Claire Childress
12:30pm
2026 Gathering Place Performers:
The Gathering Place
Performers
Performers will be announced at a later date
Claire Childress
Immersed in music since an early age, Claire Childress is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Big Stone Gap, Virginia. She performs in her family band, The Childress Sisters, and as a solo artist. Alongside her performances, she teaches music. Claire has accomplished titles such as Winner of the 2019 Scott Street Banjo Competition, 2025 Tennessee Songwriters Week Winner (One of 7), and several more throughout the years. She enjoys different genres of music, but her roots in old time remain an important part of her musical identity.
Jonathan Short
Jonathan has called the Appalachian Mountains home his entire life, and that deep-rooted mountain music culture has shaped his sound from the beginning. Influenced first by his parents, who performed in a Southern gospel trio, he began singing in churches and honing his craft through worship and faith-based music before branching into songwriting that led him in new creative directions. In 2015, he began performing regionally with his rock band Hello October at local festivals and venues, and he now steps forward as a solo singer-songwriter with a renewed focus on original material. Jonathan is a member of SOHA (Songwriters of Highlands Appalachia) and the 2025 winner of the Gathering in the Gap Songwriting Contest for his original song, “Hometown.”
Ron Short
Ron Short is an award-winning songwriter, playwright, and musician with more than forty years of experience traveling the world sharing songs and stories rooted in the hills and hollers of Central Appalachia. He has recorded three albums of original music, contributed to and produced more than a dozen others—including a Grammy-winning project—and has been dubbed the “rural Bruce Springsteen” by the San Francisco Chronicle. His performances span Lincoln Center, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, international stages across Europe, Off-Broadway in New York City, and tours through 48 U.S. states. In addition, he founded the Mountain Music School at MEOC, now in its 20th year, and served as composer, playwright, and artistic director for the internationally acclaimed Roadside Theater.
Evan O’Quinn
Evan O’Quinn is a singer-songwriter from Big Stone Gap, Virginia, whose performances include wonderful original music, as well as covers that range from contemporary jazz to Appalachian classics. Evan graduat3ed from Berkley School of Music in 2020 where he studied music composition. Evan has performed on stage at many exciting venues, including playing Johnny Cash in “Million Dollar Quartet” at the Appalachian Center for the arts in Pikeville, Kentucky and portraying Jack Hale in the official outdoor drama of Virginia “Trail of the Lonesome Pine” in Big Stone Gap. Evan currently teaches guitar at Junior Appalachian Music School and plays with the local music group “Das Novas”.