by David Chernack
Say it with me everyone—the Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association’s mission is to “promote bluegrass and related acoustic music in the Hudson Valley through jam sessions, concerts, and educational programs.” We live by those words every week, with jams, public-facing concerts, outreach events, continuing education series, and more—we’re sure we’ve seen you at more than your fair share of our great events.
But 2024 brought a new chapter and a new height for the HVBA and its mission when we received an invitation to sponsor the Emerging Artist Stage at the vaunted Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival. Grey Fox is a fixture of bluegrass in upstate New York, the entire northeast region, and probably most of our calendars, so it was without delay that we agreed to the proposition. The fit was natural: the idea of supporting the festival’s dedicated stage for up-and-coming new bluegrass talent is not only in line with our mission, but with our own history of featuring emerging artists on our own stage.
Crewed by a slew of wonderful volunteer members and board members, the HVBA also hosted a tent along the festival’s vendor row. During the course of the weekend, our tent was home to hot jams, debates about the weekend’s best performances, and plenty of laughs. We also got to watch some amazing artists perform at the Emerging Artist Showcase on the Creekside Stage, including the Korean band Country GongBang, Massachusetts-based Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light, and Berklee College of Music’s American Roots Music Program Graduate Showcase.
We want to thank all of the Grey Fox leadership for helping make 2024 another great year for the storied festival, and for having us along for the ride. A huge thanks also goes out to our volunteers, and to our administrative board for their leadership in ensuring that we have everything we needed logistically to make our presence meaningful at the festival. And of course, if you’re a new newsletter subscriber who we met at Grey Fox, we’re so excited to have you! Be sure to check out our website for upcoming concerts and events—we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome you into the fold.
We’ll see you next year on the Walsh Farm for Grey Fox 2025!
