A hello from Ian, New YTV Director
In January 2023, Ian Drury joined Vermont Folklife as the Director of Young Tradition Vermont, taking over from YTV Founder Mark Sustic. Here is Ian’s introductory letter to the YTV and Vermont Folklife community:
To all invested in Young Tradition Vermont,
I’m Ian Drury and I have been hired as the Director of Young Tradition Vermont at Vermont Folklife. I am honored to be working alongside Mark Sustic for the next 5 months as I learn from the master-of-all-things YTV to ensure the continued success and growth of Young Tradition Vermont. I have known Mark for most of my life, having worked with him on education related projects and playing music with him at our family's soirees from when I was a kid through today.
Growing up in a household where both my parents had their own Trad bands, I have been immersed in Quebecois and Irish traditional music and dance since I was a toddler. We had a family band when my brother Eric and I were little. I would play the Irish drum, the bodhran, foot tap, and sing backup in French for my mother, Martha Pellerin. My father, John Drury, would play... well, pretty much anything he could get his hands on that had strings, though primarily the guitar and the hammer dulcimer. I am similar in this way as I also love to play anything with strings. These days, I’m playing the mandolin, the guitar, and drums. I also dabble on the 4 and 5 string banjos, and, as you can see below, have recently picked up my mother’s button accordion with intentions to learn new tunes.
Since so much of YTV is about connecting through musical traditions, here is a short video of me playing a song on my mother’s accordion called “Hommage à Philippe Bruneau,” by Guy Loyer, that I have been practicing since I picked this instrument back up a month ago. Though I could have played a song that I am proficient at, I wanted to share a tune I am learning and not perfect at, as a means of sharing my love of the process and joy of learning music:
Beyond my family heritage and traditions, I have a deep respect for music and dance from all cultures. Having lived in Indonesia for a year, and been lucky enough to have traveled to many other areas of the world, I have always shared in the joy of observing and/or participating in music and dance when invited in to do so. Music and dance can be a unifying force that bring us together, building local and global connections. I aim to continue building community in this spirit for our Vermont youth in my role as YTV Director.
Young Tradition Vermont at Vermont Folklife embraces all of the traditions of our small state and, when invited, aims to support, sustain, and amplify those traditions of Vermont’s newest residents as well as earlier immigrant communities and Native cultures. Already it is a joy jumping into this work with the staff of Vermont Folklife. Working alongside my new colleagues and Mark Sustic, I am hard at work familiarizing myself with YTV operations; we are planning Trad Camp together, putting together the 2023 YTV Festival, meeting members of the Youth Commision and Touring Group, and so much more.
YTV will continue to excel in giving Vermont’s youth opportunities to participate, learn, perform, teach, and grow through the sharing of a mutual love for traditional music and dance. I stand on the shoulders of all of you who have participated in and financially supported YTV and Vermont Folklife over the years. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you again and getting to know new faces too. Thank you to those who came before me in supporting our youth and keeping our traditions relevant and vital.
Thank you for allowing me a moment to introduce myself and for your support of Young Tradition Vermont. It is a privilege and an honor to be selected for this role; I’m elated to jump into this meaningful and important work. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.
With respect and appreciation for the YTV community,
Ian Drury
If you’d like to get in touch, please feel free to shoot me an email.
