Zoe & Cloyd to Perform at Ramsey Center Spring Concert

April 2, 2025

The Ramsey Center for Appalachian Studies at Mars Hill University welcomes acclaimed musical duo Zoe & Cloyd to headline its annual spring concert on Friday, April 11, 2025, in Owen Theatre. Doors will open at 7 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. This performance marks the 10-year anniversary of the duo, fiddler/vocalist Natalya Zoe Weinstein and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist John Cloyd Miller. They will showcase material from their latest release, Songs of Our Grandfathers, an homage to their respective bluegrass and klezmer roots.​

Zoe & Cloyd’s unique “klezgrass” sound springs from their rich family traditions and complementary backgrounds. Natalya, descending from a lineage of klezmer and jazz musicians, trained classically in Massachusetts before moving south in 2004. John, a 12th-generation North Carolinian and grandson of pioneering bluegrass fiddler Jim Shumate, is a first-place winner of both the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and the Hazel Dickens Songwriting Contest. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, the duo seamlessly combines original bluegrass, klezmer, old-time, and folk music with sincerity and zeal.​

Their fifth studio album, Songs of Our Grandfathers, released in May 2023 on Organic Records, has been enthusiastically received, with feature articles in Bluegrass Unlimited, No Depression, and The Bluegrass Situation. The project honors their respective musical heritages, blending bluegrass and klezmer traditions in innovative ways. As noted by The Bluegrass Situation, the album “challenges its listeners to think outside of preconceived notions of what bluegrass, string band, and old-time music are.” The article further praises the duo’s approach, stating, “The artful way this pair of musicians and life partners combine the styles of their families, of their youths, and of their present lives together… feels expansive, rich, and bold.” ​

In 2024, Zoe & Cloyd performed at numerous events, including the Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival in Ireland and the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in upstate New York. They also returned as hosts of A Swannanoa Solstice at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts in Asheville.​

For the Mars Hill concert, they will be joined by long-time collaborator Kevin Kehrberg on bass and innovative musician Ben Krakauer on banjo and guitar.​

Tickets are available on a sliding scale to ensure accessibility for all and may be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/zoe-cloyd-live-at-mars-hill-university-tickets-1224978687229.

This concert is supported by a grant from the Madison County Tourism Development Authority.

For more information, contact Leila Weinstein, program director of the Ramsey Center, at lweinstein@mhu.edu or 828-689-1115.