Youth Tent 2025 YOUTH TENT BANDS
KIDS OF ALL AGES... enjoy making arts and crafts in the YOUTH TENT!
Check the schedule to see live bluegrass performances!
YOUTH TENT PERFORMERS
CYNTHIA RIDGE
This dynamic band is composed of five brothers and sisters of the energetic Cheng family. They’ re an Oklahoma bluegrass band that started out playing pretend concerts for family and are now playing venues like Branson’ s Silver Dollar City and last year’ s OIBF. Brandon is the oldest who plays guitar, banjo and sings. Next is Megon on fiddle, ukulele, bass and vocals. Kailon adds mandolin and sings and Ryon plays bass and guitar. Cameron, the youngest band member, plays mandolin and banjo. Mike and Michelle Cheng are proud parents of this family band and are thankful they found something fun to do as a family. The Cynthia Ridge band is named in honor of their“ Grandma Cynthia.” und something fun to do as a family. The Cynthia Ridge band is named in honor of their“ Grandma Cynthia.”
THE HUNT BROTHERS BAND
The Hunt brothers, Jonathan and Andrew have been playing music together since they were children. And in May of 2022, the brothers officially formed the Hunt Brothers Band. Jonathan plays the banjo, is a recording session musician and a recording engineer. Andrew Hunt plays fiddle and mandolin. He, too, is involved in recording projects and has appeared in many musical acts throughout his career. Andrew also chairs the annual Mike Clark Scholarship Awards for Oklahoma’ s International Bluegrass Festival. Samuel Grounds met the brothers backstage at the 2018 OIBF and joined the band in 2022. He’ s a master of both flatpick and å style guitar and sings with a mellow, soulful voice.
GRAYSTONE BLUEGRASS REVIVAL:
Graystone Bluegrass Revival is an Oklahoma bluegrass band, known for its hard-driving music and close harmonies. Graystone combines years of unique musical experiences and presents powerful Bluegrass Gospel music. The band performs original songs and traditional bluegrass standards. Roger Epps plays banjo and sings lead & harmony vocals and resides in Tuttle Oklahoma. Jerry Wickersham picks guitar and sings lead vocals and is from Newcastle, Oklahoma. Nathan Sanders performs on mandolin and vocals and is from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Danny Watters plays the upright bass and sings lead & harmony. He also emcees and entertains the audiences with humorous stories. He is from Bridge Creek, Oklahoma
HARMONY HILL
Matt and Janessa Kleopfer and four of their children make up bluegrass and gospel band, Harmony Hill. They are from Fredonia, Kansas where they operate Harmony Hill Farmstead and practice regenerative agriculture. Matt plays banjo, Janessa is on bass, Candy plays fiddle and sings, Kennedy’ s on mandolin, Carson plays guitar and Courtney’ s on dobro. They are set to entertain in the festival’ s Youth Tent at noon on Friday.
HORN FAMILY BLUEGRASS:
Since 2004, Horn Family Bluegrass has traveled and performed across much of the continental U. S. as a bluegrass / gospel band. The five member band hails from Crescent, Oklahoma. The band consists of Shawn Horn on guitar, Gloria Horn plays bass, daughters Kaitlyn Means on Mandolin, Kylee Jones, fiddle and Kylee’ s husband Matthew Jones on banjo. Katilyn and Kylee were recipients of the OIBF scholarship program as teens and Kaitlyn spent many afternoons at Byron Berline’ s Fiddle Shop gleaning all the mandolin knowledge she could after school. Horn Family Bluegrass performs in the Youth Tent Friday at 10:30 a. m. during the festival.
RUSSELLCLAN
The RussellClan family band has been together for nearly 25 years. Maris Russell, the‘ Mom’ of this group, says it was Dad on the guitar and two young boys scratching away on their fiddles in the beginning.“ From there, they have performed Irish, bluegrass and gospel music for audiences and won many competitions. The family band numbers as many as nine members with the parents and seven siblings. Russell credits Byron Berline for her family’ s introduction into bluegrass music. They visited his fiddle shop in Guthrie after attending OIBF and began to learn and enjoy the genre.“ He was incredibly encouraging and relational,” says Russell. The RussellClan will be joined by other musical friends during their performance in the youth tent Thursday at noon during the festival.
OKLAHOMA’ S INTERNATIONAL BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL 2025 / 29