Old Zionsville United Church of Christ

Simple Gifts band to perform June 9

Two women plus 12 instruments equals one good time when Simple Gifts takes the stage at Old Zionsville United Church of Christ, 5981 Fountain Road, Zionsville 10:15 a.m. June 9.

This award-winning band performs on an impressive array of instruments, including two violins, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, recorders, banjo and guitar plus some more unusual instruments like the bowed psaltery, baritone fiddle, shruti box, banjolin, guitjo and doumbek.

Simple Gifts presents a wide variety of ethnic folk music, including everything from Irish jigs and American reels to Klezmer freilachs, haunting Gypsy melodies and Balkan dance tunes.

Throughout their performances, they put their own distinctive stamp on traditional tunes, blending styles from diverse cultures with their American roots.

Linda Littleton and Karen Hirshon have performed as Simple Gifts since 1995. The group was founded by Littleton in 1989 and has performed throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including appearances at The Smithsonian, Brooklyn Museum of Art, National Governors’ Convention, Longwood Gardens, National Theater, Whitaker Center, Hershey Theatre, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ontario Center for Performing Arts and dozens of colleges and universities throughout the region.