NC FOLK FEST: NEWFOUND GAP

Newfound Gap is from Leicester, NC.  Bayla (17) plays clawhammer banjo and is a traditional Appalachian vocalist. Sylvie (15) plays fiddle. Judah (14) plays guitar. Emme (12) plays bass and mandolin. They’ve won first place ribbons for best youth band at several fiddlers conventions throughout the Southeast. All are Galax individual ribbon holders including Bayla who won first place in clawhammer banjo, and they are second place old-time band winners at Galax. In addition to playing the Youth Stage at the IBMA’s and participating in the Kids on Bluegrass Program, they’ve played the Cabin Stage at Merlefest, The Art of Music Festival, Woodsongs, Appalachia Sessions, The Earl Scruggs Festival, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, FloydFest, The Blue Ridge Opry, The Jefferson Center, The Diana Wortham Theatre, The Mountain Song and Dance Festival, FloydFest, RoosterWalk, among many others.  Bayla is a ‘23-‘24 Fellow in From the Top’s Learning and Media Lab, only the second traditional musician to ever be chosen for the program. Bayla was also selected to participate in The Blue Ridge Music Trails’ Fine Tuned project, a mentorship and collaboration-based project aimed at professional development for emerging artists playing traditional music in Western North Carolina. Her recordings were released last year for the Fine Tuned Project with Cary Fridley and produced by Josh Goforth. She is also the youngest musician to be endorsed by Gold Tone Music Group. Each plans to teach and perform for future generations.