The first Tapas and Travel, a social event supporting University of Arkansas at Little Rock Study Abroad programs, will feature two award-winning fiddlers in the heart of the historic Quapaw Quarter. 

The event will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at 1918 South Gaines St., Little Rock. The performance is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted on behalf of UALR’s study abroad programs. Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

Award-winning fiddlers, Emily Phillips and Everett Elam, studied abroad during summer 2016 with UALR’s Summer Language Program in Salamanca, Spain. There, they busked regularly on street corners, garnering a local following by the time they left and were even asked to play at a wedding. After their language program, Emily and Everett participated in the Crisol de Cuerda, a week-long international strings workshop held annually at a farm outside Burgos, Spain.

A UALR Donaghey Scholar, Phillips is a native of Mountain View, Arkansas, and is studying anthropology and Spanish. She is a fiddler for the Mountain View-based, Lazy Goat String Band, which recently released its second CD, “Climbin’ the Fence.” She also teaches old-time fiddle and banjo in Little Rock. When not immersed in music, she enjoys photography, the outdoors and good food.

Elam, originally from Benton, Arkansas, recently graduated from UALR with a major in music and a minor in Spanish. He began playing the violin when he was 10, and his major influences include Casey Driessen and Scottish fiddler, Galen Fraser, with whom he is currently studying. Elam teaches Braille at World Services for the Blind and in his free time enjoys reading, running, writing, and rhythm.

For more information on Tapas and Travel, contact Dr. Erin Finzer at esfinzer@ualr.edu.