Beethoven & Banjos Festival

The Upper Peninsula's Annual
Cross-Genre Music Festival

Beethoven and Banjos Music Festival is more than a simple presentation of the respective styles of classical and traditional music. The program integrates music and musicians from around the world to create new music and new interpretations of old music. It engages students in the creative process through interactive workshops. The music is selected for, composed about, and rehearsed in the Northwoods and is designed specifically for our audiences to celebrate our landscape, culture, and heritage.

Beethoven and Banjos musicians gather for an intensive week-long experience of preparation, writing, rehearsing, student programs, and performances. The freshness and intensity experienced during the residency is reflected in the performances and interactions with the audience.

2026 Festival - Music of Madagascar

The theme for Beethoven and Banjos in 2026 is Music of Madagascar. We are inviting Mikahely Razafy and David Rajaonary as special guest collaborators with Evan Premo and Laurel Premo. Mikahely is a Malagasy singer-songwriter now based in Vermont whose music blends the gentle, flowing rhythms of traditional Madagascar with contemporary acoustic sensibilities. A self-taught musician, he performs on the valiha, a shimmering bamboo tube-zither that is central to Malagasy musical identity, as well as on guitar, weaving both instruments into warm, melodic songs sung primarily in Malagasy. His music draws from traditional lullabies and folk forms, carrying themes of memory, nature, and social awareness, offering audiences a rare and soulful connection to Madagascar’s rich musical heritage. Malagasy musician David Rajaonary (Rade) has toured nationally. Rade settled in New York City, and has since made a name for himself in the music scene there. He is currently part of the world music group BeMaeva, as well working with Okaidja Afroso, Muriel Mwamba, and countless other artists. Concerts are planned for the Marquette Regional History Center in Marquette on October 8, The Walker Center in Houghton on October 9, and Fortune Lake Camp in Crystal Falls on October 11. We are also planning a school presentation at the Crystal Theatre for students from Forest Park, West Iron and North Dickinson Schools.

Performances

Artists

Mikahely is a Malagasy singer-songwriter now based in Vermont whose music blends the gentle, flowing rhythms of traditional Madagascar with contemporary acoustic sensibilities. A self-taught musician, he performs on the valiha, a shimmering bamboo tube-zither that is central to Malagasy musical identity, as well as on guitar, weaving both instruments into warm, melodic songs sung primarily in Malagasy. His music draws from traditional lullabies and folk forms, carrying themes of memory, nature, and social awareness, offering audiences a rare and soulful connection to Madagascar’s rich musical heritage.

Malagasy musician David Rajaonary (Rade) has toured nationally. Rade settled in New York City, and has since made a name for himself in the music scene there. He is currently part of the world music group BeMaeva, as well working with Okaidja Afroso, Muriel Mwamba, and countless other artists.

Laurel Premo is known for her rhythmically deep and rapt delivery of roots music, voiced on finger-style electric guitar, lap steel, fiddle, and voice. The glowing heartiness and rich grit of her sound reveal a love of and complete submersion in heavy archaic roots—from the crossover of old-time and blues American traditions to darker Nordic sounds. She is a Michigan-based artist who has been writing, arranging, and touring since 2009 with vocal and instrumental roots acts, and is internationally known from her duo Red Tail Ring. Her 2021 solo release, ‘Golden Loam’, continues Laurel’s sonic raising of old wild landscape, with ruminant power, a masterful use of space, and dynamic waves of warm, gritty sustain. “Subtle but dazzling and rich in texture. Watching a live performance is pure hypnosis.” – MTV Laurel Premo has spent her life immersed in American and Nordic folk traditions. Now both new compositions and arrangements of older music are held in a living relationship with tradition, musically revealing a bloom of underlying harmonic drones, minimalist repetition, and rich polyrhythm.

Musician/Composer/Sound Artist Evan Premo creates musical experiences that explore the intersection of consciousness, spirituality, and artistic expression. A deep listener with an insatiable curiosity about life’s mysteries, Evan’s cutting-edge work traverses the boundaries of knowing through the language of sound. His latest work delves into the intersections of science, spirituality, and artistic expression. As a passionate Teaching Artist with 15 years of experience in Vermont, Evan has worked to inspire and educate the next generation of musicians. He trained through a prestigious two-year residency with Ensemble Connect, a program affiliated with Carnegie Hall, where he honed his skills as both a performer and educator. Evan’s teaching integrates his diverse musical experiences, fostering a deep understanding of sound, collaboration, and artistry in students. He is also listed on the Vermont Arts Council Teaching Artist Roster, which reflects his dedication to the local arts community. Evan is a founding member of Decoda, a society of virtuoso chamber musicians, arts advocates, and educators affiliated with Carnegie Hall, with which he has performed around the world. His other performances include appearances at Carnegie Hall and on National Public Radio’s Performance Today. Evan’s compositions have been commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Chamber Orchestra, The Pine Mountain Music Festival, and Aizuri Quartet, among others. He is the Artistic Director of Northwoods Music Collaborative, which includes the annual Beethoven and Banjos Festival. He is certified in Deep Listening and completed degrees in Composition and Performance at the University of Michigan, where he received the highest honor for outstanding public performance. He also received a post-graduate fellowship position from Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute.
www.evanpremo.com