For more than 20 years, A Swannanoa Solstice has ushered in the winter season with a joyful infusion of performances by the best and brightest artists in our region, making it a beloved local holiday tradition. In 2023, the celebration welcomes the next generation of musicians to the stage to spread seasonal warmth, magic and cheer with Celtic, American-roots and world-influenced music, rousing dance, and timeless stories — illuminating winter’s darkest day with wonder and peace.
The 2023 line-up includes:
- John Doyle & Mick McAuley
- Josh Goforth
- E.J. Jones & The Piper Jones Band
- Jane Kramer
- Becky Stone
- Zoe & Cloyd
- special performances by Carpenter Academy of Irish Dance and AC Reynolds Chorale.
Press Release
ASHEVILLE — The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Asheville presents A Swannanoa Solstice, an annual seasonal celebration of local and world culture, heritage and community through song, dance and storytelling, Sunday, Dec. 17 at 2 & 7 p.m. in Diana Wortham Theatre.
For more than 20 years, this beloved local holiday tradition has ushered in the winter season with a joyful infusion of performances by the best and brightest artists in our region. This year, the celebration welcomes the next generation of musicians to the stage to spread seasonal warmth, magic and cheer with Celtic, American-roots and world-influenced music, rousing dance and timeless stories — illuminating winter’s darkest day with wonder and peace, and reflecting the heritage of the hills with a united and uplifting message, perfect for the holiday season.
Returning this season is the innovative folk sensation Zoe & Cloyd, renowned fiddler Josh Goforth, beloved highland bagpiper EJ Jones & The Piper Jones Band and seasoned storyteller Becky Stone, who will double as the emcee for this year’s holiday celebration.
Called “a musical collaboration that demands to be heard” by Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine, Zoe & Cloyd is a local husband-and-wife duo comprising renowned fiddler and vocalist Natalya Zoe Weinstein and award-winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist John Cloyd Miller. Their soaring harmonies, heartfelt songwriting and rousing instrumentals seamlessly combine original bluegrass, klezmer and folk music with sincerity and zeal. Josh Goforth, a rising acoustic star and Grammy nominee, has been playing music and performing for nearly his entire life, and, as the great-great-great-grandson of Madison County fiddler Asbury McDevitt, music is in his DNA.
EJ Jones has been performing traditional Highland bagpipe and folk music since he first picked up the pipes in 1987. As The Piper Jones Band, he and bouzouki player Frances Cunningham bring authentic, traditional tunes from Ireland, Scotland and Appalachia to the stage in a fresh and entertaining way. Professional storyteller Becky Stone joined the lineup in 2022, amazing audiences with her inspiring tales and conjuring vivid imagery through spoken word. She returns this season with a new set of stories sure to uplift and inspire.
New to the celebration this year is Grammy-nominated Irish multi-instrumentalist John Doyle with Irish musician and songwriter Mick McAuley, and acclaimed Asheville songstress Jane Kramer. Doyle’s remarkable talent and innovative approach to traditional Irish music have left an indelible mark on the folk music scene, including his status as a founding member of the acclaimed Celtic band Solas. McAuley, also a Solas alum, is a skilled multi-instrumentalist who plays accordion, melodeon, concertina, whistles and guitar and has been a guest on many recordings in the Irish music scene. And Kramer has garnered international recognition for her sultry, heartrending vocals and heavy-hitting lyrical eloquence — once lauded by UK music reviewer Three Chords and the Truth as sounding like she was “born to bohemian poets and raised in the mountains by Emmylou Harris.”
The festivities will also include special performances by the Asheville studio of Carpenter Academy of Irish Dance and the A.C. Reynolds High School Chorale.
