Event Details
The Bedford Cultural District’s New Song Music Series welcomes contemporary string band Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light for a night of spellbinding music and storytelling on May 16.
Led by singer-songwriter Rachel Sumner (guitar and vocals), with Kat Wallace (fiddle and vocals) and Mike Siegel (upright bass and vocals), the trio is known for rich melodies that blend folk, Americana, and bluegrass.
Sumner, formerly of Twisted Pine, has earned wide recognition, including the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Award (Folk), a Kerrville New Folk Competition win, and the archiving of five original songs at the Library of Congress. As a group, Traveling Light has won the 2023 Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival competition and the 2025 Telluride Bluegrass Band Contest and has been featured for four consecutive years by WBUR/NPR as a top Massachusetts entry in the Tiny Desk Contest.
Critics have praised Sumner’s work for its ability to balance authenticity with fresh perspectives. As folk artist and writer Lindsay Straw noted, her music is “achingly clear and wide open to the world, with twang and tenderness.”
Listen to the band perform “Anything Worth Doing” at the Owl Music Parlor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBmM8UACk8c. Buy tickets at
The concert will be held on Saturday, May 16, at Bedford Town Hall, 10 Mudge Way, Bedford. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. for refreshments, with the music beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at newsongbedford.org.
New Song is grateful for the support of its sponsors: Red Heat American Tavern; Suzanne & Company; Bedford Florist & Gifts; FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers–Bedford; Prince Street Café & Bakery; and the Mass Cultural Council.