The Church Sisters play the Blue Ridge Music Center

Sarah and Savannah Church, 19-year-old twins from Galax, Virginia, began their musical career in 2007 after winning a local talent competition on radio station WAKG. Afterward, performance requests from churches, theaters, and festivals poured in. Since the competition, The Church Sisters have traveled the country for shows and have performed with beloved performers, such as Rhonda Vincent, The Isaacs, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, and Tony Rice. Sarah and Savannah are known for their angelic, traditional-steeped Blue Ridge Mountain music harmonies. They are backed by some of the region’s best instrumentalists including guitarist Josh Pickett (No Speed Limit), mandolinist Spencer Strickland (Kenny & Amanda Smith Band, Virginia Luthiers Band), and bassist Jacob Eller (No Speed Limit, Sierra Hull).

Larry Sigmon’s introduction to music came early on: first with the harmonica, then playing back up guitar for his father, Lewis Eldridge Sigmon, a banjo and fiddle player. At 15, he finally landed on the banjo, which later became his go-to instrument. After a stint playing with The Sugar Hill Ramblers, Larry met bassist Barbara Poole at a fiddlers’ convention in the late ’80s, the two formed a dynamic duo that began competing together and performing at festivals, dances and other concert venues. Their unique sound, with just the banjo, bass, and Sigmon’s distinctive singing style, gained them quite a following. Throughout their 18 year career, they performed at such places as the Carter Family Fold, the Grand Ole Opry, Lebanon Banjo Gathering, and bluegrass and mountain music festivals all throughout Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. They played together until Poole passed away in 2008 after a long battle with cancer.

Joining Sigmon on stage is Martha Spencer, for whom music is a family tradition. She lends her musical talents to The Whitetop Mountain Band, which includes her mother and father, Thornton and Emily Spencer, as well as the band Spencer Branch, which includes her brother, Kilby. As a multi-instrumentalist (guitar, banjo, fiddle, and bass), it’s no wonder Martha finds herself collaborating with many musicians in the bluegrass world.

Tickets are $15. Visit blueridgemusiccenter.org or call (866) 308-2773, ext. 245.

Since 2013, the Foundation has funded the concert programming at the Blue Ridge Music Center in keeping with the nonprofit’s mission to ensure cultural and historical preservation, along with natural resource protection, educational outreach, and visitor enjoyment now and for future generations. Learn more