Burlington City Arts’ Annual Summer Concert Series 2019

Burlington City Arts’ annual summer concert series presented by VSECU kicks off on June 12. All are welcome to enjoy 22 free concerts, this year on lower Church Street near City Hall. The series takes place on Wednesdays and Fridays at 12:30 p.m. from June 12 to August 28. We’ve programmed a line-up that features both our local favorites and some from further afield that may be new to you. It’s an excellent opportunity to listen to new music, have lunch with a friend or co-worker or enjoy being outside with your community, supporting live music.

This weeks performer:

John Emil

Wednesday, August 14th @ 12:30 pm

Church Street (near City Hall) | Burlington, VT

John Emil, an accomplished singer/songwriter, guitarist, and a master of slide guitar, has delivered show-stopping performances at major music festivals like the Telluride Blues and Brews Fest, the Leek Blues & Americana Festival UK, the Florida Folk Festival, the Decatur Blues and Bluegrass Festival, the Bangor On Dee Blues Festival UK and the 2012 Zoetermeer Blues Festival in the Netherlands.

Equally adept with the acoustic Hawaiian lap steel guitar and Dobro, Emil first appeared on the South Florida music scene in 2000. Fans hear haunting, subtle hints of Delta bluesmen Son House and Blind Willie Johnson, but Emil ultimately creates a unique style all his own by integrating country blues, folk, bluegrass, and lush Hawaiian sounds into his repertoire.

Routinely taking the lost art of slide guitar in a new direction, Emil has composed a wealth of slide guitar tracks for media production libraries. LA Post Music has published his instrumental tracks in Los Angeles, Westar Music in Canada and Strange Fruit in South Africa. Emil recently became the first American musician to be published by London’s KPM/EMI, one of the world’s largest production libraries. Among the many television and cable network shows Emil has supplied music for are “Dateline,” “The Voice,” Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations,” ESPN, UFC’s Ultimate Insider, American Pickers and several international wildlife and nature documentaries.

John has performed in music venues and festivals throughout the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands.