Larry & Joe were destined to make music together. Larry Bellorín hails from Monagas, Venezuela, and is a legend of Llanera music. Joe Troop is from Winston-Salem and is a Grammy-nominated bluegrass and old-time musician.
Larry was forced into exile and is an asylum seeker in North Carolina. Joe, after a decade in South America, got stranded back in his stomping grounds during the pandemic. Larry works construction to make ends meet. Joe’s acclaimed “latingrass” band Che Apalache was forced into hiatus, and he shifted into action working with asylum-seeking migrants. This Durham-based duo performs a fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music on the harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, guitar, maracas, and upright bass to inspire joy and unity.
A post concert Q & A on the current status of asylum seekers, refugees & immigration, in the US and Vermont, will be led by Liv Berelson, Executive Director of the Community Asylum Seekers Project (CASP).
Listen to this recent interview on NPR. Larry & Joe are generating a lot of buzz.
This event is brought to you in part by the Vermont Humanities Council.
We are indebted to Next Stage Arts for their support on this event. Check out their Curator Series – free talks in Feb, Apr & March led by curators from varied disciplines and
