Jay Ungar & Molly Mason | Concert Themes

AMERICAN ROOTS — Music for the Heart and Soul

Songs, lively fiddle tunes, romantic waltzes and heart-rending airs abound, as Jay and Molly take you on a musical adventure, from dance halls and honky-tonks, to 19th century parlors and rural America. Their masterful music making and personal stories will warm your heart and tickle your funny bone, as they offer up stirring renditions of Appalachian, Bluegrass, Cajun, Canadian, Celtic, Vintage Jazz, and Western Swing classics. And no Jay & Molly show would be complete without a healthy helping of their own compelling originals like, “The Lovers’ Waltz,” “The Wizard’s Walk,” “Ashokan Farewell,” and some new tunes as well.

FIDDLER’S HOLIDAY

A musical travelogue featuring an amazing array of fiddle music from a variety of traditions, including Appalachian, Bluegrass, Cajun, Canadian, Irish, Scottish, Scandinavian, and jazz. Songs, legends, and fiddle tunes abound as Ungar and Mason take you on a musical journey from colonial hearths and pioneer settlements to a Texas fiddle contest and a 1930s dance hall-with stops in the Scottish Highlands, the Appalachian Mountains and the Louisiana bayou along the way.

SYMPHONY PROGRAMS

These programs provide a unique opportunity for audiences to enjoy a new fusion of classical and folk traditions, as Ungar and Mason perform a variety of original works, songs, and American fiddle classics with the orchestra. Thes concerts usually included are the duo’s tour of the seasons, Harvest Home Suite; Hits of the ’60s, a rousing medley of Civil War favorites; Jay’s haunting Ashokan Farewell (the theme from PBS’s The Civil War); and Hoedown Revisited, a unique version of Copland’s classic that incorporates a traditional version of Bonapart’s Retreat, the Kentucky fiddle tune that is heard as Hoedown’s primary theme.

ASHOKAN FAREWELL: THE CIVIL WAR AND BEYOND

A two-part concert featuring songs and traditional fiddle tunes popular long before the advent of records and radios, songs from the golden age of country music and swing, and haunting contemporary classics composed by Ungar and Mason. From Stephen Foster’s Old Folks at Home to Fats Waller’s Ain’t Misbehavin’ to Jay’s own Ashokan Farewell, this concert presents a wide range of traditional, 100 percent American-made music.

TENTING TONIGHT: MUSIC OF THE CIVIL WAR

A concert of lively dance tunes, sentimental ballads and rousing marches heard in homes and front-line encampments during America’s Civil War. Included are works by George Root, Henry Clay Work, Stephen Foster and other great songwriters of the day. Ungar and Mason perform parlor favorites-Lorena and The Faded Coat of Blue; songs about the hardships of life-Tenting on the Old Campground and Hard Times Come Again No More; and stirring melodies that were sung by soldiers in both armies-Battle Cry of Freedom and Bonnie Blue Flag. They also share stories drawn from historical records, letters, song books and diaries, making history come alive.