Fiddlers ReStrung to Play with Jeremy Kittel Band at Saturday's Spring Hometown Concert

Fiddlers ReStrung present its annual Spring Hometown Concert at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 7, at the Saline Middle School Auditorium. 

Each year the concert serves as a celebration of another successful year of musicianship and community service and a recognition of the contributions of the graduating senior members of the group.  This year’s senior class includes Sabine Bickford, Sean Chene, Trevor Morrison, Christina Radak, Adriane Rasmussen, Anjali Saripalli and Allison Westfall.

In addition to presenting a farewell hometown performance for the seniors, Fiddlers ReStrung will be welcoming home Saline native and local favorite Jeremy Kittel and his Jeremy Kittel Band as guest artists at the show.  Kittel has performed multiple times with Fiddlers ReStrung in the past, and of course is an alumnus of the Saline Area Schools program precursor group, the Fiddlers Philharmonic.

Since its winter camp workshop and retreat in February, Fiddlers ReStrung has been busy this spring learning new music to integrate into its crowd-pleasing repertoire of Celtic favorites, bluegrass hits and newer musical pieces by artist friends of the group, including Jeremy Kittel. The group has also put in a heavy performance schedule this year in anticipation of its upcoming summer tour to the East Coast.

Jeremy Kittel has also been busy on tour and putting out new music of his own. This past February, he performed with The Jeremy Kittle Band to a sold-out crowd at The Ark in Ann Arbor and earlier in the year with the Turtle Island Quartet in Italy. His latest album, "Chasing Sparks," was recorded in New York, San Francisco, Nashville and Ann Arbor.

The Jeremy Kittel Band has musical roots that traverse the globe. With the drive of Celtic fiddling, the spontaneity of jazz, soul of bluegrass, rhythms of Africa and Latin America, layered melodies of Eastern Europe, and the intricacies of chamber music, The Jeremy Kittel Band has been delivering concerts on the forward edge of progressive acoustic music. The group includes Josh Pinkham on mandolin, Nathaniel Smith on cello and Simon Chrisman on hammered dulcimer. Information on the group can be found at Jeremy Kittel’s website, www.jeremykittel.com.

With the opportunity to perform in front of a truly hometown crowd, Fiddlers ReStrung and The Jeremy Kittel Band are planning a number of musical and technical surprises. And, in addition to the concert itself, The Jeremy Kittel Band and Fiddlers ReStrung will  host a workshop open to the public on Sunday, May 8 at 11:30 a.m. at Liberty School in Saline.

Tickets and reservations for the Spring Hometown Concert and the Sunday workshop are available at (734) 224-8725 or the Saline Community Education Office at Liberty School.  Tickets can also be purchased through Community Education at www.salinecommunityed.com. Additional information on both events and on Fiddlers ReStrung in general can be found at the group’s website, www.fiddlersrestrung.com.

Fiddlers ReStrung is a 21-piece string ensemble featured at over 80 performances annually consisting of students at Saline High School, all of whom share in producing a unique ensemble truly their own. The organization is officially sponsored and supported by Saline Area Schools and Saline Community Education. Students are chosen based not only on musical talent, but personal maturity as well balancing a demanding performance schedule while maintaining high standards in other school activities, sports, and academics.