Quickstep with John Kirk,

Trish Miller, Ed Lowman, Sara Milonovich & Cedar Stanistreet

Lively fiddle tunes, folk songs and fancy footwork are featured in a concert from Quickstep. This versatile group from upstate New York plays four fiddles, flute, mandolin, guitar, bass, banjo and they sing with melodious harmony. Even more variety is added with dance routines. John gets audiences to participate with funny songs and sing-alongs. Their shows are for all ages and all five musicians have worked together since Cedar and Sara were young teenagers. Quickstep presents a diverse repertoire of old-time and original music rooted in the north country. Their tunes and songs are drawn from Celtic and north American sources. Some are sentimental, many are original, some celebrate nature’s beauty while others are humorous. The band is best known for lyric and blazing hot fiddle medleys.

John Kirk is lead singer and a versatile instrumentalist on mandolin, guitar and banjo as well as fiddle. He has always made his living as a musician. In addition to his work with Trish, he works with the Vanaver Caravan and the Susquehanna Stringband. He can be heard on TV and recording projects with Jay Ungar and other notable musicians. John has played with the Catskill Conservatory Chamber Players, at Carnegie Hall. With Walt Michael & Company, he appeared at Lincoln Center as well as at many prestigious festivals. The Dixie Chicks recorded his song, “Long Roads”. John and  Trish live in Greenfield Center, NY. They have their own recordings and John has played on many recordings with other artists. In addition to performing, John teaches music at Bennington College in Vermont and gives lessons at Skidmore College in Saratoga.

Trish Miller has been teaching and performing Appalachian clogging since 1981. She calls dances, choreographs country dance routines, plays banjo and guitar. The groups she has danced with include the Green Grass Cloggers, from Asheville, N.C. and the Back Creek Cloggers from Virginia. Trish teaches banjo at Skidmore College, directs the dance stage at several festivals and she uses her footwork like soft drumming to accompany fiddle tunes.

Ed Lowman is a multi-instrumentalist and singer. Old-time and Cajun fiddling, bass, guitar, mandolin and carpentry are his trades. He is also from Greenfield Center. In addition to working with John and Trish since 1984, Ed has appeared with several groups including the St. Regis Stringband.  He is known for his authentic rendition of early country music songs and has worked as a studio musician on several recordings. For over twenty five years, Ed has been the Schroon Lake summer dance coordinator.

Sara Milonovich is a promising example of the next generation carrying on the fiddle and dance tradition. Sara’s a fiddle contest winner and she’s the featured act in many concerts. She’s produced her own recordings and traveled the world appearing at the finest Irish music halls and folk or celtic festivals. In addition to sparkling fiddling, Sara sings, step dances and plays flute. She has worked with the McKrells, Cathy Ryan and is currently appearing with guitarists Greg Anderson and Richard Shindell. Please check out - www.saramilonovich.com for more information.

Cedar Stanistreet has been playing piano and violin/fiddle since he was five. Irish tunes and classical pieces are some of his favorites. In May he graduated with honors as a music performance major at Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY,  Cedar is also an avid birder and hiker. He grew up living in the Adirondack Mountains near North Creek, NY, and now is learning violin making and living in Boston, MA. Cedar plays for dances and teaches lessons & workshops.

Together, John, Trish, Ed, Sara and Cedar make up a lively band for all ages presenting original material along with old-time favorites.