Student/Faculty Bluegrass Music Featured at Fundraiser Barn Party

Madison, VA – September 9, 2025. The Blue Ridge Center for Music & Creative Arts (BRCMCA) is hosting a Barn Party to raise funds for its 2026 programs. The event will take place on Saturday, October 4, 2025 at the Barn at Stony Brook in Syria, VA. The highlight of the evening will be a joint performance by members of the Center’s bluegrass faculty and recent student graduates of the Center’s Bluegrass Master Classes program. Guests will be treated to an amazing evening of music performed by emerging young bluegrass musicians playing side-by-side on stage with nationally recognized professional artists, including Vince May, Valerie Smith, Lisa Kay-Howard, Doug Marshall, Tina Buchanan, Gary Davis, and Wally Hughs.

The Barn Party begins at 6:00 PM and tickets can be purchased in advance on the Center’s website (Here). There will be live and silent auctions that feature tickets to bluegrass festivals, musical instruments, and works of art by faculty, students, and regional artists. All proceeds will be used to fund the Center’s 2026 programs, which include the following:Bluegrass Master Classes: A five-day program designed to enhance and develop youth in bluegrass through one-on-one and small group instruction by nationally recognized bluegrass artists, jam sessions, and live performances.

Music & Mindfulness: An 8-day program for advanced level high school orchestral and vocal students where participants have the chance to expand their skills through introductory workshops in genres such as jazz and bluegrass, and join faculty for lively jam sessions and collaborative concerts.

Creative Music Composition: A unique opportunity for students who are actively composing to work with experienced professional musicians/composers to finalize a piece and introduce it live or digitally at the end of the 5-day program.
Visual Arts: A series of workshops where advanced students work one-on-one with prominent, nationally-recognized artists, including guidance in portfolio development, practice in mindfulness techniques that can help them improve their focus, and public exhibition of their work. Workshop areas include oil, watercolor, and stone sculpture.

About the Blue Ridge Center for Music & Creative Arts
Founded in July 2023, the Blue Ridge Center for Music & Creative Arts is a Virginia nonprofit organization located in Madison County, Virginia. The Center provides facilities, programs, and supporting services for professional musicians and artists in conjunction with educational and developmental programs for talented young students in a manner that promotes meaningful interactions, learning opportunities, creative expression, and mentoring relationships. The goal is to accelerate learning, skill development, and creative expression and prepare students for lifelong involvement and careers in music and the creative arts.