Young Tradition Festival

It’s a great way connect with other young people with similar interests, mentors and teachers, and has opened doors for many to other performance opportunities. We award the top three acts a cash prize ($1000, $500 and $250, respectively).  Send an email to Young Tradition Festival manager Yasi Zeichner at yazbozz@gmail.com, and to mark.sustic@gmail.com  with the following:

• a video of your performance
• the names and ages of all the performers
• a brief biography of yourself or the group (3-4 sentences)

Videos must be at least one minute long and no more than 5 minutes in length.   You may send either a video in the email itself, or a link to a video posted online (at a performer website, or YouTube, for example). All contestants must be at or under the age of 25 on May 2nd, 2020.  The only exception is for groups: If the average age of group members is 25 or younger, half or more of the group is 25 or younger, and no one is over 30, the group qualifies for the contest. We post videos and biographies on the Young Tradition Vermont website for public viewing. Young Tradition Vermont board members and past winners of the contest vote for up to 10 finalists. On May 2nd prizes will be announced at the same time that the Young Tradition Touring Group violin raffle is announced.

2020 Contest Submissions

The Carter Girls: the Carter Girls are from Aulac NB Canada, and they all play multiple instruments, and play for a variety of community events. This tune is called “Mount Whatley Reel” and was written by a local New Brunswick fiddler (our neighbor) Royal Hicks. Fiddle-Madeline Carter is 16 years old. Piano-Marlise Carter is 14 years old. Accordion-Maizie is 11 years old.

The Goddard Girls: Holland Goddard is a 16-year-old fiddle player from Nicholville, NY. She has been playing the fiddle for seven years and plans to continue her musical career by going into music education when she graduates. In addition to playing the fiddle, she also enjoys running, horseback riding, and skiing. Brooke Goddard is a 15-year-old bodhran player from Nicholville, NY. She has been playing the bodhran for three years, but started her musical journey on the piano at the age of nine. They have both performed at many venues along with their duo, the Goddard Girls, and their band, Nicholfalls, including the Hammond Scottish Festival, the Remington Arts Festival, the Potsdam Food Co-op, and various local nursing homes, farmer’s markets and talent shows, where they finished as the top musicians in New York at the NY State Fair Talent Show. They have also participated in the Young Tradition Vermont Touring Group for two years, touring in Scotland and Metropolitan New York and New Jersey, and have competed in the Young Tradition Vermont Contest, finalizing for three years.