2026 Grove and Night Concert Entertainment Lineup
2026 Schedule Rev B Text file to copy/paste
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Mari Black
http://mariblack.com/
Called “one of the brightest fiddlers around today” (Brian O’Donovan, WGBH radio), multistyle violinist and champion fiddler MARI BLACK delights audiences around the world with her energetic playing, sparkling stage presence, and dazzlingly virtuosic fiddling. Raised on a rich blend of traditional musical styles, Mari burst onto the international stage when she became Scotland’s Glenfiddich Fiddle Champion, 2-time U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, and 2-time Canadian Maritime Fiddle Champion, all within a three-year period. Ever since then, she has been spreading her love for dance-based music, performing as a featured artist at performing arts centers, Celtic festivals, Scottish Highland Games, celebrated folk venues, world music concert series, and acclaimed classical venues including Carnegie Hall. She can even be heard (and seen!) in the award-winning video game BioShock: Burial at Sea. Mari has appeared with such diverse artists as Irish fiddle master Liz Carroll, Americana master Mark O’Connor, and jazzman Willie Ruff, and been featured on the BBC Radio Scotland, Fox and CBS morning news, and NPR’s “Here and Now.” She has played concerts in Brazil, Scotland, Canada, China, Korea, Zimbabwe, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, and France…and she can’t wait for the next stop! Currently touring nationally with her trio, Mari’s favorite thing to do is sweep audiences away on a spirited musical adventure featuring dance music from around the globe: Celtic, American, and Canadian fiddling, jazz, tango, klezmer, folk, original works, and more!
Nick Hudson
Nick Hudson teaches piping at St. Thomas’ Episcopal School in Houston, Texas. He holds a BFA in Music Performance from Carnegie-Mellon University, where he studied under Alasdair Gillies and Jimmy McIntosh. He currently receives tuition from Mike Cusack.
Nick’s solo piping highlights include the Clasp, Gold Medal, A MSR, B MSR, and Overall Quaich at the Northern Meeting; 3rd Overall at the Glenfiddich; the Silver Medal at the Argyllshire Gathering; the London Ram’s Head Snuff Mull for A-Grade Piobaireachd; twice the Overall A-Grade Winner at the SPSL Contest in London; the Braemar Gold Medal; the Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal (Canada); the US Piping Foundation Overall, Piobaireachd, and MSR on multiple occasions; the Gold Medal MSR at Winter Storm; the Kemble Star for Marches and Peter MacFarquhar Star for Strathspeys & Reels at Skye Gathering in Portree; overall winner of The Livingstone Invitational; and overall winner of The Metro Cup. Nick has recorded a BBC “Pipeline” session and has played at the Piobaireachd Society’s annual recital in Edinburgh, and the Capt—John MacLellan Memorial Medal Competition-Recital in Edinburgh.
Aside from piping, Nick enjoys bicycling and has cycled coast-to-coast across the United States. He resides in Houston with his wife, Amanda, and their son, Alan.
https://www.sevennations.com/
The band that has meant so much to so many is back at Grove 2 for each day as well as Friday night. Kirk McLeod has composed a new song specifically for the Games as he says GMHG “has affected my life in so many ways”. There will be participation from many of the former members of the band over the last 31 years and the new recording project has been bringing them back for this new studio recording.
Seven Nations first performed at Grandfather Mountain in 1994, and members of the band have played here as children and teenagers since the 1970’s. Since that time, Seven Nations has interjected a new life and energy into Celtic music in America that had not yet been seen or heard before. They strongly consider this place a home and are extremely excited about returning again for the full weekend in 2026 celebrating their 31 years and the many pipers, fiddlers, and drummers who have played in the band over that time.
Here are the lyrics for the song:
This Place
Written by Kirk McLeod (c) 2025
This place
More than just another space
This place
Is where we learn to live
Learn to love this way
Although we might be displaced
We will not be disgraced
We will find
A way back home
Way back home to this place
These hills
They protect us here and still
Hold our secrets close
And keep our love alive
Speak to the young and to the old
To the meek and to the bold
The outcast the weak and strong
And those of us
Who are left to carry on
Can you see it now
It’s written in this rain
Can you feel it now
It’s stronger than the pain
Can you hear her now
Her voice is sweet and strong
Her words beckon you with grace
They say come back home
Back home to this place
Back home to this place
SEAN HEELY BAND
https://www.seanheely.com/
https://youtu.be/CzcvrVYNBr8
Get swept away by the irresistible energy of the Seán Heely Celtic Band (SHCB)! With a powerful blend of ancient melodies from Scotland and Ireland, vibrant rhythms from Galicia and Brittany, and original modern compositions, SHCB creates a rich musical journey through the Celtic world. Their groove and drive will have audiences of all ages tapping their feet and dancing in their seats. The band’s performances are woven with engaging historical narratives, creating a deep connection to the traditions they celebrate. Featuring powerful vocal harmonies and an ever-growing repertoire including many newly composed songs that are innovative within the tradition. From Scots Gaelic (Gàidhlig) ballads, sea shanties, pub songs, and fiery fiddle and bagpipe tunes —SHCB brings the timeless spirit of Celtic folk music to life. Led by U.S National Scottish Fiddle and Gàidhlig singing champion Seán Heely, the band is comprised of musicians of exceptional caliber. The ensemble explores the rich space between traditional Celtic roots and modern musical expression, creating a sound that is both deeply rooted and vibrantly contemporary.
Brothers McLeod
Brothers McLeod, David and Michael, are a South Carolina-based duo who grew up in Greenwood, South Carolina and began performing together in 2014. David has played the bagpipes since age 12, and Michael since age 9. Both brothers have competed at Highland games throughout the eastern United States as soloists and with bands, and both have been part of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games tradition since 2014. In addition to the bagpipes, Michael also plays guitar and whistle, and both brothers sing, bringing traditional melodies and close vocal harmonies to their performances. David, along with his wife Hannah, now lives in Pendleton, South Carolina, where he serves as a Research Assistant Professor at Clemson University, while Michael lives in Charleston and is a third-year dental student at MUSC. Their repertoire blends traditional Scottish and Irish pipe tunes, traditional folk ballads, and original songs, pairing strong piping roots with a broad and engaging musical style. Brothers McLeod brings together competition-honed musicianship, family harmony, and a deep love of traditional music.
Émigré
Website: https://www.sarosings.com/performances-and-workshops/emigre/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtpcpndxEFc&t=4s
Émigré began in the fall of 2016 in Johnson City, Tennessee, when Austin Gregory (guitar, bouzouki) and Saro Lynch-Thomason (vocals, shruti box) began to combine their diverse musical talents and experiences with their love for the traditional music of Ireland and Scotland. In 2023 the band welcomed Megan Drollinger as fiddler. Today Émigré performs a variety of music tracing the diaspora of the Irish and Scots across the ocean to North America. Their repertoire includes ballads and fiddle tunes from Great Britain and Ireland, songs from the French-speaking regions of Canada, and melodies familiar in Appalachia and the North Atlantic alike. The band’s name comes from the dispersal of people, ideas, and music that resulted from centuries of emigration from Ireland and Scotland and the unique music that has resulted as these were combined with others from a world away. The sound of Émigré is characterized by the rich vocal melodies sung in Scots-Gaelic, French, and English, dynamic fiddle playing, and driving guitar accompaniment. E-mail Saro at blairpathways@gmail.com to inquire about bookings!
Ed Miller Trio
ttps://songsofscotland.com/
https://jilchambless.weebly.com/
http://scootermuse.com/
Ed Miller
Chambless and Muse
Ed Miller first learned his craft in the pubs and clubs of Edinburgh during the folk revival days of the 1960’s and his repertoire shows the width of that movement. From old traditional ballads and timeless songs of Robert Burns to contemporary songs of urban change, emigration, nationalism and humor, a performance by Ed Miller gives a real taste of Scotland and shows his continuing love and knowledge of his homeland.
Scooter Muse has his roots in Bluegrass and is an award-winning 5-string banjo player. In the late 1980s he moved into the world of Celtic guitar and then founded the band Full Moon Ensemble, performing for 8 years across the US and in Scotland before joining with Jil’s band, Henri’s Notions, in 2003. Scooter’s first solo recording of original guitar in- strumentals, Saddell Abbey (2005), was purchased by the Scottish Tourist Board in Kintyre. He is also the music director of the Belle Mont Celtic Festival each mid-May in Tuscumbia AL.
Jil Chambless has the widest breadth of knowledge and the most powerful female voice of any American touring Scottish Festivals today. She has numerous albums to her name and was at the bedside of Flora MacDonald Gammon in her last days. Jil is a mathematics professor at the University of Alabama.
Jil also sings to begin the Thursday Torchlight Ceremony and in 2020 composed an anthem for the Games which we invite you to sing with us just before the Torchlight begins:
Come All Ye to the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games – Jil Chambless (2020)
Come all ye clans, ye regal pipe bands
Dancers and athletes too
We’ll gather again on the mountain so grand
With friends both old and new
From far and near, friends gather here
Each year in mid-July
Welcome my friend, good to see you again
Here on the mountain high
STRATHSPAN www.StrathSpan.com
Strath: noun, Scottish
a wide valley
Span: verb
to stretch or extend across, over or around
The music of StrathSpan starts with traditional pipe and fiddle tunes from the Scottish highlands and islands, with occasional forays into Irish, Scandinavian, and Breton traditions. The repertoire extends from ancient to contemporary, ranging from soulful airs and elegant strathspeys to lively jigs and reels.
StrathSpan brings innovative arrangements to the tunes, layering melodies, harmonies and rhythms to create a rich musical tapestry. The resulting music spans centuries and continents, evoking the timeless sensations of heartbeat and laughter, waves and sea creatures, joyous dance, and ancient ceremony.
StrathSpan is Nora Garver on fiddle, Julia Weatherford on cello, and Cathleen Nixon on Scottish small pipes and fiddle.
Nora is a longtime Celtic fiddler with a deep love of Scottish fiddle music. She is a multiple-time regional Scottish fiddle competition winner in Virginia and North Carolina and has competed in the National Scottish Fiddle Championships. in 2001, she co-founded the Triad Scottish Fiddlers & Friends music club in Winston-Salem, NC, where she fostered a welcoming community of players and led it for 14 years. After moving to Asheville, NC, Nora taught violin and fiddle at Musicians Workshop for 5 years and shared her passion for traditional music as an instructor of Beginning Fiddle at The Swannanoa Gathering’s Fiddle Week for two years. She helped establish a music session for Scottish players and leads it monthly at a local brewery.
Julia is a veteran performer on both cello and fiddle with notable performing groups that range from The Asheville Symphony to the world fusion Akira Satake Band. In the contra dance world, Julia is known as a driving old-time fiddler and grooving cellist in bands such as Far Horizons, Fly by Night and Sugar High. She was the artistic director of the legendary Black Mountain Festival in its early years, and more recently, spent many years at the Swannanoa Gathering as the Logistics Director and the Fiddle Week Coordinator.
Cathleen grew up in a piping household and began piping lessons with her father P/M Sandy Jones, at age 8. She was busy at Scottish games as a kid, competing in both solo piping and pipe band contests in addition to highland dancing. She started playing pipe tunes on the fiddle as an adult and transitioned many fiddle tunes to the small pipes. When not at her day job as a nurse practitioner, she loves the joy of playing music with Nora and Julia! She also actively teaches piping to young people and strives to keep her father’s legacy alive administering the North American Academy of Piping and Drumming in Valle Crucis, NC which has been held each summer since 1970.
strathspan.com (http://strathspan.com/)
photo credit: Steven Joiner
TUNE SHEPHERDS
The Tune Shepherds, a trio of Asheville musicians with flute, fiddle, and guitar, delight in finding and arranging older Scottish instrumental music.
This mostly 17th & 18th C. music was published in dozens of folios—interesting and unusualmelodies that the Shepherds bring to 21st C. listeners. You might hear something from Aberdeenshire reminiscent of a gypsy camp; or fiddle music from Perthshire with Beatlesquemelody lines; or perhaps a flowing harp tune honoring Clan Gordon. Nothing commonplace here.
Time spent with The Tune Shepherds—flute player and maker Chris Abell; country dance fiddler Michael Garner; and Grammy winning guitarist Bruce Nemerov—is time spent discovering an old world of sound made new.
VOICES OF VALVERDA Website: https://voicesofvalverda.com/
The Voices of Valverda are a family of female Celtic singers/songwriters from Appalachia. Raised on folk and Celtic music, singers and sisters Deena and Dixie lead with both delicate and powerful vocals, accompanied by cousin Jenna Ann on guitar. Tying in the history of Appalachian folk songs with where they originated from: Scotland and Ireland, the Voices of Valverda cover a wide range of traditional and original Celtic music right from the roots.
Colin Shoemaker
A product of the Charlotte celtic music scene, Colin Shoemaker has been steeped in the tradition of celtic wind instruments his entire life. He is self taught on Irish Flute, Pennywhistle, and the Breton Bombarde, and incoporates aspects of multiple interceltic traditions in his playing. Colin has played festivals and hosted sessions throughout the southeast, and was privileged to be part of a partial reunion tour of the band Touchstone with Claudine Langille and Zan McLeod. For several years Colin has been a familiar yet fleeting face at GMHG as a volunteer, piloting a golf cart and ferrying musicians and their gear to and from their sets, and is now looking forward to sharing his own music with the games.
WIll MacMorran
https://www.willmacmorran.com/
Will MacMorran is a multi-talented musician, audio engineer, and educator based in Johnson City, TN. Will has had the honor of touring with The Chieftains as their guitar player the past few years and has spent the last 15 years touring nationally and internationally with well known artists in the celtic, pop, and country genres. Will started piping at a young age and quickly added the guitar, whistles, accordion, and bouzouki among other instruments to his skill set. Will toured with Celtic rock pioneers Seven Nations for 10 years on bagpipes. In addition, Will currently teaches in East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies Program and is the Department Head of Entertainment Technology at Northeast State Community College.
Will released his 2025 album of 23 original tunes and 7 new traditional arrangements entitled Smallpipes Big Tunes
Rosalind Buda https://rosalindbuda.com/
Rosalind holds an MM from The New England Conservatory of Music where she studied bassoon performance with Boston Symphony principal Richard Svoboda. She studied with Benjamin Coelho at the University of Iowa where she earned her BM.
Rosalind performs with symphonies and ensembles across the Southeast and has appeared at festivals and concerts throughout the US. Praised for her “powerful and sensuous tone” and “sumptuous lyricism”, Rosalind connects audiences to the beauty and depth of her music.
