Musicians to perform for Haiti relief efforts

MIDDLEBURY — A who’s who of local musicians and singers come together Friday evening for an eclectic night of music to benefit two organizations helping earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
The lineup includes Anais Mitchell, Bread and Bones, Michael Chorney, They Might Be Gypsies, The Grift, O’hAnleigh, Rik Palieri and Rebecca Padula, and the Dirtminers, as well as members of two Middlebury Union High School singing groups.
The concert will be held at the United Methodist Church on the corner of Seminary Street and Route 7, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. on Friday, Feb 5. Doors open at 7 p.m. with a suggested minimum donation of $15. All proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders for their medical work in Haiti. The church has asked that its usual rental fee be donated to its Haiti relief efforts.
The event is an outgrowth of a larger and somewhat harder rock music event that took place this past weekend at Higher Ground in South Burlington, said Dirtminers founder Raph Worrick of Cornwall.
“Following the earthquake I started to put together a show in Burlington. There were a number of acts that didn’t fit as well into the more rock-oriented nature of that show, and I noticed many of them were from Addison County,” he said. “I thought it would be great to do a show in Middlebury with these musicians.
“The response from performers has really been overwhelming,” he added. “In fact there were several really great musicians who were interested in playing that we just ran out of stage time to include. The lineup is really packed with talent and it should be a tremendous evening of musi.”
That lineup includes well-known Addison County talent, with Anais Mitchell adding some international fame to the performers.
Both the Dirtminers and The Grift are local rock bands that will perform scaled down acoustic versions of their usual music. O’hAnleigh is Addison County’s premier Irish music group, while They Might Be Gypsies is a dynamic father-son duo that play gypsy jazz music on guitar.
From MUHS, two choral groups, the Women’s Ensemble and the Choral Ensemble, join the program. And there will be several stars of the folk music scene, including the duo of Rik Palieri and Rebecca Padula, Bread and Bones, Michael Chorney.
Mitchell, who grew up in Addison County, performs just back from her tour of the United Kingdom.
In addition to the performers, many others are donating time and support for the concert.
“We have great support from a group of high school students who had begun doing fund-raising for Haiti immediately after the earthquake — some of them are part of the choir group that will be singing. They will be volunteering to help with the production as well as helping with publicity,” Worrick said. “A number of people including Mark Mulqueen are generously donating sound equipment to make the night happen.”
A number of local businesses are pitching in to provide refreshments for the small army of performers and volunteers who will be making this show happen, including Noonies, American Flatbread, Otter Creek Bakery, Middlebury Beverage, Greg’s, Ramunto’s and more.

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