Description

Zoe & Cloyd—the creative partnership of fiddler/vocalist Natalya Zoe Weinstein and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist John Cloyd Miller—prove that opposites truly do attract. Hailing from two distinct musical worlds, they merge their unique backgrounds into a powerful collaboration that has garnered both critical acclaim and widespread appeal.

Natalya, a classically trained musician from Massachusetts with deep roots in klezmer and jazz, joins forces with John, a 12th-generation North Carolinian and grandson of pioneering bluegrass fiddler Jim Shumate. Together, they create music that honors their respective traditions while forging a distinctive sound of their own. This award-winning duo’s work has been praised by Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine as “a musical collaboration that demands to be heard.”

Accolades follow Zoe & Cloyd wherever they go. John is a grand prize winner of both the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and the Hazel Dickens Songwriting Contest, while Natalya has earned numerous fiddle contest wins across the country. Based in Asheville, NC, they both teach in the traditional music program at Warren Wilson College, sharing their knowledge and passion with the next generation of musicians.

Zoe & Cloyd have performed nationwide and internationally, captivating audiences at prestigious venues and festivals like MerleFest, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Westport Folk & Bluegrass Fest in Ireland, Earl Scruggs Music Fest, FreshGrass Festival, and the NC Folk Festival. Since 2022, they have also served as the artistic directors for A Swannanoa Solstice at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts in Asheville.

Opening for Zloe & Cloyd – The Foreign Landers and Kevin Kehrberg on upright base

“One listen to the lilting vocals, truthful narrative, and welcoming musicality and you will understand,” writes The Aquarian. “Beautiful would almost be an understatement.” That sense of invitation sits at the heart of The Foreign Landers’ music. Their songs pay close attention to ordinary moments, shaped by the belief that grace often shows up in these places. Rooted in bluegrass and Celtic tradition, the band blends acoustic drive with reflective songwriting and close harmony singing shaped by lives lived across borders.

Rooted in bluegrass and Celtic tradition, the band creates their own sound with reflective songwriting and enchanting singing shaped by lives lived across borders. Led by vocalist and banjoist Tabitha Agnew Benedict of Northern Ireland and mandolinist David Benedict of South Carolina, The Foreign Landershave built a reputation for music that feels deeply personal. Their work grows out of shared experience, shaped by distance, home, and the steady work of learning how to live faithfully in changing seasons.

Kevin Kehrberg is a Warren Wilson professor and chair of the music department won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Instrumental Recording of the Year award for his rendition of “Ground Speed,” originally written by Earl Scruggs.