On Sunday Aug. 29, long-time New England favorites Susie Burke and David Surette will perform as part of the “Sunday at 4” series on the lawn of Francestown’s Old Meetinghouse.
From their base on the Seacoast, the duo has been a fixture on the New England folk music scene for over three decades, performing together and separately as solo acts, and as part of other groups on stage and in recordings.
Susie Burke has been singing around the region since the mid-’80s with what has been described by Scott Alarik in the Boston Globe as possessing “one of the finest, purest ballad sopranos heard in folk music today… her phrasing is unerringly devoted to the lyric.” Her influences express a range from contemporary and traditional folk, swing, country, topical songs, and more.
Also performing since the mid-’80s, David Surette has appeared with Susie as well as with other musicians and groups. He is sought as an accompanist in the New England Contra Dance and Celtic music circles as a multi-instrumentalist, playing bouzouki, guitar, and mandolin. David heads the Folk Department at the Concord (NH) Community Music School, and remains an active teacher. He has studied traditional music in Brittany and has published a book of Celtic guitar arrangements.
Admission is $15, and children under 15 are free. Bring a blanket or chair to sit on the lawn (the concert will move inside in case of rain). Unvaccinated guests are requested to please wear masks.