The Pocahontas County Opera House presents two evenings of musical entertainment when the Great Greenbrier River Race comes to Marlinton.
On Friday, Apr. 25, central Virginia band Cherry Hill takes the stage for an evening of acoustic covers and original songwriting. Then, on Saturday, Davis and Elkins College’s Appalachian Ensemble brings and evening traditional music and dance.
Cherry Hill formed in 2011 with musicians from central Virginia regional bands Volume 3 and the Paddy Dougherty Trio. In a very short time, Cherry Hill has evolved into a powerful unit featuring incredible vocal harmonies, songwriting and the musical talents of Tommy Cox, Tim Echols, Eric Hollandsworth and William Newman. Their unique acoustic approach to covers and original songs keeps audiences wanting more. Their first album, Jenny Reynolds and Cherry Hill, featuring vocalist Jenny Reynolds and violinist Daniel Kepel-Young was released in 2012.
Appalachian Ensemble’s repertoire focuses mainly on the music and dance of the Appalachian region, and includes other music and dance traditions as well.
The Davis & Elkins Dancers, under the direction of Becky Hill, will present many pieces that include clogging, flat-footing, French Canadian, waltz clog and hambone body percussion. The Appalachian Ensemble string band, under the direction of Emily Miller, will play all of the music for the dance pieces as well as perform several traditional songs from West Virginia and surrounding Appalachian regions.
Appalachian Ensemble was named the “People’s Choice for Entertainment” for its performance at the 2013 Ramps and Rails Festival in Elkins, and it was featured in a recent edition of Goldenseal, the magazine of West Virginia traditional life produced by the Division of Culture and History.
Both performances start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8. Youth 17 and younger are admitted free of charge.