Join us for an evening of music with Alex Kehler and Nicholas Williams, the Young Tradition Touring Group, and L’Ensemble Trad Jeunesse!
Tickets are $25 in advance or suggested donation of $25 at the door.
Alex Kehler and Nicholas Williams share a passion for Scandinavian musical traditions, an impulse to explore new acoustic textures and sonorities, and a tendency of accumulating excessive numbers of instruments. Equally at home playing music music for a hall of dancers, for an intimate audience, or on a large concert stage, they are always happy to share their knowledge, and to invite listeners to come with them on an engaging musical ride.
The 2025-26 Touring Group
The Young Tradition Touring Group is an auditioned ensemble of teenage musicians from New England and Québec, led this year by Ethan Tischler and Alex Kehler, who will be on tour in Sweden this April. A program of Vermont Folklife, the Touring Group nurtures youth involvement in traditional music, providing opportunities to learn from and be inspired by tradition bearers, to build strong connections with their peers, and to perform engaging music for communities in Vermont and beyond.
This year’s Touring Group performances feature both traditional and contemporary tunes from Sweden as well as music rooted in Québec and New England. Audiences will appreciate the range of engaging material, from a medieval Cantiga and Irish slip jigs from our Youth Artist Leaders Ell and Beck to a mash-up of a traditional Métis tune into a contemporary schottis taught by Artist Leader Alex Kehler, to the heartfelt “All Will Be Well,” a song written and shared by Artist Leader Ethan Tischler. The Touring Group also sings a Swedish song that may remind local listeners of a New England sea shanty and a set of waltzes that includes vocables (sung syllables) in two different traditions, common in both Québec and Sweden.
To learn more about this group please visit our website. To hear the group in action, we invite you to check out our YouTube playlist or find a show near you!
About the Festival
The Young Tradition Festival is an annual celebration of young artists and multi-generational relationships in diverse traditional music and dance communities, as well as an opportunity for youth, families, and the general public to immerse themselves in a wide range of traditional music and dance.
Schedule of Events:
Friday, May 8th
Performances for Burlington school students and residents at a local retirement community
6:30-9:00 - Community Dance Party, featuring a variety of participatory dances taught by local artists. All ages welcome—try Nepali dance, square and contra dancing, and more! - Contois Auditorium
Saturday, May 9th
10:00-1:00 - Student/Mentor Showcase at the Burlington Farmers Market
2:00-3:00 - Fam Jam! Join local musicians for a family friendly jam session!
7:00-9:30 - Evening Concert featuring L’Ensemble Trad Jeunesse, the Young Tradition Touring Group and the duo Alex Kehler & Nicholas Williams