CARTHAGE – The Lewiston youth group Les Doigts Rigolants will open Thursday, Aug. 2, for Canadian jazz guitarist Duane Andrews at Skye Theatre Performing Arts Center.

Les Doigts Rigolants (The Boisterous Fingers), directed by John Cote, represents a vibrant and growing interest among young people in Celtic and traditional dance music from New England, Quebec, Canadian Maritimes, Scotland, Ireland, and Scandinavia. Playing fiddle will be Hannah Rodrigue, 15; Rebecca Grube, 18; and Matt Lamare 15. They are longtime participants of The Maine Fiddle Camp in Montville, a weeklong music camp dedicated to traditional music and dance in Maine.

Playing guitar will be Cote, a faculty member at Maine Fiddle Camp and a resident of Lewiston who mentors the group.

Les Doigts Rigolants will play waltzes and airs as well as upbeat reels and jigs. The group has performed at the American Folk Festival in Bangor and at local dances and festivals.

Phill McIntyre, founder of New England Celtic Arts, sponsor of the Skye Theater concert series, has been impressed by the talent and dedication of these teen musicians who played at jam sessions preceding some concerts. He decided they deserved their own moment in the spotlight before Grube heads off to college. “Part of our mission is to encourage youngsters to carry these folk traditions into the next generation,” said McIntyre, “and there’s no better positive enforcement than the applause of our always-enthusiastic audience here at the Skye Theater.”

The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door. Call 562-4445 for reservations. The theater is at 2 Highland Drive off Winter Hill Road and U.S. Route 2. For more information, log on to www.necelticarts.com.


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