For children and parents, elementary school and beyond. Clapping, swaying, and singing along with the Kora with Jali Bakary Konteh. Learn about the parts of the Kora too. Forty-eight years ago, Alhaji Bai Konte brought the music of the kora (Mandinka harp) from Gambia to the U.S. This year, his grandsons (the word is […]
A talented multi-instrumentalist and singer, George Wilson samples a wide variety of traditional and folk styles. As a fiddler, he has over 500 tunes for dancing and listening — tunes from New England, Quebec, Cape Breton, Scotland, Ireland, and Shetland. His dynamic fiddling, strongly influenced by Cape Breton and French Canadian styles, has been popular […]
John Roberts has been singing English folk songs since the early 1960s, when he joined a local folk club in his native Worcestershire. In America since 1968, he joined with Tony Barrand to form a duo which has lasted ever since. Singing in unaccompanied harmony, or with concertina or banjo, their entertaining style has delighted […]
Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing, Joe Jencks delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove, and grit. He is particularly noted for his unique merging of musical beauty, social consciousness, and spiritual exploration. Blending well-crafted instrumentals and vivid songwriting, Joe serves it all up with a lyric baritone voice […]
Sally Rogers and Claudia Schmidt have been weaving their voices, dulcimers, and guitars together for decades, creating an atmosphere of joy and musical lushness that audiences find irresistible. Their soaring harmonies (“blood harmony” was how one fan described it), their fascinating double dulcimer work, and their mix of six- and twelve-string guitars, blend with a […]
Banjo player, singer, songwriter, percussive-dancer, choreographer, and square-dance caller, Evie Ladin reconnects Appalachian music and dance with other African-Diaspora traditions in her performances and recordings and in her teaching. She writes clever lyrics with mature arrangements, calls rowdy square dances for urban crowds, choreographs new body music/percussive dance for contemporary dance and film, leads seminars […]
Windborne is a group of vocal chameleons who specialize in close harmony singing, shifting effortlessly between drastically different styles of traditional music within the same concert. Their musical knowledge spans many continents and cultures, but they remain deeply rooted in American folk-singing traditions. Lynn Mahoney Rowan, Will Thomas Rowan, Lauren Breunig, and Jeremy Carter-Gordon share […]
With parents who were both singers and song collectors and a strong family focus on sharing songs, Matthew Byrne has inherited a unique repertoire as well as a fascination with unearthing and reimagining traditional songs. But Byrne is also a student of history whose love of traditional music goes well beyond the words and music. For […]
Bethany Yarrow sings music of power and of praise. She is a song keeper, an earth activist, and a student of the spiritual traditions of the Americas. Onstage, she is a mesmerizing, dancing spirit with a powerful voice and a living prayer for unity at the heart of her music. “Music and activism have always […]
Sally Rogers and Claudia Schmidt have been weaving their voices, dulcimers, and guitars together for decades, creating an atmosphere of joy and musical lushness that audiences find irresistible. Their soaring harmonies (“blood harmony” was how one fan described it), their fascinating double dulcimer work, and their mix of six- and twelve-string guitars, blend with a […]
Toss the Possum has been playing contra dances as a family band since 2004. The current lineup is Laura on keyboard and Rob on fiddle, percussion, and vocals. They play with high energy and a big sound, but also create lyrical magic on smooth sets. Their goal is to give the dancers the best experience […]
Using Appalachian mountain dulcimer, Native American flute, ukulele, and a board full of stomp-boxes, Bing Futch celebrates traditional and modern Americana music with passion, humor, and boundless energy. Known for his musical shape-shifting, Bing switches the channels on style and tone with every new song, from his roots-rock and blues originals to The Rocky Horror […]