth and woe, you will probably cry and quite possibly laugh, a lot. Wielding claw-hammer banjo, Irish bouzouki, mandolin, and acoustic guitar the duo sings predominantly original music as well as reworked traditional ballads gathered from their travels.

As a benefit for Soft Landing Missoula, John Floridis will perform fingerstyle acoustic guitar arrangements of traditional Christmas/Winter melodies, as well as original compositions, material from his two seasonal releases “December’s Quiet Joy” and “The Peaceful Season.” Floridis will also include seasonal vocal tunes, “songs of darkness and light,” both original and by other artists such as Bruce Cockburn, Patty Larkin, Storyhill, Ben Harper and John Gorka in the performance.

The songs feature lyrics speaking to the journey from darkness to light, seasonally, emotionally and spiritually.

Floridis will be joined by award winning percussionist Ed Stalling and the multi-talented Amelia Thornton of Missoula.

100% of proceeds collected at the concert will go to Soft Landing. The concert is sponsored by Clearwater Credit Union of Missoula.

The concerts welcome the audience to escape the frantic stress that too often pervades the holiday season and relax in an intimate listening environment with music to warm the heart and soul.

Floridis is a 25 year Missoula resident and has been recognized as one of the state’s most popular and respected musicians, having performed in a variety of venues, festivals and concert halls in support of his seven independently released CD’s. He has been featured on 11th and Grant with Eric Funk on Montana PBS, his episode winning several Emmy Awards and is also a multiple finalist in the International Acoustic Music Association awards. He is a multiple finalist for the International Acoustic Music Awards in the “Best Instrumental” category. Floridis is the host and producer of Musician’s Spotlight a weekly program on Montana Public Radio which has won back to back awards for Best Non-Commercial Program from the Montana Broadcasters Association.

Floridis will be performing a series of benefit concerts across the state this December with additional dates in Great Falls, Helena, Bozeman, two in Whitefish and four concerts in Missoula.

Songwriter Trio show! Three different writers/performers from three different parts of Montana team up to present an amazing show at the Longstaff House in Missoula on Monday, December 9^th! Don’t miss Montana Songwriters Christy Hays, John Dendy and Tom Catmull!

“Like Lucinda Williams in a Carhartt jacket, Christy Hays works rugged metaphors into emotionally charged country folk.” (Austin Chronicle). Christy Hays’ music has folk and country tinges, thoughtfully penned stories and a full band sound that is both driving alt country and moody folk rock. Christy Hays has released two full length albums and two EP’s since 2009.

“If you live in Montana, you might have seen John Dendy playing guitar in a cafe, or club, or bar. A big tall guy with an upright bass or guitar, playing songs that are a little bit out of the ordinary.” Clay Scott (Montana Public Radio)

Tom Catmull is a word enthusiast, for lack of a better term. They are the larger part of what makes his world go round. He’s spent the last twenty five years in his adopted hometown of Missoula, MT presenting words in ways to make them as alluring as possible to people who crave such things (and “ambushing” those who do not.). The tricks useful to achieving this end include infectious melodies, thoughtful arrangements, story telling, some finger picking and a clean shirt.

We’re very excited that Emory Lester will be returning to Longstaff House! Emory is one of this day’s foremost exponents of the acoustic mandolin. The power and attack of his mandolin playing are unmatched, and his sound is infectious.

His landmark mandolin-featured recording projects have placed him among the elite mandolinists of our time. His latest solo recording titled ‘At Dusk’ showcases Emory’s musical creativity, and skill as a mandolinist and multi-instrumentalist. Emory has undeniably inspired and influenced many of today’s current wave of modern day mandolinists, pointing the way with his clean, clear, fast and efficient mandolin techniques.

In addition to the show at 7pm, Emory will be teaching workshops in guitar and mandolin earlier in the day!

If you are interested in the workshops, give a call or contact Emory at: emorylester@outlook.com