July 24, 2013
CLIFFTOP, W.Va. – Musician and singer Lester McCumbers of Nicut, W.Va., will present a masters workshop at the 24th annual Appalachian String Band Music Festival, set for July 31-Aug. 4, 2013, at Camp Washington-Carver in Clifftop, Fayette County.
The 2005 recipient of the Vandalia Award, which recognizes achievement in the performance, creation or perpetuation of West Virginia traditional arts, will teach the class from 2-3 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1.
McCumbers, a master fiddler who was born in 1921 in southern Calhoun County, has performed widely for more than 60 years with old-time and bluegrass music groups, appearing at concerts, contests, festivals and square dances, and on radio shows throughout West Virginia and elsewhere.
In addition to McCumbers, musicians Paul Brown and Alan Jabbour will teach masters workshops showcasing their unique style of old-time music. Brown, who is a master fiddler and banjo player, record producer and radio host from Pinnacle, N.C., will present his workshop from 2-3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2. Jabbour, who is a master fiddler and former director of the folk arts program at the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., will present his workshop from 2-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3.
The festival, a five-day camping experience in the heart of West Virginia, includes music contests, dancing, arts and crafts, and games for the whole family. Each year it draws thousands of string band musicians and fans from around the world. For more information about the festival or a complete schedule of events, visit the Division’s website at www.wvculture.org/stringband/index.html or call the Division at (304) 558-0220. Camp Washington-Carver can be reached at (304) 438-3005.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the Division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org.
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