Government Center Hall. 119 School St. Waltham, MA

Rick Fines – Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Multiple "Maple Blues Society" Acoustic Act of the Year award winner, Rick's participation marks his fifth (of five) appearance at the annual benefit concert series. Rick has become a part of the family of the Mary Eagan Garden.

Joe Cormier – Waltham, MA (via Cheticamp, Cape Breton, NS, Canada). From Carnegie Hall to the French Club in Waltham, this National Folk Heritage honoree blesses us with his Cape Breton Dance music.

Gerry Robichaud – Waltham, MA (via St. Paul, NB, Canada). Gerry, one of the best known Maritime fiddlers, brings his music of the little villages of New Brunswick to us in their charming simplicity and gorgeous tone.

Edmond Boudreau – Walthsm, MA (via Cheticamp, Cape Breton, NS). Edmond. who many of us know as an integral member of the Country Masters band, will bring his acoustic guitar and wonderful personality on stage in accompanying Joe Cormier and Gerry Robichaud in their presentations.

Marion Linton - Emsdale, Ontario, Canada. Marion will be making her second appearance at Music Fest. Her sweet playing of waltzes, bluegrass, and some jazzy swing is matched by her warmness of spirit.

Cindy Thompson – Midland, Ontario, Canada. Cindy has wowed audiences with her stepdancing and fiddling (at the same time!) for years, having performed on the treasured nationally broadcast (in Canada) Don Messer show as a teenager in the Ottawa Valley area. Her enthusiastic performance bursts with rays of beaming energy.

Georgette Fry - Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Nominated for a Juno Award (the Canadian Grammy) for the best gospel/blues album with her "Rites of Passage" CD, Georgette's stunning singing will at once melt and invigorate tonight's audience.

Suzie Vinnick, Kim Sheppard, & Elana Harte (VSH) - From Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Toronto, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada respectively, the trio of VSH bring their merge their individual talents and careers on stage for energizing vocal and instrumental harmonies. Suzie will be making her third Music Fest appearance, including the inaugural concert. It was her voice that helped inspire the concept of having concerts be a major vehicle of helping to bring about the patients' garden.

David Woodhead - Toronto, Ontario, Canada. David is one of the most sought after studio musicians in our neighboring country to the north. If your collection of folk albums includes Canadian artists, you almost assuredly will find David listed on the liner notes as a featured musician. From Stan Rogers to Garnet Rogers, Eileen McGann to Mary Jane Lamond, David's contibutions shine. Tonight he will be featured with Rick, Georgette, Marion, and VSH.

Matt Leavenworth – Boston, MA. Matt, a longtime member of John Lincoln Wright's Sourmash Boys, has become the accompanist extraordinaire to many of the Canadian performers at the Music Fest Concerts. Matt will accompany many of tonight's performers on guitar and fiddle, as well as shine in the Fiddlers Medley to close the first set.

Gordon Grottenthaler - Arlington, MA, via Pittsburgh, PA. Gordon's mastery of drums has allowed him to step right in for his second annual stint of providing rhythm to a number of Canadian visitors. Gordon will help us all keep in step with Rick, Georgette, and VSH tonight.

Another special contributor to our ears tonight will be Eric Kilburn and his Wellspring Sound company. For the third year in a row, Eric will make the musicians and audience at home in thrivingly-good sound with his engineering wizardry.

"Five on the night" !, - T -