April Verch and Joe Newberry. Photo by Thomas Beck
The Madison County Arts Council presents Joe Newberry and April Verch at the Arts Center in Marshall for Holiday Cheer: Music of the Season, from Canada to the Ozarks, on Saturday, November 5, at 7:30 p.m.
“Joe and I began touring together in October 2016 and had so much fun that we decided to do a few shows around the holidays that same year,” says Verch. “The response was great and we both enjoyed it so much that we decided to make it an annual tradition.”
Each year their holiday program incorporates new tunes and songs they’ve written, as well as old favorites. The duo also likes to incorporate requests when there’s a song that has special meaning to audience members.
“We love to share originals alongside timeless classics and traditional material,” says Verch. “Regardless of the repertoire we choose, there is a nice mix of vocal selections, banjo and fiddle duets, and a dose of Ottawa Valley step dancing as well.”
The two veteran performers’ collaboration is fueled by their kindred passion for bringing people together to celebrate traditional music. Growing up, Newberry and Verch absorbed traditions of home and hearth: he, in the Missouri Ozarks, and she, in the Ottawa Valley of Canada. Newberry, who grew up in a family full of singers and dancers, took up the guitar and banjo as a teenager and learned fiddle tunes from great Missouri fiddlers. Verch grew up listening to her father’s country band play for dances in the Ottawa Valley. She started step dancing at age three and fiddling at age six. Both became masters of their traditions and now tour the world with their respective bands and projects.
The Madison County Arts Council is located at 90 South Main Street in Marshall. Tickets to this show are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the show. To learn more, visit MadisonCountyArts.com or call 828.649.1301.
