Pembrokeshire Eclectic Music Society are proud to present Beverly Smith and Alice Gerrard in the latest series of concerts at Burnetts Hill Chapel, Martletwy, this (Friday) evening.

Renowned bluegrass and folk artists, Beverly Smith and Alice Gerrard have been working together on a new project. They have been friends for many years and have played music informally on many occasions, but this is their first foray into putting their individual talents into duet singing and playing; working up material and developing a repertoire.

Beverly and Alice have been having a great time - in between broken ankles, chai tea making, and dog duty - putting together some wonderful material, from classic old-time duets and original songs to fiddle and banjo instrumentals.

They are fresh over here from a week-long music camp in Spain and will be touring the country; but this is the only opportunity to see them in Pembrokeshire.

One of the most respected musicians in old-time music today, Beverly Smith is in great demand as a guitarist, singer and fiddler, as well as dance caller. A founding member of the Heartbeats with Tara Nevins, June Drucker and Rose Sinclair from 1985-1995; she was also a member of Big Hoedown with Bruce Molsky and Rafe Stefaninni. Most recently she has performed and toured for the past 10 years with Carl Jones, with whom she recorded three highly praised CDs.

She has also recorded with artists like Irish musicians Mick Moloney and John Doyle, and bluegrass great Laurie Lewis, and has performed with many others including Art Rosenbaum, Brad Leftwich, Tom Sauber, Mac Traynham and Rayna Gellert.

With her home in Bogart, Georgia, USA, over the years she has taught and played at many camps and folk festivals throughout the world.

Alice Gerrard is also a talent of legendary status. In a career spanning some 40 years, she has known, learned from, and performed with many of the old-time and bluegrass greats and has in turn earned worldwide respect for her own important contributions to the music.

Alice is particularly known for her groundbreaking collaboration with Appalachian singer Hazel Dickens during the 1960s and '70s The duo produced four classic LPs (recently reissued by Rounder on CD) and influenced scores of young women singers - even The Judds acknowledge Hazel and Alice as an important early inspiration.

A tireless advocate of traditional music, Alice has won numerous honours, including an International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Distinguished Achievement Award, a Virginia Arts Commission Award, the North Carolina Folklore Society's Tommy Jarrell Award, and an Indy Award.

Tickets for this evening's performance, priced £7.50, are available from Pembroke Bookshop (tel. 01646 685144), or on the door.