Welcome to the 2025 Lake Lure Music Festival! We are excited to bring you "An Evening of Classical Guitar" featuring Alec Holcomb for an intimate concert on March 8th, 2025 at The Gardens at Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure.. Alec has been described as one of "10 rising stars of classical guitar" and a "virtuoso" by Acoustic Guitar Magazine. We look forward to having Alec here.
With the continued impact Hurricane Helene is having on the area, we have been struck by the enormous generosity, volunteerism and hard work provided by so many individuals, organizations, companies, charitable organizations and church groups from both within and outside the Hickory Nut Gorge, along with military and government personnel that continue to help those in need.
While there is much more important and vital work to be done over the coming months and years, for our small part, we hope that we can to continue to bring the joy of music and the opportunity to gather together communally in Lake Lure in the service of others.
Last year, our summer concert at Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure (RBLL) featured Grammy-nominated and multiple International Bluegrass Music Award winner Sister Sadie as our headline act for our “Evening of Bluegrass and More" . Walter Finley Duo featuring April Dawn was our opening act. It was a foot stomping, get out your seat and dance on the lawn kind of evening. With ticket sales and support from our sponsors, we were able to provide a $20,000 donation to the Lake Lure Classical Academy (LLCA) in support of their programs and a $7500 donation to the Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach to help in their work assisting folks that experience food insecurity.
In 2023, our summer concert at Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure (RBLL) featured Appalachian Road Show. It was a beautiful evening on the lake as the band played an inspired set of original and classic bluegrass music, while sharing historical and personal insights into Appalachian music. This past October at The Gardens at RBLL, we had renowned classical musicians, violinist Chee-Yun and cellist Wendy Sutter, for the intimate concert, “Salon Musique”. In addition to their extraordinary playing of several composers, between selections, Chee and Wendy provided rare insight into how they interpret the music. After an extended standing ovation following the final piece, the musicians joined attendees for a post-concert gathering on the outside deck of The Gardens.
The 2023 sold out concerts, along with community support, allowed us to increase our donations to the Lake Lure Classical Academy (LLCA) and the Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach. Our $10,000 donation to the school was used to help fund a new music teacher for the 2023-24 school year. Our $5000 donation to Outreach was specifically designated to help feed LLCA children and their families that experience food insecurity. Your attendance tonight and the continued support of the community will help us provide assistance in 2025. Thank you!
If you want to get involved with the Festival as a LLMF volunteer or if you are interested in becoming a sponsor or donor, please visit our Sponsors / Opportunities page and/or send us as an email at lakeluremusic@gmail.com.
I would also like to thank the Lake Lure Community Education Foundation for partnering with us, as well as our community partners, Town of Lake Lure, and Hickory Nut Chamber.
In closing, we wanted to share one final thank you for all the staff at Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure led by General Manager, Jeff Geisler. All our concerts could not have happened without their hard work and dedication. Jeff has been a tremendous supporter of the Festival and the greater community. Many thanks!
Enjoy the show!