Blackstone River Theatre will present its 17th annual Homecoming Concert and Silent Auction fundraiser

Blackstone River Theatre will present its 17th annual Homecoming Concert and Silent Auction fundraiser on Saturday, November 26, 7:30 p.m., at the Blackstone River Theatre, 549 Broad St., Cumberland, RI. Admission is $20.00. The silent auction begins at 6:30 p.m. and continues at intermission. The concert features Atwater-Donnelly, Cathy Clasper-Torch and Rachel Panitch, Eastern Medicine Singers, Pendragon, Torrin Ryan, Ed Sweeney, and The Vox Hunters. For reservations call Blackstone River Theatre at (401) 725-9272 or visit www.riverfolk.org for information. All proceeds from the concert and the silent auction going towards future BRT programming!

With family and friends in town for Thanksgiving, BRT’s 17th annual fundraiser features some of the best of Rhode Island’s homegrown talent as well as others who now live in the Ocean State. At 6:30 p.m. and during intermission, Blackstone River Theatre will also hold a silent auction featuring CDs, jewelry, original artwork, Christmas items and gift certificates. 100% of the proceeds from both the concert and the silent auction will go to support Blackstone River Theatre’s programming and operating expenses. Says BRT executive director Russell Gusetti, “this is not only BRT’s one big fundraiser for the year but it also serves as an excellent sampler as audiences get to see seven different acts in one evening, all who will be performing full concerts in the coming months.”

Having celebrated their 16th anniversary in September, Blackstone River Theatre has now presented more than 2,400 concerts, festivals, dances, arts classes and children’s events in front of more than 110,000 people.

Pendragon will act as hosts this evening and will perform a set of their Celtic-inspired music joined by Irish step dancer Erika Damiani. Other featured performers, who are all donating their time, include Atwater-Donnelly who will perform Appalachian, original and Celtic-inspired folk music and clogging, and traditional songs and tunes with The Vox Hunters – Armand Aromin and Benedict Gagliardi.  Eastern Medicine Singers will present Algonquin and Native American song and drumming and celebrated guitarist and 5-string banjo player Ed Sweeney will perform. Torrin Ryan will play traditional Irish music on the uilleann pipes and fiddler Cathy Clasper-Torch, who will also perform with Atwater~Donnelly, will be joined for a set of music by fiddler Rachel Panitch, a Boston-based violinist, and teaching artist who works with the nationally-recognized Community MusicWorks in Providence.