Performance of Two Old Friends at HSCC

On Friday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m., Two Old Friends, Mac Mchale and Emery Hutchins, will perform a unique combination of Celtic and American traditional music and explore the connection between these two genres. The performance is in conjunction with the feature exhibit, Actors on the Early American Stage: 1790 - World War I, which is on display at the Historical Society until April 4. It is sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities Council and the Monadnock Folklore Society and is free and open to the public.

Over the centuries, immigrants from the British Isles came to the Americas and brought with them their musical styles, tastes, and instruments. Through stories, songs and instrumental melodies, Mchale and Hutchins will demonstrate how old-time American mountain tunes are often derived directly from the songs of the Irish, yet influenced by other culture groups to create a new American sound. Mac Mchale is a well-known bluegrass musician who has been inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Museum. Emery Hutchins performs a variety of different styles of acoustic music, ranging from traditional Irish tunes to vintage American country music songs.

The Actors on the Early American Stage exhibit explores the history of the early American theatre through playbills, posters, letters, photographs, and a variety of other artifacts that document the lives and careers of such actors as Fanny Kemble, the Booth family, Lotta Crabtree, Swanzey's Denman Thompson, and James O'Neill and Maude Adams, both of whom performed in Keene. Exhibit sponsors include Ariel Printing, Creative Encounters, Carin Torp Healing Arts PLLC, and the Keene Sentinel.

The Historical Society of Cheshire County, located at 246 Main Street in Keene, is open to the public on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. For further information, contact the Historical Society at 352-1895 or view its website at www.hsccnh.org.