The Bluegrass Journeymen Academy (BJA) has just completed its first eight-week module of bluegrass music instruction for school age children in Kathmandu, Nepal. Banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar, and upright bass were taught by American bluegrass music educators as part of an after-school program at a school in Kathmandu. 

The Bluegrass Journeymen Academy is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization committed to expanding the global reach of bluegrass through education, collaboration, and performances. It is their goal to supply resources, and opportunities to learn, and to have cross-cultural exchanges often partnering with schools, music programs, and musicians around the world. The BJA bought instruments in the US and shipped them over for use in the lessons. The first group of students being around 30 children, they divided among the different instruments. The first pioneering batch of teachers to work in the Kathmandu program was Max Winkels, Brett Kretzer, Chad Harris, Angel Chantel, Ben Errington, Mickey Abraham, and Patrick Fitzsimons. 

John Karanjit is the head of the music department at the school in Kathmandu and said, “Most of the students really loved their classes, their teachers, and the music. Many of the students had not heard bluegrass music before, and got more and more excited about the music after watching their teachers jamming together at the beginning of their class times.”

 He said the bluegrass banjo was particularly alien to many of the students initially, and that he has already had students approaching him that received their certificate of completion after the first module and performance. They are excited to continue with the second level and looking forward to continuing with their instruments in the long term. He has also been approached by other students who had not signed up for the first bluegrass module who are eager to start to learn in the fall session. 

I asked a few of the teachers their thoughts after coming home from their time teaching in Nepal. Max Winkels was the banjo teacher, and when asked about his experience he said, “I love the kids and loved the program. It was life changing! I really love Kathmandu!”

Brett Kretzer, mandolin teacher, said “Nepal is such a great country to have an exchange with because the Nepalese people are just so friendly and welcoming. I would definitely be interested in going back and teaching there again.” Also on mandolin was Patrick Fitzsimons, who not only plays and teaches the mandolin but is also the founder and executive director of the program. He said, “We had so much fun, and it was really amazing to see how much the students progressed. We are really excited to see how the program and the kids will progress over the coming years.”

How did this all get started, you might be wondering?

In 2023 the Bluegrass Journeymen Founder/Director, Patrick Fitzsimons, and Executive Officer, Elliot Siff, reached out to me to set up an outreach tour for their band in Nepal. They were interested in doing a combination of concerts and educational workshops.  They had been working already for a number of years in India and had watched my documentary called The Mountain Music Project, which compared the similarities between bluegrass and old time music in the US to some of the traditional mountain music in Nepal. They had also learned that my business, Music Arts Adventures, had been leading Music Arts and Culture Tours and organizing some customized tours in Nepal for a number of years. Patrick and Elliot were very interested in first doing a music and educational tour there, and then possibly setting up a long-term program teaching bluegrass music to Nepali children.

 I reached out to some of the contacts in Nepal that I have been working with for years, and one of my fellow musicians over there is the head of the music program at a very well-respected school called Triyog, and he was interested in pursuing this possibility. To make a long story not so long, after many meetings with the administrators, and a great show of the Bluegrass Journeymen band at their school that year, it was decided that we could launch the program at their school, and it turned out to be a great fit. 

The BJA then got hard to work researching how to get the needed instruments for the students purchased and sent to Nepal. They ended up working with both Gold Tone and Sweetwater to get the instruments for the students, and help ship them over to Kathmandu. All involved started asking around the bluegrass community to find some good teachers who might be interested in a fun adventure heading over to Nepal to teach. We conducted some interviews of potential teachers, and from those initial applications and interviews, the first pioneering line up of instructors was chosen to help get the program up and running.

The program has proved to be a success, with a fall eight-week module coming up at Triyog, and applications being accepted for a spring session. It is also possible that the program might be expanding to other locations. So, if you know of any great teachers of bluegrass, please let them know of the opportunity, and the chance to apply to join us in Nepal.

Anyone interested in being considered for a teaching position can head to the Bluegrass Journeymen Academy web site and fill out an application form online. There they can also inquire about becoming a sponsor, making a financial donation of any size to support this effort, or joining their email list.

They are currently looking for some teachers for this coming fall module, which includes two months of teaching in Nepal. Specifically, at this point, they are looking for some bluegrass banjo teachers, but are happy to get applications from teachers of other instruments as well.  

Here are some little video clips from the show at the end of the first module of the Spring 2025 Bluegrass Academy in Kathmandu. Thank you to Elliot Siff for putting together this video. These clips were filmed by the various teachers and parents of the students on phones. Thank you also to Elliot Siff who sent me the photos from the classrooms included here as well. 

Here are a few photos that were taken over there during lesson time. 

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Kids Academy performance at the 2025 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival – photo © Tara Lindhardt

In years past the Kids Academy performed on the last day of the Grey Fox festival, which was Sunday. This year the organizers shifted when the Kids Academy performed to Saturday, which seemed to be popular since more people got to see them play. Grey Fox does a wonderful job of offering the Kids Academy for no extra cost to the kids who want to participate, of various ages and musical abilities. 

The organizers of Grey Fox also raise money and annually provide scholarships to deserving young musicians toward their costs for college, which they present at the festival each year. The funds for the life-changing scholarships come from raffle sales, sponsors, and individual donors. You can also donate to this cause if you are interested. These are the Bill Vernon Memorial Scholarships. This year’s recipients were Souvik Hazra (from Kolkata, India) to attend Berklee College of Music, Dylan Kaplan (from Littlefield, MA) to go to the University of Glasgow (Scotland), Fiona Mattson (from Williamsville, VT) to study at Vermont State University, and Hayden Reidling (from Dawson, GA) to study at Berklee College of Music. 

The Grey Fox Festival is also an eco-conscious festival providing so many people with opportunities to hear and learn about new music, see upcoming talent, and watch and hear their favorites on the festival circuit, as well as getting a chance to see the legends of the traditional music scene. They offer opportunities to learn dances or just shake your what-not at the Catskill Stage (often referred to by some festival attendees as “the Dance Tent”). Plus they have a wide variety of vendors, and activities for folks of all ages. 

Another change in the schedule this year was following the Sunday morning gospel set by the host band, The Dry Branch Fire Squad, with an “all festival jam session” where the Litch Brothers Band led a jam session that was open to anyone and everyone in attendance. A fun, friendly, and interactive finale to a long action-packed weekend!

I have included a few tastes of some of the music fun from Saturday here. The weekend had plenty of straight, hard-driving bluegrass, rockabilly, Cajun, Quebecois music, progressive bluegrass, jamgrass, folk, Venezualachian  music (combining Venezuela tunes and Appalachian tunes. Thank you Joe Troop of Joe & Larry for this word), etc. Great musicians young and old from around the US, and some from a variety of countries, were on the stages, the campground, and the audiences. 

I basically learned a lot of my music playing at fiddlers’ convention-style festivals where we would all just jam with folks and wing it all day long, and I have to admit one of my favorite sets of the weekend was Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe String Jam set. He had a few hot pickin’ folks with him who functioned as the host band, and an all star lineup of musicians who sat in for a song or two, and they really captured that magic when good musicians are all in for a spontaneous musical adventure. Watching each other, listening, and reacting to the other musicians as they created that real jam magic on the stage.

I do love a good practiced set of music, too of course, but by golly, I think the big smiles and energy of that jam where everyone is meeting on the stage, feeling it out, and creating something fresh and authentic right there for the first time can be a magical experience – not just for the participants of the “jam,” but also for all those watching it. 

I have provided a few videos so you can see for yourself. Describing music in words does not get the job done like being able to see and judge for oneself. Hope you find something here you might enjoy, and I look forward to seeing some of you folks at the wonderful Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival next year! 

Unspoken Tradition performing Wild Bill Jones

Here is a little rockabilly with Dave Chapelle and Mark Gamsjager and the Luster Kings. 

Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe String Jam performing The Road Is Rocky with Sierra Hull leading on vocals. 

Kentucky Waltz by Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe String Jam with Sav Sankaran on vocals. 

Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe String Jam with Woody Platt and Daren Shumaker 

A wild adventure of a Salt Creek here. 

And here are some photos. 

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Johnny & The Yooahoos at the 2025 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival – photo © Tara Linhardt

All day and late into the evening the music and dancing and friend making continued each day of the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival.

Here is a glimpse into some of what went down on Friday, July 18, 2025 in Oakhill, NY at Grey Fox. Bands, musicians, and music based right in New York, and those from around the US and the globe, could be found on the many stages. There was some straight traditional-style bluegrass, as well as some cool fresh takes on some of the classic material, and plenty of original music as well.

The Litch Brothers from the Pacific Northwest were part of the Emerging Artist Series. Here they are doing Hello City Limits. 

And here they are doing a very interesting and laid back version of the classic, Steam Powered Aeroplane.

Tanasi (Anya Hinkle, Mary Lucy, and Bill Cardine)

Here is a band based in Bavaria in Germany called Johnny and the Yooahoos.

The Mammals

Larry and Joe – Joe Troop (from North Carolina) and Larry Bellorin (from Monagas, Venezuala) – play Rolling in My Sweet Baby’s Arms. 

And here they perform Going Back to the BlueRidge Mountains, but sung in Spanish and with quatro and fiddle. 

And here are a few photos. 

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Alice Gerrard performing with Laurie Lewis and Della Mae at Grey Fox 2025 – photo © Tara Linhardt

As always, the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in New York was full of people smiling and reuniting with old friends, and making new ones. There were plenty of folks arriving and getting into the festival spirit before the music officially kicked off. Grey Fox is full of people making music in the campgrounds as well as on the stages big and small. It has a wonderful way of pulling in the campground pickers with an open mic night the Wednesday before the stages are taken over by the hired acts on Thursday, and through the rest of the weekend. Lots of folks get to take the stage and show off some of their talents at the open mic. 

Then, starting on Thursday, begins the festival itself, featuring a wide range of music and performers. There was traditional bluegrass, as well as all sorts of other progressive or related music showcased throughout the festival. They have emerging artist spots where young, hard-working new performers get to dazzle the audiences with their skills, as well as some stages that feature some of the legends of Appalachian music. Then there is the sponsored jam tents, The Kids Academy, The Family Tent, plus workshops and lots of vendors offering a little something for everyone. It creates a great mix to keep us all busy and enchanted throughout the weekend. 

Here are some little tastes from Wednesday and Thursday of Grey Fox 2025.  

Alice Gerrard, Laurie Lewis, and Kimber Ludiker Grey Fox 2025

The Jean Baptiste Cardinuea Show at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival Emerging Artist spotlight July 2025 in Oakhill, NY. 

Cecilia, a band from Quebec, Canada

Lindsay Lou band

Henhouse Prowlers

And here are some photos to catch a few more tastes of all the music and fun. 

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Casey Driessen at the 2024 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival – photo © Tara Linhardt

Saturday at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in Oak Hill, NY was definitely chocked full of some of the nation’s top acts in the world of bluegrass. But lots of people were also talking about and excited by some of the performers that they were just discovering as well. One had a smorgasbord choose among throughout the day and evening, with dance, singing, songwriting, and instrumental workshops.

The Kids Academy kids were busking throughout the festival grounds, a family tent had a full day full of shows and activities, four main stages with sound systems, and this year a new addition was offered with a new smaller acoustic stage as well. So many choices to please all sorts of fans. 

At 6:15 the Kids Academy took to the main stage for their big performance. First the senior group played, followed by the larger main group. One of the truly wonderful things about the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival is that they do a wonderful job of not just offering a platform for some of the nations top bluegrass acts, but also making sure to encourage the next generations so that they continue making and loving traditional music at the festival.

Every year they also present awards towards college costs for hard working young musicians with their Bill Vernon Memorial Scholarships. This year’s recipients are Ethan Church (Newland, NC) a sophomore and ETSU; Jachin Irwin (West Union, OH) a junior at Morehead State University; and Megan Mendenhall (Bedford, MA) who will be a freshman at ETSU.

There was also a surprise as one of the Kids Academy students was presented with a mandolin by Della Mae. It had been provided for this purpose by Mike Marceau, a bass player in the Washington, DC area. Mary Hamilton was the young student who won the mandolin for her hard work in the Kids Academy. Hopefully, she will be back next year still having lots of fun playing music.  

Pictrola was a real hit at Grey Fox, a quickly up-and-coming band out of the Northern Virginia and Washington DC area. Here they are performing their original song on the High Meadow Stage, written by guitarist Mike Shade entitled Shine.

Many of the main acts on the other larger stages also graced the stage of a lovely little stage sponsored by New Belgium Beer. The small acoustic setting gave audiences a nice chance to hear the music up close and unamplified, offering a much different feel. Below are a few examples from this stage.

Wyatt Ellis Band

Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light

Country Gongbang from South Korea

And of course the main High Meadow stage had crowds entertained all day and far into the evening. Here is a taste of the magnificent original instrumental trio known as Hawktail. 

And, of course, photos…

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Rob McCoury at the 2024 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival – photo © Tara Linhardt

By Friday morning the whole community of Grey Fox is up and running with the campground neighborhoods, options for morning meditation class, yoga class taught by Jill Alix, and then a full day of multiple stages with all sorts of great music from all over the globe. Some were full time touring acts, but Grey Fox also encourages musicians to sit in with each other and have some spontaneous jam moments on the stages. These tend to be a huge hit.

Della Mae was this year’s Artist in Residence, so they were sitting in with bands throughout the weekend. But there were plenty of other fun surprises, with artists showing up on each other’s sets giving the crowd lots of special treats. 

There were workshops and interviews on certain stages, jams throughout the campgrounds, the Kids Academy students working hard in their classes, and also busking throughout the festival grounds raising money to support the Kids Academy program that they love. For some of these kids, the most amazing part of the festival is them getting to play music no matter what level their playing may be, and have money come on in along with compliments and encouragements from lots of festival attendees as they pass by.  

Some bands may even use the picturesque Walsh Farm where Grey Fox is held to shoot some music videos, like Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway did at the old barn in the festival campground this year. 

There is so much activity and so many positive vibes through the whole weekend. The variety of small and large stages, and the many types of bands and activities means that there is bound to be plenty to please a wide array of folks with various interests. The magic of Grey Fox was definitely experienced by so many people, in so many different ways, each day of the festival. 

Bruce Molsky, Darol Anger, and Celia Woodsmith on the High Meadow Stage

Casey Driessen’s Red Shoe StringJam at the Catskill Stage had a rotating roster of amazing musicians rocking some spontaneous musical adventures with an on-stage jam session. An array of all star guests were featured throughout the set. 

Here is a small taste…

And a fabulous on stage frolicking fiddle frenzy as part of Casey’s StringJam

And some Friday photos…

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Yebin Kim with Country Gongbang at Grey Fox ’24 – photo © Tara Linhardt

Once again it was a magical time at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in the mountains of New York. Every July the hills truly come alive with the sound of music as multiple stages host all sorts of fantastic music and dance. The campgrounds are home to jamming, the making of new friends and reuniting of old ones. 

This festival really has a unique feel as it has a great variety of stages, each with their own feel, able to showcase artists in large and small environments, along with workshops and led jam sessions. I applaud Grey Fox for providing such a broad range of fantastic musicians, celebrating the roots of our traditional music, as well as some of the freshest ideas of how it is growing and evolving, both from the region and around the world.  

Grey Fox also has really cool vendors with all sorts interesting crafts, and a large variety of foods and great coffee keeping even a discerning palate happy. 

The festival stages opened with a showcase from the students at the Berklee College of Music, led by Bruce Molsky.  The acts included tunes from traditional bluegrass to jazzy grass, and even Shakti style Asian-influenced fusion with a mind-blowing percussive dancer. This festival does a fantastic job of presenting a mix of very traditional music, as well as those pioneering new branches growing out of those traditional roots. 

Here is a little taste of the band from Berklee called Lotus Feet. These guys are amazing, and I look forward to seeing loads more of them in various forms in years to come. 

Country Gongbang from South Korea at the High Meadow Stage

The band Cat Fish in the Sky at the Creekside Stage

Le Vent du Nord- an stupendous band from Quebec, Canada

Bruce Molsky and Darol Anger celebrating their “must have” latest recording which has recently been released. 

And spontaneous on-stage musical adventures with an all star lineup headed up by the great Casey Driessen. 

Shadow Grass rocking the Catskill Stage Thursday night

And a collection of Thursday photos

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Participants in Nepal’s first bluegrass festival – photo © Eliott Siff

On December 9, Nepal saw the first Kathmandu Bluegrass Festival with multiple bands, a packed house, and a big All Star finale, with bluegrass pickers from Nepal, the USA, and India. The event was organized by the Nepali-American band, Himalayan Highway, who were joined by The Grassy Strings from Kolkata in India, Ryan O’Donnell and the KTM Bluegrass Unit, and the Bluegrass Journeymen.

Local fans and musicians alike were talking about the great music from the show, as well as quite a bit of talk about the Ear Trumpet microphones that made their debut in Nepal this winter, and were used on the Kathmandu Bluegrass Festival stage.

While Nepal may not be the first place to come to mind when thinking about bluegrass music, in recent years there have been increasing numbers of bluegrass and old-time musicians coming to Nepal to play, as Nepali musicians traveling to the US. The fusion of the two cultures has been producing some really cool fresh sounds.

The Mountain Music Project first came to Nepal in 2006 with founding members Tara Linhardt, Danny Knicely, and Jake Penchansky. While shooting their documentary they noted the similarities between the Nepali traditional music and that of Appalachian bluegrass and old time music. Since then, Linhardt has screened the film in Nepal and the US, and their Himalayan-Appalachian fusion music gracing such stages as National Geographic, The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, and many others. Their documentary also was screened at numerous universities and some festivals like the Brooklyn Folk Festival, Joe Val Festival, and World of Bluegrass. 

In recent years, Tara has been heading up Music Arts and Culture Tours bringing music fans, musicians, or just folks interested in some travel to Nepal for fun and adventure with her company Music Arts Adventures. Inevitably, they have gotten into jams with local Nepali musicians, and for some Nepali audiences, creating more interest and understanding of the US bluegrass music and culture. Anyone interested in the possibility of taking a vacation to Nepal, or interested in organizing a student trip for university groups should contact them online. 

The Kathmandu-based band, Himalayan Highway, organized the festival, and has been gigging around the Kathmandu Valley with their hot mix of Nepali and bluegrass tunes. They have been creating quite a buzz about the world of bluegrass in the region, and they are hoping to tour in the US in the new year to let US audiences hear their work. The band was started by Zoe Levitt, an American mandolinist and vocalist, and Prince Nepali, a fourth-generation sarangi player from Kathmandu in Nepal. Prince Nepali’s father, Shyam Nepali, performed with Tara Linhardt and her Mountain Music Project band at the Grey Fox Festival, and competed in old time fiddle with his sarangi at Clifftop and Galax in 2015.

When asked about organizing the Kathmandu Bluegrass Festival, Zoe Levitt said, “It was so amazing to bring a bluegrass festival to Nepal! I never imagined that we’d be hosting a jam with so many bluegrass musicians in Kathmandu.  At first glance, you might not expect Nepali folk music and bluegrass to go together, but once you hear it, it sounds like such a great fit! The sarangi and Nepali percussion add so much depth to American tunes I’ve been playing all my life.”

Anyone interested in helping bring Himalayan Highway to the US can reach them online.

Here they are at the festival playing their tune, Folk Fusion.

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Grey Fox Kids Academy students prepare for their star turn – photo © Tara Linhardt

Sunday at Grey Fox is the day so many folks have been waiting for… especially those young pickers in the Bluegrass Kids Academy, and their families, since this is the day they take the stage following some of the big name acts. 

The kids and their teachers work all weekend long to learn and perfect songs they will perform on stage. There is the big main group, and also a “seniors group” made up of some of the older students who might have some fancier skills. 

The Kids Academies are a great way for young players to discover the fun of playing traditional music, as well as practicing in a group setting to perform on stage in a fun relaxed atmosphere. They exist around the country, and at some different times of year, but the summer season up and down the east coast seems to be home to many, with Grey Fox having one of the bigger programs I have seen. And a very well run one at that.

The students at Grey Fox are also encouraged to busk throughout the campground with the other kids as a fun way to practice, and get comfortable playing in front of people. This practice is popular with both the kids and the fans. Some of these students go on to become fine musicians, especially once they get that thrill of having played for people who dug it enough to clap, say nice things, and/or drop money in their bucket. 

Austin Scelzo prepared this nice list of a number of programs in the northeast region for anyone who would like to try one out.

The Dry Branch Fire Squad and Joe Newberry also performed sets on Sunday. Ron Thomason of Dry Branch and his hilarious stories have become part of the Grey Fox tradition over the many years they have been the host band of the festival. 

Joe Newberry also entertained the crowds with both his music and his humor on Sunday. Apologies to all for not catching the beginning of this lovely old-timey style rendition of a familiar TV show. I am pretty sure you will recognize it after you hear a bit. Hint: The original version was not old-timey at all, but Joe brilliantly makes it work. Love it.

After his set Joe also performed along with the Kids Academy as you can see in some of the photos below. 

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Monster jam on Saturday night at Grey Fox 2023 – photo © Tara Linhardt

Along with the great music on the stages and in the campground of the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, there are also some wonderful parts of Grey Fox that set it apart from many other festivals. One such is the awarding of their annual scholarships, as well as raising money for other effective music education programs.

Money raised from buying a raffle ticket for the beautiful Beard Resonator guitar, Collings dreadnought guitar, Deering banjo, or the Northfield mandolin goes to support the Bluegrass Academy for Kids, Instructional Workshops, the IBMA Trust Fund, and the Grey Fox Scholarship Fund.

This year three lucky young, hard-working, and talented college-age musicians won the prestigious Grey Fox Bill Vernon Memorial Scholarship.The winners are G Rockwell (studying at New England Conservatory in Boston, MA), Tashi Litch (studying at Lawrence University in Wisconsin), and Grant Dresnok (studying at East Tennessee State University in Tennessee). 

Here is a little jam they did on stage introducing themselves to the audience. 

Lots of legendary artists hit the stages, as well as a number of hot new bands in the Grey Fox Emerging Artist Series, like Pictrola featured here. 

At the end of the evening, as is the Grey Fox tradition, there was a bombastic All Star Jam headed up by Darol Anger. Here is a wee little taste of some of the fun with the Jesse McReynolds classic, Dixie Hoedown…

..and The Old Crossroads, featuring Joe Newberry.

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