Mother's Day Music Festival May 13

It's almost time for our annual Mother's Day Music Festival, hosted each year since the 1980s. The event always takes place on the Saturday before Mother’s Day. This year’s event will be held Saturday, May 13 from 11am to 4pm on the front lawn at Tandem Friends School (in the Community Hall if it rains). It’s always a relaxing and family oriented gathering. Throughout the afternoon, there will be a variety of musical acts, many from the talented Charlottesville area music community and some from within Tandem. There will be delicious food and drinks for sale, and great family activities like a petting zoo, t-shirt tie dyeing, face painting, lawn games, and more. Some local vendors will be on hand to sell great gifts for moms. The entry fee is $7, but mothers, as always, get in for free.
This year’s musical lineup:

  • 11:00 am - Tandem 5th grade band
  • 11:30 am - Tandem 8th grade band
  • 11:45 am - Quaker Notes/rock band
  • 12:15 pm - Will Overman 
  • 12:50 pm - Black Ice (middle school band)
  • 1:10 pm - John D'Earth & Guests
  • 1:55 pm - Men from Monday 
  • 2:35 pm - Sarah White
  • 3:15 pm - Crystal Gardens 
The Facebook event page is Tandem Friends Mother's Day Music Festival – or go to the Tandem website at www.tandemfs.org. Proceeds will help support the American Refugee Committee and Tandem’s Loryl Cathcart LRC Scholarship Fund.
                                           
Some history about Mother's Day Music Festival: The Mother’s Day Music Festival began in the late 80’s as an official school-run event. By the mid-1990’s the school had decided to drop the event as one too many to manage during the school year. That’s when student Jay Pun stepped up and suggested that the students take it over. The school agreed and the event has been held every year since, completely organized by the music students, usually headed up by seniors. This year, the event has been run by a student committee led by seniors Levi Schult and Nan Marsh.
 
Tandem’s Jazz Band was once upon a time led by local jazz great John D’Earth. Our current Jazz Band and Rock Band are led by Upper School music teacher Mark Goldstein. The classes focus on being both fun and educational. Bands perform two concerts per year, plus the Mother’s Day Music Festival, Tandemonium (an arts event at Cville Coffee), and LoveFeast (an 8th grade arts fundraiser).
 
Well-Known Former Performers at MDMF:
 
  • Dave Matthews – solo in 1990, with an early version of his band after that
  • John D’Earth
  • Jay Pun and Morwena Lasko
  • Trees on Fire
  • Rogan Brothers
  • Brokedown Palace
  • Hill and Wood
  • and many, many more...
Back