On Saturday, September 12 at the fifth annual Haverford Music Festival (HMF), look for a few changes at The Rock on Eagle Road in Oakmont. The venue, featuring HMF’s only indoor stage, will be transformed into a coffeehouse, with tables and chairs, a coffee bar and a more-intimate setting for listening to music.
“This change, along with the recently upgraded audio/visual components, will allow The Rock to create a special, new atmosphere,” says Jeremy Myers, who runs this teen center for Grace Chapel. “I am looking forward to seeing it all come together.”
Among taking the stage at The Rock will be one based in Ardmore and three with roots in Havertown.
Ardmore’s Laura Mann has shared stages with many musical greats, such as Warren Zevon, Dave Mason and this year’s HMF headliner, Wesley Stace (when he was known as John Wesley Harding). Two years ago, she performed outdoors at HMF. This year, her thoughtful and
sometimes deeply moving lyrics will be clearly heard by a grateful audience in a more-intimate setting.
Havertown resident and longtime local performer Dennis Selfridge says he “is pretty excited to have this opportunity to play at the music festival!” After a long full-time music career, he started a family and then a “real job” in technology: “These days, I’m a technical instructor for Adobe Systems; traveling the country teaching folks how to leverage the digital Marketing cloud.”
A graduate of Haverford High School, Beth Goldwater began songwriting in college, picking it up again when she was home raising her three children. “I have wanted to perform at the Haverford Music Festival since it started four years ago,” she says. “Now, with The Rock, the Festival has a perfect place for my music.”
Havertown’s The Havertones return to The Rock and HMF this year. Another a cappella group, Philadelphia’s Vocal Motive, is also on the bill. Additional regional artists will include Springfield-based duo 2Late 4 Breakfast and The Lansdowne String Quartet. The Rock will also host alt-country singer Dawn Hiatt from New Jersey.
Add the flavor of great coffee provided by Blue Band, a new coffee brewer based in Swarthmore, and it promises to be a great afternoon at The Rock!