Upper Valley Music Center is happy to welcome Young Traditions Touring Group for a concert and jam session as part of their New England tour. The Young Traditions Touring Group is an ensemble of talented teenage musicians and singers from Vermont and Maine, led this year by Elsie Gawler and Ethan Tischler (of Spring Tide, Gawler Family Band, and their duo, Ethan & Elsie). A program of Vermont Folklife, the Touring Group nurtures youth involvement in traditional music and dance, providing opportunities to learn from tradition bearers, to build connections with artists and communities from Vermont and beyond, and to perform traditional repertoire.  This year’s Touring Group performances feature an exciting and diverse program showcasing the traditional musical influences of New England, including music rooted in Québec, Vermont, and Maine as well as popular current influences from Scandinavia and Old Time playing. You will enjoy energetic reels, many-layered arrangements of lovely fiddle harmonies, and several songs, including one collected by Vermont’s Margaret MacArthur and one by much-missed friend and mentor Pete Sutherland.