A folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who’s also a part-time Cherry Log resident is admittedly jolly about partnering with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra for an upcoming Christmas concert.
John McCutcheon will be the orchestra’s special guest for the Gilmer Arts-presented concert at Victory Christian Center Sunday, Dec. 10. The show will begin at 7 p.m.
“I love playing with an orchestra, with that big sound and just kind of laying back into that,” said McCutcheon.
McCutcheon has played alongside some of American folk music’s all time-greats, including Pete Seeger and Tom Paxton, while penning hundreds of songs and releasing more than 45 albums of his own. The many stringed instruments of which he’s a proficient player include guitar, banjo, hammered dulcimer, autoharp and fiddle.
The Atlanta Pops Orchestra, which marked its 75th anniversary in 2020, has long been a holiday hit for Gilmer Arts. The orchestra has performed here several times, and in several different incarnations, for the local arts nonprofit. Last year, the Pops welcomed Irish singer and former Celtic Woman member Chloë Agnew as its special guest for the Gilmer Arts Christmas concert.
“This is an event that we bring to the community as part of our mission to bring the arts to Ellijay,” noted Pam Burns, Gilmer Arts director.
McCutcheon said the Christmas concert pairing will be a first for both himself and the Pops.
“I’ve played a lot in symphonic settings all over, but, strangely enough, never in Georgia. The Atlanta Pops and I have been trying to figure out something to do together for a long time, and this just seemed like a perfect opportunity. I’m really excited that we’re doing it in Ellijay. The whole area up there is so special to me and feels like home,” McCutcheon said.
“The orchestra will be performing on its own, and we’ll have about eight pieces together. Some of them are instrumental, and I will also be (playing) some hammered dulcimer stuff with them, which is really fun to do, as well as some songs people (may have heard) me sing before, which have orchestral scores to go along with them,” he added.
McCutcheon, who splits his time between Gilmer County and Stone Mountain when not performing elsewhere, and Paxton — the mustachioed, sailor capped folk singer perhaps best known for such songs as “The Last Thing on My Mind,” “I Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound” and “Ramblin’ Boy” — recently released their first joint album, which is appropriately titled “Together.”
Judging by the mighty fine time the two “old pals” had making the record, there may be much more from the pair still to come.
“I grew up in the folk music world singing Tom Paxton’s songs. We’ve been friends forever, but (never recorded anything together before now). It’s really been some of the easiest writing I’ve ever done. We had another session just yesterday. We like to talk a lot of sports, tell a lot of jokes and just do what old pals do,” McCutcheon said.