Local Hero: Lynn Noel

Lynn Noel is an Instigator -- she has lit more fires under more traditional music events in the Boston area than anyone I know. She's a mentor and coach to young performers. She's a personal kickstarter and guide for older performers. I applaud her spirit of "Well, why don't we?" that she applies to every opportunity to create traditional music community.

Lynn is a Collaborator -- for more than 40 years she's built bridges between diverse traditional communities, started new ventures, created networks and frameworks for performers in the tradition before the days of social media. She's currently running The Mermaid's Tavern in Waltham: a do-it-yourself digital studio for young and emerging folk and traditional artists, with free tools, mentoring and coaching, aimed at ""getting their music out there.""

She started the NortheastChanteySings.com and AnyChanteySings.com Yahoo groups many years ago to connect maritime music events and performers from New York to Maine. She started a Chantey sing in the Boston area, which still continue monthly at the USS Constitution Museum. She started the Skellig pub session years ago, which now continues monthly at the Arts at the Armory in Somerville.

She's a Doer: Her Paper Bag Mummers have brought joy to the Boston area by performing traditional mummers plays to an unsuspecting public for more than 13 years, and she has spread that tradition to the Youth Traditional Song Weekend. She founded an Annual Robert Burns Supper over ten years ago, the only community-based Burns celebration in the Greater Boston area (and perhaps all of New England) led by her ""Serious Burns Unit"" of ""The Greater Boston Traditional Song"" group. Here's something new -- she currently performs with my music hall group, ""The Old Howard Troupe"" in the persona of Florrie Ford.

I applaud and celebrate her spirit of adventure and her love for these traditions, and her dedication to bringing young people into the circle to carry it on. As a singer with the same first name from the Boston area, I'm always humbled to be mistaken for her...

    - Submitted by Lynn Feingold