Laura Boosinger and Josh Goforth. Photo by Tom Watts
Acclaimed traditional musicians Laura Boosinger and Josh Goforth will take the stage at a Friends of Music presentation on Sunday, February 19, at Flat Rock’s Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness, at 4 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public, with no reservations required.
“This program of traditional folk music is unique in that all of our concerts since the Friends of Music series inception in 2014 have consisted of choral and classical music performed by aspiring university music students and professional singers and instrumentalists,” says the church’s organist and music director Dewitt Tipton. “Laura and Josh will offer a change of pace and a real toe-tapping afternoon of fun.”
Boosinger’s concert performances and recordings have earned her a reputation as one of NC’s most talented singers and interpreters of the music of the southern mountains. She performs regionally at conventions, festivals, workshops and family concerts as well as abroad and plays a variety of traditional stringed instruments including old-time banjo, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer and fingerstyle autoharp. She also gives school performances and workshops geared toward a variety of age levels and teaches and leads old-time shaped-note singing. She is the host of the WNCW-FM podcast Down the Road, highlighting bluegrass and old-time music, stories, performers and traditions of the WNC mountains and foothills.
Josh Goforth is a highly accomplished musician, acclaimed fiddler, guitar picker, mandolin player and storyteller from Madison County. He has toured extensively with a variety of ensembles, including the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass Pride Band, David Holt, Boosinger and with several bluegrass bands including Appalachian Trail, the Josh Goforth Trio, the Steep Canyon Rangers and Open Road. In 2000, 2003 and 2005, he was named Fiddler of the Festival at Fiddler’s Grove and, after winning the third title, was designated Master Fiddler and retired from that competition. He has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.
In 2009 he was nominated for a GRAMMY for his album with David Holt titled Cutting Loose. He is on faculty at the Academy for the Arts in Asheville and performs all over the world.
“It’s always a treat for Josh and I to play together in our own community,” says Boosinger. ”We are looking forward to introducing the audience to some traditional North Carolina music.”
The concert will be held in the church parish house at 1905 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock. Queries may be directed to the church at StJohnFlatRock.org or 828.693.9783. For more details or to sample music, visit LauraBoosinger.com.
