The Chocolate Church Arts Center announces the performance of Harpeth Rising at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 5. Experience classically trained musicians playing original music, as intricately arranged as a string quartet, lyrically rooted in the singer/songwriter tradition, and wrapped in three-part vocal harmonies reminiscent of both Appalachia and Medieval Europe.

These three classically trained musicians -  Maria Di Meglio, Michelle Younger and Jordana Greenberg - are unapologetic genre-benders fusing Folk, Newgrass, Rock and Classical into something organically unique. Building from the tonal depth of the cello, layer in the shimmering sounds of a violin and the strikingly natural addition of banjo to create a sound at once familiar and impossible to categorize.

Hailing from vastly different parts of North America, each member of Harpeth Rising brings different influences to the core sound. Cellist Maria Di Meglio  was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She was drawn to the music of her first generation Italian and Balkan roots, and grew up learning Eastern European folk songs alongside classical repertoire. She attended many classical programs throughout New York City, including LaGuardia High School (the “Fame” school), and Manhattan School of Music’s Precollege Division. 

Younger of Charlottesville, Virginia comes by her modern spin on old-time infused banjo authentically; her family has been in the U. S. for generations, and she is a descendent of Cole Younger, a member of the James-Younger Gang and the namesame of his very own banjo tune. 

Greenberg, violin, grew up listening to the sounds of Stan Rogers, Leonard Cohen and Natalie McMaster in her native Canada before moving to southern Indiana as a child. She studied classical violin by day through the pre-college program at Indiana University, and spent her nights learning the folk tunes and classic rocks songs that her family plays at the annual post-Passover jam session. 

Together these three women have developed their voices and arrangements to bring life to the lyrical expressiveness of their original songs. Hallmarks of their music include expansive three-part harmonies, consummate musicianship and a deft, yet soulful, lyrical perspective.

Tickets are $20 advance and $25 at the door. The Chocolate Church Arts Center and  box office (207-442-8455) are located at 804 Washington St. in Bath.