The Reason for the Benefit

Why is it important to keep places like White Horse Black Mountain alive and well?

White Horse Black Mountain makes a difference in the lives of people.

The venue has been a huge asset for the people of Black Mountain and the surrounding areas of Western North Carolina. The venue has been praised by musicians, audience members, and members of the community for it's quality peformances and it's warm and welcoming spirit.

But it goes beyond that. White Horse Black Mountain has demonstrated that it truly cares about people and desires to make a difference in the lives of people; locally, regionally, and around the world.

During early March, White Horse Black Mountain held it's 2nd Help Haiti Heal Benefit event. Asheville resident and friend of White Horse, Lorin Mallorie, was in Haiti at the time and helped arrange and remote Skype broadcast of Haitian musicians who once again had a stage to share their lives and music with the world. Their performance was shown live on the huge screen at White Horse and White Horse arranged to have the performance webcast live ..... so that anyone in the world could see and hear the voices and music of Haiti.

Lorin Mallorie describes the impact of that event as follows:

On Saturday evening we stage a "live" concert via satellite call to White Horse Black Mountain, which is hosting a Haiti benefit. James Vergenau (aka Rebel) of the Haitian reggae band Yizra'el sings an original tune called "Mother Nature"; Jagat accompanies him on the hand drums. The smaller venues here are still closed for reconstruction, and it's Rebel's first performance since the quake two months ago.

They tell me the White Horse audience was in tears. But what stays with me from that night in Kenscoff is the look in Rebel's eyes, alive and inspired to once again be playing the music he loves — this time for a little town in far off America.





Doug and Darcy Orr

DOUG AND DARCY ORR

Doug and Darcy Orr have been performing music together for over 25 years, initially in Charlotte with their Celtic/Appalachian band, Maggie’s Fancy and during subsequent years at Warren Wilson College, where Doug served as president from 1991 to 2006.

In 1992, he founded the Swannanoa Gathering, which has become one of the nation’s premier traditional music camps. Upon his retirement, Doug was recognized by the governor with North Carolina’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the state’s highest civilian honor.

Both are vocalists, and Doug plays the guitar while Darcy performs on the mountain dulcimer and concertina. She is a previous blue ribbon award winner in the mountain dulcimer competition at the Fiddler’s Grove annual music festival.

Doug is currently writing a book with Fiona Ritchie, host of NPR’s The Thistle & Shamrock, about the connection between the Scots/Scots-Irish and Appalachian music. Darcy, a watercolor painter, is the art editor. Doug helped launch The Thistle & Shamrock in 1981 at WFAE in Charlotte while serving as vice chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.