Gettysburg Annual Music Muster Set for August 15 and 16

Date: July 18, 2014
Contact: Evangelina Rubalcava, [phone], etx. 3251

The 77th New York Balladeers

One-of-a-kind performances by authentic Civil War musicians will fill the air on August 15 and16 at Gettysburg National Military Park during the Gettysburg Music Muster. Music will be played mainly on original instruments such as fife, banjo, and mandolin and will include songs of balladeers, Victorian dance music and dance performances.

This free event is sponsored by Gettysburg National Military Park and the Gettysburg Foundation. Performance locations include the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center 1195 Baltimore Pike; the Dobbin House Restaurant, 89 Steinwehr Avenue, Gettysburg; and the Pennsylvania Memorial, Auto Tour Stop #12 on the Gettysburg battlefield.

The Susquehanna Travellers will be performing with the Victorian Dance Ensemble as well as solo.  The Victorian Dance Ensemble will call and perform several dance numbers in Victorian dress. Their grand finale will include audience participation. The 12 member fife and drum band known as the 46^thPennsylvania Regiment Band will perform. David Kincaid, the Irish Volunteer, will also perform. The 77^thNew York Regimental Balladeers will bring their special music and harmonies as well.

The Irish Volunteers Civil War Band from Western New York will return for their fourth performance year. Though all four members have long backgrounds in folk and Celtic music, they have been performing Civil War era music since 2007. The Libby Prison Minstrels will also perform. Their name is taken from the infamous Richmond, Virginia, prison and they represent a musical group that managed to purchase instruments from the "outside" and put on shows that were a respite from the hardships of prison life.

The Connecticut Valley Music Fife and Drum Band from Middletown, Connecticut, will perform. They are an authentic recreation of a Civil War band.

New to the Music Muster is Steve Ball, a solitary performer from Columbus, Ohio. His repertoire of songs reaches deep into the 19th century, both before and during the civil war period of 1861 to 1865.

The Fort Delaware Cornet Band comes to Gettysburg from Alloway, New Jersey. This seven member band is an authentic Civil War era brass and percussion group portraying an artillery band.

Performances begin Friday, August 15, at 1 p.m.on the plaza at the flag pole kiosk in front of the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. The program opens with Steve Ball, followed by performances in the tent located in front of the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center from the Libby Prison Minstrels at 2 p.m., David Kincaid at 3 p.m.and the Irish Volunteers at 4 p.m. The Connecticut Valley Field Music will perform on the flagpole plaza to end the Friday performances.

On Saturday, August 16, performances begin at 9:40 a.m.on the plaza at the flag pole kiosk in front of the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center. Afterward, tent performances will continue throughout the day until 5:45 p.m. Most of the musicians will also perform in the courtyard of the Dobbin House Tavern, from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. A grand finale performance from many of the groups will begin at 3:45 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Memorial and continue until sundown. 

The public is invited to attend all of the performances free of charge. Outdoor performance sites can be very warm and sunny, so bring umbrellas as well as lawn chairs or blankets for seating. For more information call [phone] ext. 3251 or ext. 8023.

Gettysburg National Military Park is a unit of the National Park System that preserves and protects the resources associated with the Battle of Gettysburg and the Soldiers' National Cemetery, and provides an understanding of the events that occurred there within the context of American History. Information is available at www.nps.gov/gett.

The Gettysburg Foundation is a private, non-profit educational organization working in partnership with the National Park Service to enhance preservation and understanding of the heritage and lasting significance of Gettysburg. The Foundation raised funds for and now operates the Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park, which opened in April 2008. In addition to operating the Museum and Visitor Center, the Foundation has a broad preservation mission that includes land, monument and artifact preservation and battlefield rehabilitation—all in support of the National Park Service's goals at Gettysburg. Information is available at www.gettysburgfoundation.org.