Urbana Fiddle Weekend (June 7-8)
Two days of fiddle fun with classes, dances, concerts, presentation presented by Community Center for the Arts
The “Possum” says you should mark your calendar now. The Community Center for the Arts (C4A) in Urbana, Illinois, is hosting the Fiddle & Jam Weekend on June 7-8, 2025 - a lively, family-friendly festival celebrating the rich traditions of fiddling, jamming, and community dance. Whether you're an experienced musician, a total beginner, or just love live traditional music, this weekend promises fun and learning for all.
Event website for latest info: https://c-4a.org/happenings/fiddle-jam-weekend.
Saturday, June 7
The program kicks off at 10:00 AM with the classic Saturday morning old-time jam led by fiddler Laura Sleade with Tom Faux on guitar/banjo, under the big tent at the Rose Bowl Tavern, 106 N Race Street in Urbana–across the street from C4A and the Courier Cafe. This is free and requires no advance registration. Runs from 10:00 AM to Noon.
Students from grade school through high school can sign up in advance for a special educational track. Also, advanced registration is encouraged for the Saturday workshops. This program begins at 10:00 AM at C4A HQ located at 202 W Main St, Urbana, IL 61801.
Concerts and jam sessions are free and open to the broader community - no registration needed. Advanced registration for the workshops is encouraged.
Workshops - Starting at 12:45 PM you can attend one of the following:
- Fiddle from Scratch with Robin Kearton
- Banjo Workshop with Tom Faux
- Learn Illinois Fiddle Tunes with Charlie Walden
Aaron Albrecht Presentation
At 2:00 PM Everyone can attend a presentation by Aaron Albrecht on African-American fiddlers and traditions in Missouri. You won’t want to miss this. I asked Aaron to tell me a little about his presentation:
“In my presentation I will showcase two influential Black old time fiddlers of the greater Midwest - Bill Katon and Bill Driver. We will explore their lives and their music, see photographs of them, and listen to recorded excerpts of their music. We will reflect on how their musical styles fit into the larger mosaic of traditional fiddling in the midwest, and will examine the way black musical traditions have influenced old time fiddling in our region generally.”
Starting at 3:15 PM you can attend one of the following:
Learn Missouri Fiddle Tunes with Aaron & Charlie: Charlie and Aaron will follow up on the lecture with some great tunes from Black Missouri fiddlers! They’ll teach by ear and have sheet music available. You should already now how to play your instrument to participate in this session fully
Slow Jam, with with Robin Kearton & Tom Faux: For beginners and people who are not used to playing by ear. Instruction will be given as needed, and you can have access to PDF versions of the tunes you learn. This jam is geared toward fiddle, banjo, and guitar players, but everyone is welcome
Starting at 4:30 PM
Introduction to electric violin, with Andreas Ruiz and Genevieve Knoebel: A casual discussion with information and demonstrations for people who are curious about electric violins, this is a warmup session for our fall electric strings workshop series!
Evening Concert at 7:00 PM
The day finishes off with in an outdoor evening concert at 25 O'Clock Brewing Company (208 W Griggs St Suite 101, Urbana), starting at 7:00 PM, featuring:
The show will be in 2 sets: The first features a unique combination of instruments with Robin Kearton (fiddle & ol-timey viola), Sol Baer (clarinets, including bass clarinet), Tom Faux (clawhammer and cello banjo), and Jean René Balekita (percussion) offering a distinct take on traditional dance music!
The second set features two Illinois fiddle champs! Fiddlers Charlie Walden and Aaron Albrecht, with Patt Plunkett on keyboard, will spin out their favorite tunes in a variety of styles for your listening pleasure!
The concert will conclude with a few tunes from the two groups combined, then morph into an open jam starting around 8:30 pm, so bring your ax and stick around for some tunes!
Sunday features the Kids Orchestra, Jams, and Dancing!
- Don’t miss the “Whiskey Before Breakfast” traditional open jam at the Rose Bowl Big Tent, 106 N Race St, Urbana, with lots of Fiddle & Jam Weekend staff. Coffee also available! From 9:00 to 11:00 AM.
- Fiddle Orchestra Rehearsal at C4A, starting at 9:30 AM
Almost everything is free - thanks to support from the Urbana Arts & Culture Public Arts Grant and the Illinois Arts Council.
Details at a Glance:
- Dates: June 7-8, 2025
- Venues: Community Center for the Arts (202 W Main, Urbana), 25 O'Clock Brewing Company (208 W Griggs St Suite 101, Urbana), Rose Bowl Tavern’s Big Tent (106 N Race St #1, Urbana).
- Contact: info@c-4a.org | 217-384-5150 | c-4a.org
- Website: https://c-4a.org/happenings/fiddle-jam-weekend.
Come be part of this joyful celebration of tradition, creativity, and community spirit!