Centennial Festival Weekend

Madison Cello Ensemble (MCE), a 501(c) (3),  creates a community where all cellists thrive! A non competitive collective of  cellists from throughout Dane County, MCE offers private cello lessons, weekly group classes, cello ensembles and chamber groups for all ages and levels.  MCE celebrates diversity in both the student community and repertoire by welcoming students from varied backgrounds and by playing cello music in classical, folk, jazz, pop, and contemporary genres. MCE engages in community outreach by performing venues ranging from Summerfest to retirement communities, farmer’s markets, churches and synagogues, and the Madison Children’s museum.  MCE hosts an annual  Winter Solstice Celebration and Benefit to support our scholarship program and local charities. Each summer MCE collaborates with other local organizations to provide programming, including a Chamber Music Immersion, the “Fantastic Folk and Fiddle Festival,” and Make Music Madison. The rich and diverse traditions of cello live and flourish in MCE’s cooperative and socially engaged environment. 

First Act Children’s Theatre originated during the summer of 2000 in an effort to provide a positive process-oriented theater program for young performers in the Madison area.  What began with a rubber-maid storage tub of craft supplies and dress-ups has grown into a year-round children’s theatre serving over 500 students per year and showcasing the talent of numerous outstanding Theatre Instructors and Artists. Our mission is to help youth grow in self-esteem and confidence and to encourage the use of their creativity and imagination and that mission will continue to be on the front line as we grow and improve our teaching and production elements.  We look forward to owning a “home of our own” in the next ten years and it is my hope that First Act Children’s Theatre will continue to be a legacy of theater for young performers in the Madison area for many years to come.  

Drawing from Americana, bluegrass, and old time influences, Annie & the Oakies are the peerless wing-shots of the Madison, WI, acoustic music scene. Emerging from the ashes of the Oak Street Ramblers, who were midwest favorites for nearly two decades, Annie & the Oakies released their eponymous debut album in 2022. The album has received regular radio play, and A&TO has played several high profile shows since then. The band consists of Annie Emmenegger on guitar and vocals, Ian Alderman on mandolin and vocals, Jeff Kunkle on bass, Mark Schlutt on banjo and vocals, and Tina Thompson on fiddle and vocals.

Their notable performances include Stoughton Opera House, North Street Cabaret (sold out performance), Waterfront Festival and Sessions at McPike Park (opened for Lilly Hiatt). You can stream music from Annie & the Oakies on Spotify, Apple Music and Youtube.  

Eden Ehm is one of North America’s leading Hardanger fiddlers, known for sharing her dynamic interpretations of Norway’s regional fiddle traditions through performances, lectures, and informances. 

A native of Decorah, Iowa, Eden first encountered Hardanger fiddles on display at the Vesterheim Museum but never dreamed she would play one.  She began her studies over fifteen years ago while an undergraduate at St. Olaf College, the only school in the United States to offer a Hardanger fiddle studio for lessons and academic credit.  

Eden performs and lectures widely, serves on the board of the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America (HFAA), and maintains a global studio of students.  She was recently honored as a tradition keeper, sharer, learner, teacher, and evolver in the recent “Hand Me Down The Fiddle” exhibit at the Vesterheim Museum.  She has traveled to Norway to study with master fiddlers at the Rauland International Hardingfele Intensive (RIHI) and Vinterfestival at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN).    

Her musical expression is based on the traditional fiddle repertoire from the entirety of Norway, with a focus on exploring the differences, similarities, and connections between Norway’s diverse regional traditions.  Also a classically trained violinist for over three decades, Eden’s fiddling style bridges classical and folk sensibilities, connecting classical music to folk influences while amplifying unique voices. 

Dating back to the 1600s the Hardanger fiddle is the national folk instrument of Norway. It may resemble a violin, but is very different in design, sound, repertoire, and tradition.