BRATTLEBORO- Louisiana’s Grammy nominated Cajun musician Al Berard and his Cajun combo, making their only Vermont appearance, will bring a new expression of Cajun music from spicy to sublime to The Church, 3 Grove Street, on Friday, July 3, at 8 pm, immediately following Gallery Walk. The event is both a concert with seating space and adance with a fine hardwood floor in the hall used regularly for dance concerts.

The trio will perform the heart and soul of Cajun music’s best traditional melodies of two-steps and waltzes, played string-style featuring twin fiddles, twin mandolins, and authentic French vocals. The stringed family combinations let listeners taste the flavor and fully hear the beauty of these timeless songs that come from a people of living history in Southwest Louisiana.

Musical director and fiddler-mandolinist Berard, CFMA’s fiddler of the year, brings the authenticity of being born and raised a bilingual-speaking Cajun and native son of Louisiana. He has been playing traditional French Cajun music all his life and enjoys sharing both the music and anecdotal stories of his home and his culture with his audiences, as he has done all over the world for 30 years. Mark Trichka (mandolins, guitar) and Lisa Brande (fiddle, octave mandolin, guitar, vocals), both part-time Louisiana and Vermont residents and full-time touring musicians for more than 20 years, add texture and depth to Berard’s musical expressions. More information about the group can be found at www.cajuncombo.com.

Tickets cost $15 for general and $5 for kids, available only at the door the night of the show. For more information call (941) 586-4476.