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Date: April 23, 2009
Contact: Nancy Gray, (865) 436-1208

Ellie Grace, a singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, will entertain visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m. The performance will take place at Cades Cove in the auditorium next to the campground.

"Grace’s performances include a compelling mix of music and dance that is strongly rooted in tradition but crosses easily into the contemporary folk realm, ranging from singing songs to playing old-time instrumentals," said Cades Cove Supervisory Park Ranger Mike Maslona. "Grace’s resume is impressive and her experiences have led her to performances at prestigious venues including the Lincoln Center in New York City. Grace has over 20 years of experience performing. She plays the mandolin, fiddle, and guitar and has recorded three albums with The Grace Family. She has recently joined The Dirk Powell Band on several national and international tours. Dirk Powell has an esteemed reputation as one of his generation’s most highly regarded traditional American musicians and is widely known for creating and performing music for the movie Cold Mountain," Maslona explained.

Visitors will be invited to join her in the participatory portion of the program and are asked to bring two soup spoons per person for a hands-on demonstration (no experience necessary). Ms. Grace is also inviting everyone to bring their stringed instruments and their tapping shoes to join her performance for a jam session.

Maslona said that, "We are so pleased to offer this Appalachian mountain music demonstration to Park visitors and are appreciative of the Great Smoky Mountains Association which is sponsoring this event."