Maple Street Concerts

House of Hamill Tickets $25 at the door(if available) cash or check only

House of Hamill, a returning fan favorite, consists of Rose Baldino, Brian Buchanan and Caroline Browning. This Pennsylvania-based trio is a fixture on festival stages across the US, and they have shared their music and stories on the country’s premier folk stages. Their original song “Balls of the Brandywine” was a Grand prize winner in the 2024 John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

The band’s newest release, “Wildfire,” marks House of Hamill’s most compelling work to date. Featuring their strongest and most exciting songwriting, “Wildfire” is filled with lyrical depth, sophisticated vocal and instrumental arrangements, and hooks that are simply irresistible. This album captures the vibrant energy and creativity that have become the hallmarks of a House of Hamill live show.

Whether they’re ripping through a set of original jigs and reels, adding lush three-part harmonies into traditional folk ballads, or cracking up an audience with stories from the road. House of Hamill puts on a show that captivates audiences from the very first note.

Lee Murdock is celebrating his 35th year in the place where it all began!

Lee Murdock has uncovered a boundless body of music and stories in the Great Lakes. Taking snapshots from history, his songs summon the listener to take a front-row seat, to look through the eyes and into the hearts of individuals who have shaped our heritage on and around the Great Lakes. His concerts invoke a sense of place, but it is a universal place, and a timeless repertoire that celebrates the North American people, their triumphs and tragedies, work songs and pastimes. Noted as a fluent instrumentalist on six and twelve string guitars, Murdock combines ragtime, Irish, blues and folk styles with this flair for storytelling in songs. His musical influences span fifteen generations, and combine original compositions with traditional music. There is an amazing timelessness in this music. Great Lakes songs are made of hard word, hard living, ships that go down and ships that come in. The music is grounded in the work song tradition, from the rugged days of lumberjacks and wooden sailing schooners. Murdock comes alongside with ballads of contemporary commerce and revelry in the grand folk style. Lee’s fans have discovered a sweetwater treasure in his songs about the Great Lakes, finding drama and inspiration in the lives of sailors and fishermen, lighthouse keepers, ghosts, shipwrecks, outlaws and everyday heroes.

Jingle Bell Jubilee's annual Sing along in the historic Maple Street Chapel featuring Jennifer Ashley and Joel Simpson as our song leaders from 5:30-7pm. Opening from 4:30-5pm will be First Church of Lombard's own Bell Choir.

Ring in the NEW YEAR with The Special Consensus, a Grammy nominated bluegrass band that has achieved a contemporary sound with traditional roots in five decades of performing. Band leader and founder Greg Cahill is a recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and was inducted into the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) Hall of Greats. Special Consensus has released 21 band recordings and received seven awards from the IBMA and two Grammy nominations.

Special Consensus’ sound is grounded in a deep appreciation and understanding of bluegrass music, incorporating both the drive and harmonies of the traditional sound with the more contemporary sounds and repertoire of today. With the foundation of Greg’s unique banjo playing style and the vocal prowess of the 2023 AND 2025 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year Greg Blake (guitar), newest member Nico Humby (bass) and Brian McCarty (mandolin), these musicians effortlessly support each other and consistently maintain their bluegrass center whether they’re playing a jazz-tinged instrumental or a song from any of their award-winning recordings. These four talented vocalists and instrumentalists follow their creative desires without straying too far from their roots. Rivers and Roads, the band’s 19th recording, was nominated for a 2018 Grammy and was awarded 2018 IBMA Album of the Year. The tune “Squirrel Hunters” from that recording received the Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year award. International tours have brought the band to Australia, Canada, Europe, South America, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The band has also appeared on National Public Radio, The Nashville Network, the Grand Ole Opry at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, and in concert with symphony orchestras nationwide. Dedicated to preserving their craft as well as keeping it fresh, in 1984 Special Consensus initiated the Traditional American Music (TAM) Program to introduce bluegrass music to students in schools across the country and in several foreign lands. The band records for Compass Records and proudly celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2020 with the release of Chicago Barn Dance. This recording also celebrates the long- standing connection of country and bluegrass music with Chicago from the time of the WLS “National Barn Dance” that was a precursor to the Grand Ole Opry. The songs on this recording either relate to Chicago and/or are written by artists who once lived in Chicago. The title song “Chicago Barn Dance” received the 2020 IBMA Song of the Year Award. Compass Records released Great Blue North, the 21st Special C recording, in May of 2023. The band has been touring in Canada for nearly four decades and this recording was made as a tip of the hat to all the friends and fans made throughout the country over so many years. All songs featured on the recording were written by Canadian writers and numerous Canadian musician friends of the band made guest appearances. The Gordon Lightfoot song “Alberta Bound” received the 2023 IBMA Collaborative Recording of the Year award and the video received the first-ever 2024 IBMA Video of the Year award (tied with Authentic Unlimited).

WINDBORNE Tickets $25 at door(if available) cash or check only

WINDBORNE old songs | bold harmony a profound vocal experience “The best musical discovery of the year... Stunningly powerful vocal harmony... Windborne sets a new bar for folk harmony singing today” -Brian O’Donovan, GBH Boston “The most exciting vocal group in a generation,” Windborne’s captivating show draws on the singers’ deep roots in traditions of vocal harmony, while the absolute uniqueness of their artistic approach brings old songs into the present. Known for the innovation of their arrangements, their harmonies are bold and anything but predictable. With a 20-year background studying polyphonic music around the world, Lauren Breunig, Jeremy Carter-Gordon, Lynn Rowan, and Will Rowan share a vibrant energy onstage with a blending of voices that can only come from decades of friendship alongside dedicated practice. The ensemble shifts effortlessly between drastically different styles of music, drawing their audience along on a journey that spans continents and centuries, illuminating and expanding on the profound power and variation of the human voice. The singers educate as they entertain, sharing stories about their songs and explaining the context and characteristics of the styles in which they sing. BBC Traveling Folk describes Windborne as “subverting expectations and redefining the genre [of vocal music]... just absolutely phenomenal!” Audiences and critics lavish praise upon the singers not only for their technical mastery, but for the passion, engagement, and connection with each other and the audience that imbues each performance with a rare power. But there’s another, crucial dimension to Windborne that guides and roots their artistry. They are adherents to folk music’s longtime alliance with social activism, labor and civil rights, and other movements that champion the oppressed, the poor, and the disenfranchised. Their 2017 project, Song on the Times, is a collection of songs of social struggle from the past 400 years, sung for the struggles of today. Bursting with lyrics that, while penned decades or centuries ago, still ring true in modern times, Windborne’s dynamic harmonies breathe new life into these songs. The group was unexpectedly propelled into the limelight when a video of them singing Song of the Lower Classes, (originally from the 1840s in England) outside Trump Tower went viral in 2017, prompting their shift into touring full time. (tinyurl.com/SOTLC) Windborne spent the pandemic developing and recording their 4th album, Of Hard Times & Harmony. This latest project continues to explore themes of social consciousness, singing in four languages and showcasing the depth of emotion their voices can evoke, as well as the moments of hilarity and wit that audiences will recognize from live performances. The group is committed to bringing vocal traditions to a younger audience and over the past year has found surprisingly viral success on TikTok for such unlikely genres as Corsican polyphony or early 20th century labor anthems. Having performed around the world as Cultural Ambassadors with the US Department of State, and in 2,000 seat theaters with productions like A Christmas Celtic Sojourn, the singers of Windborne remain grounded in their music and passionate about their message and comfortable in venues of any size. Their vast repertoire enables the group to tailor the theme and content of each show to perfectly suit their audience. Educational programs, school residencies, benefit shows, guest lecturing and outreach work are a core component of the group’s mission. Windborne has taught workshops in schools, arts centers, singing camps, and universities for the past decade. Experienced teachers and song-leaders, they delight groups young and old, large and small, with enthusiastic, clear, and nuanced instruction and get groups singing in harmony in no time! All songs can be taught by ear with no experience required - just enthusiasm and willingness to try new things! WindborneSingers.com | Facebook.com/WindborneSingers | Instagram/YouTube/TikTok: @WindborneSingers