Great joy in bringing traditional music to a modern audience.
About the Artist
Ampersand is a small string band, so named because our core duo of Beth Lawton and Dick Hogle “adds in” other musicians both at home and when we travel. We offer a family-friendly, interactive set of songs and instrumentals, from colonial times through Civil War music,1920s and 30s folk/blues, to modern folk tunes. We play guitars, banjo, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, and often are joined by fiddlers, and a stand-up bass player – lots of songs and rich harmonies and we’re happy to have the audience ask questions, join in on singalongs, and just have a great time with this wonderful traditional music. Beth and Dick bring undergraduate backgrounds in History and American Culture studies to more than 25 years of musical exploration in vocals and folk instruments. Special programs on a particular time period or topic are often available - new programs featuring Revolutionary War era songs and tunes are coming for 2025 and 2026 (250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence). Favorite venues to play include National Parks and Historic Sites (Monocacy Battlefield, Saratoga Battlefield, Stratford Hall, Mary Ball Washington Museum), assisted living residences, farmers markets, and local historical societies (Talbot County, Maryland; Lancaster, VA; Spartanburg, SC).Beth Lawton website View Website Beth Lawton website Purchase Art
Booking
Booking Price: < $500
We offer hour-long educational programs as well as two- or three-hour performances that bring live, period music to historical and recreational events. Basic fee is $400 for the educational program (1 hour); $400 per hour for music, with reductions for longer programs. ($700 for 2 hours; $900 for 3 hours). Sliding scale available to non-profit organizations.
Access to electricity for our simple, unobtrusive amplification system.
We usually play within two hours of Easton, Maryland - although we also bring our music to Delaware, Virginia, South Carolina, and upstate New York and New England on regional tours. Maryland counties include Frederick; Caroline; Talbot; Kent; Dorchester; Queen Anne's.