(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – The duo of John Kirk and Trish Miller and National Guitar Flatpicking Champion Mark Cosgrove headline an acoustic folk, bluegrass, and country music concert at Barrington Stage Company on Saturday, March 24, 2012, at 8pm, in a program to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Pittsfield, which is undergoing a major renovation. Tickets are $20 and available through Barrington Stage. For more information call 413.236.8888.

On fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo and tin whistle, John Kirk demonstrates a vast knowledge of musical traditions. He is also a composer, dancer and dance caller. Sing Out magazine has said “John Kirk is a fine player on all his instruments and he sings quite well. With such a widely varied repertoire, there’s really something here for everyone. This is one that’s worth seeking out.”

In addition to his work with Quickstep, Kirk works with the Vanaver Caravan and the Susquehanna Stringband. The Dixie Chicks recorded his song, “Long Roads.” Kirk and the band, Quickstep, have their own recordings; the newest of these is titled Shuffle About.  In addition to performing, Kirk teaches music at Bennington College in Bennington, Vt., and at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trish Miller has been teaching and performing Appalachian clogging since 1980. She plays guitar, banjo and a little ukulele. Trish is a dance caller and country-dance choreographer. Her stepping style is rooted in the Southern mountains mixed with some steps from tap and Celtic repertoires.  As a member of the Green Grass Cloggers, from Asheville, N.C., she toured throughout the U.S. and internationally. Miller teaches banjo at Skidmore College.

Mark Cosgrove’s distinctive, creative flatpicking guitar sound is known and respected on both sides of the Atlantic, through both his own recordings and as a sideman and session player for Jerry Douglas and others. Although he grew up in a Manhattan apartment surrounded by classical records, his original musical ambition was to become a drummer. Immersed in bluegrass and fiddle tunes from an early age, he has continued to make acoustic music his life’s work and pleasure.

Cosgrove has won the U.S. National Flatpicking Guitar Championship in Winfield, Kansas, and also the Doc Watson Guitar Championship in Wilkesboro, N.C. His flatpick guitar work is notable not only for power, precision, and tone, but for his fluid high-speed improvisation. Cosgrove is equally proficient in any number of musical styles and as an accompanist, can back a singer or soloist with taste and sensitivity.

The Kirk & Miller/Cosgrove concert is produced by Connie Boyle.