Irish guitarist John Doyle, the bluegrass group Buncombe Turnpike, and the duo Tom and Alice will perform in July as part of the Appalachian Summer Music Series on the UNC Asheville campus. The series, featuring the musical traditions of bluegrass, Celtic and old time, is sponsored by OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. The concerts take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoons from July 14-28 at UNC Asheville’s Reuter Center.
· July 14 — Buncombe Turnpike, comprised entirely of Western North Carolina musicians, presents traditional and contemporary bluegrass, gospel and original tunes. The group’s album, “Ditch Diggin’ Blues,” was voted one of WNCW’s top 20 bluegrass records of 2009.
· July 21 — Irish guitarist John Doyle rose to fame as part of the highly acclaimed Celtic group, Solas, performing to sold-out audiences around the world and on programs ranging from NBC’s “The Today Show” to public radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” “Mountain Stage,” and “World Café.” Doyle has also recorded solo albums and accompanied Joan Baez, Linda Thompson, Seamus Egan, and many others.
· July 28 — Tom and Alice, a traditional old time duo, brings together the decades-long solo careers of Tom Sauber and Alice Gerrard. Sauber performs on banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin and vocals. Gerrard, also a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter, is best known for her four albums with Appalachian singer Hazel Dickens.
These concerts are free and open to the public. Tickets will be available in the Reuter Center office beginning July 1; limit two tickets per person. For more information, visit olliasheville.com or call 828.251.6140.