Opera House to present Low Lily as part of folk series
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The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center will present the folk/Americana band Low Lily, on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The concert is part of the Gilman Family Folk in Fredonia Music Series.
With a vocal and instrumental blend that has been dubbed "outstanding" and "meticulous," the members of Low Lily (Liz Simmons, Flynn Cohen, and newest member Lily Sexton) come together to create a signature sound that has captivated audiences throughout the US, UK, and Canada.
Low Lily is the colloquial name for the Trout Lily, a wildflower that grows in the northeast and in regions further afield. Like its namesake, Low Lily the band has been blooming across the musical landscape since 2015. Simmons (guitar, banjo & vocals), Cohen (guitar, mandolin & vocals), and Sexton (fiddle & vocals) blend their considerable individual talents into a stylistic bouquet of energetic fiddle music, introspective folk, bluegrass, and Americana. The trio has deep roots in the fiddle tune and singing traditions of North America and the Anglo-Celtic diaspora.
Born in San Francisco to musician parents, Simmons spent her early childhood traveling through the wilds of north America in a sky blue VW bus. Her parents were itinerant, moving from California to Oregon, then to Ketchikan, Alaska, where they played regular gigs in pubs for the locals. She received a BA from Goddard College where she studied American vernacular music of the 1920s and 30s. She went on to found Annalivia and then Low Lily with Flynn Cohen, as well as perform alongside Long Time Courting, Hannah Sanders, EVA, Livingston Taylor, Tom Chapin, and others.
Cohen, at the age of 11, was drawn to the guitar after an injury left him unable to pursue his passion for sports. At the time, all he wanted was to play guitar like John Renbourn of Pentangle; so when the opportunity to study with Renbourn arose at the Dartington College of Arts in England, he jumped at the chance. After graduating from Dartington, he headed to Oakland, CA, where he immersed himself in the Irish trad and bluegrass music scenes there. Ultimately, he made his way to the east coast after a phone call with accordion champion John Whelan, who offered him a job as his guitarist. Cohen has also accompanied luminaries such as Adrienne Young, Cathie Ryan, Ruth Moody, and many more.
Sexton is a fiddler, singer, and songwriter based in western Massachusetts. A student of classical violin beginning at the age of 4, while pursuing a Bachelor's degree at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, she shifted her focus to fiddle-playing in the traditional Appalachian style. Outside of Low Lily, she is front-woman of the indie-folk band Splendid Torch. She is also beloved in the New England roots music scene as a founding member of the neo-bluegrass band Mamma's Marmalade.
For this performance, the Low Lily trio will be accompanied by Dan Bui (Twisted Pine) on bass. Hailing from the vast suburbs of Houston, TX, Bui currently makes his home in Cambridge, MA, where he plays the mandolin in a variety of Boston and New England bands. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, he also plays piano, violin, and bass.
The Folk in Fredonia Music Series is sponsored by the Gilman Family and is the longest-running concert series at the Opera House. General Admission tickets are $23, $20 (Opera House Members), and $10 (Students). They can be purchased in person at the Opera House Box Office or by phone at 716-679-1891, Tuesday-Friday, 12-4:30 p.m. They can be purchased online anytime at www.fredopera.org.
The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center is a member-supported not-for-profit performing arts center with a mission to "present the performing arts for the benefit of our community and region ... providing access to artistic diversity ... and high-quality programming at an affordable price." It is located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.fredopera.org.