Flint Hills Fiddle Gathering

Volland will honor the fiddle music that shaped rural life on October 18, 2026 with performances from three different groups.

Betse & Clark

For each concert setting, Betse & Clarke take an audience on a musical field trip. Betse Ellis plays powerful and beautiful old time fiddle tunes, sings traditional Ozark songs, and shares her own songs with themes relating to human experience. Expect her to tell some stories along the way, featuring personal moments with her fiddle mentor Violet Hensley. Long known for her energetic style in her former band The Wilders, Betse’s earned a level of maturity while maintaining her contagious enthusiasm. Clarke Wyatt is an engaging finger-style banjo player, drawing inspiration from great traditional and inventive banjoists of earlier decades such as Mike Seeger and John Hartford. His guitar style is rooted in old time traditions, with sparks of ingenuity inspired by the likes of Norman Blake. The combination of deep reverence for tradition and commitment to creativity makes this duo a captivating act to witness.

The Lost Keys

The Lost Keys are a family string band from Lawrence, KS. Headed by renowned fiddlers, artists, and multi-instrumentalists Tricia Spencer and Howard Rains of the duo Spencer & Rains. They are a blended family that have played music together since Tricia and Howard met in 2012.

The band features Tricia and Howard on fiddle and guitar and vocals and their kids, Isaiah, Orion, and Ru on fiddle and guitar, banjo-uke, and bass respectively. Together, they play a mix of old-time string band music, bluegrass, and hillbilly swing. Both Tricia and Howard’s families have been playing music for many generations and when The Lost Keys play it shows just how deep their traditions go.

The Bledsoe Trio

The Bledsoe Trio brings the spirit of the Ozarks to life through old-time fiddle tunes and classic country standards. Featuring Maya Bledsoe (fiddle), Aidan Bledsoe (bass, vocals), and Beau Bledsoe (guitar, vocals), this family ensemble draws from deep American roots traditions shaped by generations of playing together.

Maya is an award-winning fiddler, named Grand Champion at the 5th Annual Ozarks Stringband Championship and Second Place winner at the Kansas State Fiddling & Picking Championships. Aidan, a Silver Medalist at the Missouri State Music Festival, has served as principal bassist at Interlochen Arts Camp. Both Maya and Aidan perform regularly with the Poor Choices at The Ship in Kansas City.

Beau Bledsoe—internationally touring guitarist and Executive/Artistic Director of Ensemble Ibérica—anchors the trio with rich musical experience spanning classical, jazz, and global folk traditions.