Please Join us on September 29 at noon and 12:30 Eastern time for two half-hour concerts in the Homegrown at Home series: 

At Noon, Mamselle Ruiz: Mexican Sones from Montreal, Canada

Mamselle Ruiz is Mexican-born singer and guitarist living in French-speaking Montreal. You might expect “Mamselle,” which is colloquial French for “Miss,” to be a stage name, but in fact it’s her real first name, bestowed when she was born in Mexico city. Mamselle was raised on all kinds of Mexican music, and she includes traditional Mexican folksongs such as “La Bruja” and “La Llorona” in a diverse repertoire that also includes Son Huasteco classics along with Latin cover songs and her own compositions. Mamselle built her reputation as a singer in Mexico City and the Mexican Caribbean town of Tulum until a romance and a singing engagement with Cirque du Soleil brought her to Canada in 2009. She was soon winning awards from Radio Canada and the Vue sur la relève festival, and a prestigious artist’s residency at Place des Arts. Mamselle Ruiz has played over 500 concerts, in Québec and throughout Canada, as well as in Mexico, and has performed at festivals such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival and in venues such as Place des Arts in Montreal and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. She has shared stages with Lila Downs, Elvis Crespo, and Bia. In 2021, she showcased at Folk Alliance International. For her Homegrown concert Mamselle Ruiz will concentrate on the traditional side of her repertoire, bringing traditional songs and Son Huasteco standards from several regions of Mexico to the Homegrown at Home series.

At 12:30, Cambalache: Mexican American Son Jarocho from California

Cambalache, named for a Spanish word that means “exchange,” is a Chicano-Jarocho group based in East Los Angeles. Founded in 2007 and led by César Castro (sonero, maestro and luthier from Veracruz, Mexico), Cambalache plays and promotes traditional son jarocho through performance, music workshops, and educational demonstrations. Son jarocho comes from Veracruz, Mexico, on the gulf coast, a cultural region shaped by Indigenous, African, and Spanish culture. In the spirit of the fandango, a traditional celebration of music and dance, Cambalache engages its audience through participatory performances. In 2010, Cambalache organized an important fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Karl in Veracruz, thus strengthening decades of social and cultural exchange of the Chicano-Jarocho network. Cambalache’s educational mission involves demonstrations from elementary school to universities, museums and music festivals. The music of Cambalache was featured on August 7, 2011 on NPR’s All Things Considered, whose host commented: “Son Jarocho has been popular in Los Angeles, going back to the 1950s with Ritchie Valens, then Los Lobos. Today, it’s a part of the regular soundtrack of Latino music in East L.A.” Castro and fellow Cambalache member Xochi Flores appeared in the 2014 Homegrown concert of Son Jarocho Master Musicians.

Cambalache, vocablo que significa intercambio, es un grupo Chicano-Jarocho con base en el Este de Los Angeles; fundado en 2007 y lidereado por César Castro (maestro sonero y laudero jarocho de Veracruz, México). Cambalache promociona el son jarocho de estilo tradicional a través de conciertos, presentaciones y talleres didácticos. Esta música es popular en Veracruz y la costa del Golfo, una región cultural formada por la cultura indígena, africana y al igual que la cultural española. Con el espíritu del fandango, una celebración tradicional basada en la música y el baile, Cambalache invita al público a participar con ellos en sus presentaciones. En 2010, Cambalache organizó un concierto para recaudar fondos para las víctimas del huracán Karl en Veracruz, fortaleciendo asi décadas de intercambio socio-cultural entre los chicanos y jarochos. El objetivo educativo de Cambalache incluye variadas presentaciones que van desde escuelas primarias hasta universidades, museos y festivales de música, entre otras tantas más. Cambalache salió al aire en la Radio Pública Nacional (NPR) el 7 de agosto de 2011 en el programa “All Things Considered” en donde se escuchó una frase que dice: “El son jarocho ha sido popular en Los Angeles, recordemos los años 50 con Ritchie Valens, después Los Lobos. Hoy, esto es parte del repertorio latino de la música en el Este de Los Angeles.” César Castro y Xochi Flores de Cambalache se presentaron en el concierto Homegrown 2014, “Son Jarocho Master Musicians.”

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

Please Join us on September 29 at noon and 12:30 Eastern time for two half-hour concerts in the Homegrown at Home series: 

At Noon, Mamselle Ruiz: Mexican Sones from Montreal, Canada

Mamselle Ruiz is Mexican-born singer and guitarist living in French-speaking Montreal. You might expect “Mamselle,” which is colloquial French for “Miss,” to be a stage name, but in fact it’s her real first name, bestowed when she was born in Mexico city. Mamselle was raised on all kinds of Mexican music, and she includes traditional Mexican folksongs such as “La Bruja” and “La Llorona” in a diverse repertoire that also includes Son Huasteco classics along with Latin cover songs and her own compositions. Mamselle built her reputation as a singer in Mexico City and the Mexican Caribbean town of Tulum until a romance and a singing engagement with Cirque du Soleil brought her to Canada in 2009. She was soon winning awards from Radio Canada and the Vue sur la relève festival, and a prestigious artist’s residency at Place des Arts. Mamselle Ruiz has played over 500 concerts, in Québec and throughout Canada, as well as in Mexico, and has performed at festivals such as the Montreal International Jazz Festival and in venues such as Place des Arts in Montreal and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. She has shared stages with Lila Downs, Elvis Crespo, and Bia. In 2021, she showcased at Folk Alliance International. For her Homegrown concert Mamselle Ruiz will concentrate on the traditional side of her repertoire, bringing traditional songs and Son Huasteco standards from several regions of Mexico to the Homegrown at Home series.

At 12:30, Cambalache: Mexican American Son Jarocho from California

Cambalache, named for a Spanish word that means “exchange,” is a Chicano-Jarocho group based in East Los Angeles. Founded in 2007 and led by César Castro (sonero, maestro and luthier from Veracruz, Mexico), Cambalache plays and promotes traditional son jarocho through performance, music workshops, and educational demonstrations. Son jarocho comes from Veracruz, Mexico, on the gulf coast, a cultural region shaped by Indigenous, African, and Spanish culture. In the spirit of the fandango, a traditional celebration of music and dance, Cambalache engages its audience through participatory performances. In 2010, Cambalache organized an important fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Karl in Veracruz, thus strengthening decades of social and cultural exchange of the Chicano-Jarocho network. Cambalache’s educational mission involves demonstrations from elementary school to universities, museums and music festivals. The music of Cambalache was featured on August 7, 2011 on NPR’s All Things Considered, whose host commented: “Son Jarocho has been popular in Los Angeles, going back to the 1950s with Ritchie Valens, then Los Lobos. Today, it’s a part of the regular soundtrack of Latino music in East L.A.” Castro and fellow Cambalache member Xochi Flores appeared in the 2014 Homegrown concert of Son Jarocho Master Musicians.

Cambalache, vocablo que significa intercambio, es un grupo Chicano-Jarocho con base en el Este de Los Angeles; fundado en 2007 y lidereado por César Castro (maestro sonero y laudero jarocho de Veracruz, México). Cambalache promociona el son jarocho de estilo tradicional a través de conciertos, presentaciones y talleres didácticos. Esta música es popular en Veracruz y la costa del Golfo, una región cultural formada por la cultura indígena, africana y al igual que la cultural española. Con el espíritu del fandango, una celebración tradicional basada en la música y el baile, Cambalache invita al público a participar con ellos en sus presentaciones. En 2010, Cambalache organizó un concierto para recaudar fondos para las víctimas del huracán Karl en Veracruz, fortaleciendo asi décadas de intercambio socio-cultural entre los chicanos y jarochos. El objetivo educativo de Cambalache incluye variadas presentaciones que van desde escuelas primarias hasta universidades, museos y festivales de música, entre otras tantas más. Cambalache salió al aire en la Radio Pública Nacional (NPR) el 7 de agosto de 2011 en el programa “All Things Considered” en donde se escuchó una frase que dice: “El son jarocho ha sido popular en Los Angeles, recordemos los años 50 con Ritchie Valens, después Los Lobos. Hoy, esto es parte del repertorio latino de la música en el Este de Los Angeles.” César Castro y Xochi Flores de Cambalache se presentaron en el concierto Homegrown 2014, “Son Jarocho Master Musicians.”

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

Please Join us on September 8 at noon Eastern time for a half-hour concert in the Homegrown at Home series: 

Windborne: Vocal Quartet from New England

Windborne is Lynn Mahoney Rowan, Will Thomas Rowan, Lauren Breunig, and Jeremy Carter-Gordon. The four singers grew up immersed in the traditional song and dance communities of New England and discovered a love of world folk music in their teens. All four have traveled extensively in the US and throughout the world with Village Harmony, Northern Harmony and the Renewal Chorus, leading workshops and giving concerts. Over the past decade, Windborne has sought out masters of traditional singing styles in the US and around the world to study a variety of vocal music. Through these collaborations, they have developed the vocal agility and authentic sound for which they are known. In 2014, Windborne was one of 10 groups selected by American Music Abroad and the US Department of State to tour as cultural ambassadors through music. They traveled to Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Angola, touring with internationally known artists, performing at sold-out national theaters, and collaborating with traditional musicians in each country. They also taught music and dance workshops to schoolchildren, English-language learners, dance schools, choirs, and music conservatories. Windborne’s dynamic concert programs have included songs from Corsica, the Republic of Georgia, Bulgaria, Quebec, and Basque country, as well as traditional and original American folk music. For their concert at the American Folklife Center, they will be performing work related songs from AFC collections from a variety of traditions in celebration of Labor Day.

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

Please Join us on August 25 at noon Eastern time for two half-hour concerts in the Homegrown at Home series: 

Brother Arnold Hadd, Kevin Siegfried, and Radiance: Shaker Hymns from Maine (Noon Eastern)

The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, more commonly known as the Shakers, was founded circa 1747 in England. The Shakers emigrated from England and settled in Revolutionary colonial America in 1774. From their inception, the Shakers composed thousands of songs which were an important part of Shaker worship services. Shakers' earliest hymns were shared by word of mouth and letters circulated among their villages. Many Believers wrote out the lyrics in their own manuscript hymnals. In 1813, they published Millennial Praises, a hymnal containing only lyrics. Other Shaker scribes Scribes used a form of music notation called the letteral system, using letters of the alphabet for notes, along with a simple notation of conventional rhythmic values. The Library of Congress Music division has manuscripts in its collections with such transcriptions. Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine, established at the height of the Shaker movement in the United States in the 18th-century, is the last active Shaker community in the United States, and has three members as of 2021. Brother Arnold Hadd, one of those members, is the last Shaker to actively carry on the 200-plus-year tradition of singing Shaker songs. Brother Arnold has been working with American composer Kevin Siegfried, who creates spare arrangements for choir that are performed by modern vocal ensembles. With Brother Arnold’s guidance, these pieces serve to bring the music to a wider audience, while staying true to the essential nature of the original songs. This concert will focus on the transmission, history, and meaning of Shaker song, and Brother Arnold’s work with Kevin Siegfried. The concert will feature Brother Arnold demonstrating the songs as he sings them, and Radiance, a Seattle, Washington, choral ensemble, singing Siegfried’s arrangements.

Bennett Konesni: Work Songs from Maine (12:45 Eastern)

Bennett Konesni is a singer, farmer, musician and administrator, based where he grew up in midcoast Maine, and also at Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island, NY, where parts of his family have lived since 1652. He has been singing work songs while working since he was a teenager on schooners in Penobscot Bay. At Middlebury College, he wrote a thesis based on research into Zulu work song traditions done while studying abroad in South Africa and involving a workshop at the Middlebury College Farm in 2004—one of the first work song workshops on an American farm. After graduating, Bennett studied musical labor on three continents thanks to a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship: musical fishing in Ghana and Holland, singing and dancing farmers in Tanzania, and livestock songs in Mongolia and Switzerland. Since 2007, Bennett has been using work songs at Sylvester Manor Educational Farm. He teaches workshops at farms and farm conferences across the Northeast, and in 2011 he and his wife Edith Gawler shared a song at the TEDx Fruitvale conference. His concert will include work songs from Maine, including some from AFC’s Maine collections.

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

This is a reminder about the second part of the American Folklife Center's program Traditional Folklore in a Digital World, which takes place on August 24, 2021, examining some of the ways folklore is spread, discussed, and transformed in the digital environment. The symposium will bring together influential figures in social media who are helping define what folklore is in the 21st century. It will consist of a Zoom-based panel bringing together four compelling leaders in online folklore, who will present a brief rundown of what they do, and then take questions from the audience. AFC staff will be there to moderate and direct the questions. We hope you’ll join us for a fascinating discussion. It's free and open to the public, but registration is required. Registration information is at the link!

The Social Media panel will take place on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, 10:30 am Eastern Time. It will last about two hours and include a short break. The Social Media world is represented by Dee Dee Chainey, a creator of the twitter hashtag event #FolkloreThursday, which went on to become an online magazine, and which led Chainey to author a series of influential folklore books; Andy Paciorek, an artist and writer who created the Folk Horror Revival Facebook community and Wyrd Harvest Press; and Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, creators of the award-winning Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, which also maintains blogs, a Facebook page, and an online community.

Please join us for a fascinating discussion of traditional folklore in a digital world!

Visit this link for more information and the link to register for the panel.

Please Join us on August 25 at noon Eastern time for two half-hour concerts in the Homegrown at Home series: 

Brother Arnold Hadd, Kevin Siegfried, and Radiance: Shaker Hymns from Maine (Noon Eastern)

The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, more commonly known as the Shakers, was founded circa 1747 in England. The Shakers emigrated from England and settled in Revolutionary colonial America in 1774. From their inception, the Shakers composed thousands of songs which were an important part of Shaker worship services. Shakers' earliest hymns were shared by word of mouth and letters circulated among their villages. Many Believers wrote out the lyrics in their own manuscript hymnals. In 1813, they published Millennial Praises, a hymnal containing only lyrics. Other Shaker scribes Scribes used a form of music notation called the letteral system, using letters of the alphabet for notes, along with a simple notation of conventional rhythmic values. The Library of Congress Music division has manuscripts in its collections with such transcriptions. Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine, established at the height of the Shaker movement in the United States in the 18th-century, is the last active Shaker community in the United States, and has three members as of 2021. Brother Arnold Hadd, one of those members, is the last Shaker to actively carry on the 200-plus-year tradition of singing Shaker songs. Brother Arnold has been working with American composer Kevin Siegfried, who creates spare arrangements for choir that are performed by modern vocal ensembles. With Brother Arnold’s guidance, these pieces serve to bring the music to a wider audience, while staying true to the essential nature of the original songs. This concert will focus on the transmission, history, and meaning of Shaker song, and Brother Arnold’s work with Kevin Siegfried. The concert will feature Brother Arnold demonstrating the songs as he sings them, and Radiance, a Seattle, Washington, choral ensemble, singing Siegfried’s arrangements.

Bennett Konesni: Work Songs from Maine (12:45 Eastern)

Bennett Konesni is a singer, farmer, musician and administrator, based where he grew up in midcoast Maine, and also at Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island, NY, where parts of his family have lived since 1652. He has been singing work songs while working since he was a teenager on schooners in Penobscot Bay. At Middlebury College, he wrote a thesis based on research into Zulu work song traditions done while studying abroad in South Africa and involving a workshop at the Middlebury College Farm in 2004—one of the first work song workshops on an American farm. After graduating, Bennett studied musical labor on three continents thanks to a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship: musical fishing in Ghana and Holland, singing and dancing farmers in Tanzania, and livestock songs in Mongolia and Switzerland. Since 2007, Bennett has been using work songs at Sylvester Manor Educational Farm. He teaches workshops at farms and farm conferences across the Northeast, and in 2011 he and his wife Edith Gawler shared a song at the TEDx Fruitvale conference. His concert will include work songs from Maine, including some from AFC’s Maine collections.

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

This is a reminder about the American Folklife Center's program Traditional Folklore in a Digital World, a two-part symposium on August 17 and 24, 2021, examining some of the ways folklore is spread, discussed, and transformed in the digital environment. The symposium will bring together leading podcasters and influential figures in social media who are helping define what folklore is in the 21st century. It will consist of two Zoom-based panels, one on podcasts and the other on social media. Each panel brings together four compelling leaders in online folklore, who will present a brief rundown of what they do, and then take questions from the audience. AFC staff, including me, will be there to moderate and direct the questions. We hope you’ll join us for a fascinating discussion. Both panels are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Registration information is at the link!

The podcast panel will take place on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at 2:00 pm Eastern Time; it will last about two hours and include a short break. The podcasters who will join us include Aaron Mahnke of the very popular Lore podcast, which is also a TV series and a series of books; Kristina Downs, executive director of the Texas Folklore Society and creator of the Crimelore podcast, which looks at true crime through the lens of folklore; Lamont Jack Pearley, a member of the New York Blues Hall of Fame and creator of Jack Dappa Blues Radio and The African American Folklorist; and Mark Norman, creator and host of The Folklore Podcast, Britain’s leading podcast on folklore.

The Social Media panel will take place on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, 10:30 am Eastern Time. It will last about two hours and include a short break. The Social Media world is represented by Dee Dee Chainey, a creator of the twitter hashtag event #FolkloreThursday, which went on to become an online magazine, and which led Chainey to author a series of influential folklore books; Andy Paciorek, an artist and writer who created the Folk Horror Revival Facebook community and Wyrd Harvest Press; and Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, creators of the award-winning Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, which also maintains blogs, a Facebook page, and an online community.

Please join us for these fascinating discussions of traditional folklore in a digital world!

Visit this link for more information and links to register for the panels.

This is a reminder about the American Folklife Center's program Traditional Folklore in a Digital World, a two-part symposium on August 17 and 24, 2021, examining some of the ways folklore is spread, discussed, and transformed in the digital environment. The symposium will bring together leading podcasters and influential figures in social media who are helping define what folklore is in the 21st century. It will consist of two Zoom-based panels, one on podcasts and the other on social media. Each panel brings together four compelling leaders in online folklore, who will present a brief rundown of what they do, and then take questions from the audience. AFC staff, including me, will be there to moderate and direct the questions. We hope you’ll join us for a fascinating discussion. Both panels are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Registration information is at the link!

The podcast panel will take place on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at 2:00 pm Eastern Time; it will last about two hours and include a short break. The podcasters who will join us include Aaron Mahnke of the very popular Lore podcast, which is also a TV series and a series of books; Kristina Downs, executive director of the Texas Folklore Society and creator of the Crimelore podcast, which looks at true crime through the lens of folklore; Lamont Jack Pearley, a member of the New York Blues Hall of Fame and creator of Jack Dappa Blues Radio and The African American Folklorist; and Mark Norman, creator and host of The Folklore Podcast, Britain’s leading podcast on folklore.

The Social Media panel will take place on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, 10:30 am Eastern Time. It will last about two hours and include a short break. The Social Media world is represented by Dee Dee Chainey, a creator of the twitter hashtag event #FolkloreThursday, which went on to become an online magazine, and which led Chainey to author a series of influential folklore books; Andy Paciorek, an artist and writer who created the Folk Horror Revival Facebook community and Wyrd Harvest Press; and Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, creators of the award-winning Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, which also maintains blogs, a Facebook page, and an online community.

Please join us for these fascinating discussions of traditional folklore in a digital world!

Visit this link for more information and links to register for the panels.

�

Please Join us on August 11 at noon Eastern time for a half-hour concert in the Homegrown at Home series:�

Hubby Jenkins: Old Time and Blues from Brooklyn, New York

Hubby Jenkins�is a talented multi-instrumentalist who endeavors to share his love and knowledge of old-time American music. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he delved into his southern roots, following the thread of African American history that wove itself through America's traditional music forms. As an integral member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and later Rhiannon Giddens band, Hubby has performed at festivals and venues around the world, earning himself both Grammy and Americana award nominations. Today he spreads his knowledge and love of old-time American music through his dynamic solo performances and engaging workshops.

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click�here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

Please Join us on August 11 at noon Eastern time for a half-hour concert in the Homegrown at Home series:�

Hubby Jenkins: Old Time and Blues from Brooklyn, New York

Hubby Jenkins�is a talented multi-instrumentalist who endeavors to share his love and knowledge of old-time American music. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he delved into his southern roots, following the thread of African American history that wove itself through America's traditional music forms. As an integral member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and later Rhiannon Giddens band, Hubby has performed at festivals and venues around the world, earning himself both Grammy and Americana award nominations. Today he spreads his knowledge and love of old-time American music through his dynamic solo performances and engaging workshops.

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click�here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

The Library of Congress and the American Folklife Center are thrilled to announce the official launch of the Community Collections grant program. These grants will support individuals or non-profit organizations in producing cultural documentation–photographs, interviews, audio or video recordings about their community from the community’s perspective. Materials gathered through this program will become part of the Library’s permanent collection, while locally-held copies can enhance (or seed) community archives. This exciting program is part of the larger Of the People initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation that creates dynamic opportunities for more people to engage with the Library. All activity under the initiative will expand the Library’s efforts to ensure that our historical record reflects a diversity of experiences, thus weaving a more inclusive American story.

For more information, including links to the application and to online Zoom tutorials, visit this link at Folklife Today!

The American Folklife Center is pleased to announce Traditional Folklore in a Digital World, a two-part symposium on August 17 and 24, 2021, examining some of the ways folklore is spread, discussed, and transformed in the digital environment. The symposium will bring together leading podcasters and influential figures in social media who are helping define what folklore is in the 21st century. It will consist of two Zoom-based panels, one on podcasts and the other on social media. Each panel brings together four compelling leaders in online folklore, who will present a brief rundown of what they do, and then take questions from the audience. AFC staff, including me, will be there to moderate and direct the questions. We hope you’ll join us for a fascinating discussion. Both panels are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Registration information is at the link!

The podcast panel will take place on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at 2:00 pm Eastern Time; it will last about two hours and include a short break. The podcasters who will join us include Aaron Mahnke of the very popular Lore podcast, which is also a TV series and a series of books; Kristina Downs, executive director of the Texas Folklore Society and creator of the Crimelore podcast, which looks at true crime through the lens of folklore; Lamont Jack Pearley, a member of the New York Blues Hall of Fame and creator of Jack Dappa Blues Radio and The African American Folklorist; and Mark Norman, creator and host of The Folklore Podcast, Britain’s leading podcast on folklore.

The Social Media panel will take place on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, 10:30 am Eastern Time. It will last about two hours and include a short break. The Social Media world is represented by Dee Dee Chainey, a creator of the twitter hashtag event #FolkloreThursday, which went on to become an online magazine, and which led Chainey to author a series of influential folklore books; Andy Paciorek, an artist and writer who created the Folk Horror Revival Facebook community and Wyrd Harvest Press; and Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, creators of the award-winning Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, which also maintains blogs, a Facebook page, and an online community.

Please join us for these fascinating discussions of traditional folklore in a digital world!

Visit this link for more information and links to register for the panels.

Due to a minor injury, this concert has been postponed. So please Join us on September 8 at 12:45 pm Eastern time for a half-hour concert in the Homegrown at Home series:�

WAI | Maori Electronica from New Zealand

Mina Ripia and Maaka Phat lead the family based MAori Electronica Roots band WAI. WAI is the MAori word for water and is also Mina's birth name. As a band, WAI presents a startlingly original combination of the ancient and the modern, weaving the MAori language with its natural percussive flow and the percussive performing art known as Poi with synths and drums, creating a sound that is at once Maori and global. Performing entirely in the MAori language, WAI also takes a MAori approach to presenting their music in the delivery of their live show. They also appeal to others, attempting to cross all boundaries of language, age, colour, race, or creed. They have performed widely in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific, alongside world music stars such as At Adau, Nitin Sawhney, BLACKFIRE, Yat-Kha, Ojos de Brujo, Manu Chao, Yasmin Levy, Mariza, Trio Mocot� and ADJ�GAS, to name a few.

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click�here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

Please Join us on July 28 at noon Eastern time for a half-hour concert in the Homegrown at Home series:�

WAI | Maori Electronica from New Zealand

Mina Ripia and Maaka Phat lead the family based MAori Electronica Roots band WAI. WAI is the MAori word for water and is also Mina's birth name. As a band, WAI presents a startlingly original combination of the ancient and the modern, weaving the MAori language with its natural percussive flow and the percussive performing art known as Poi with synths and drums, creating a sound that is at once Maori and global. Performing entirely in the MAori language, WAI also takes a MAori approach to presenting their music in the delivery of their live show. They also appeal to others, attempting to cross all boundaries of language, age, colour, race, or creed. They have performed widely in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific, alongside world music stars such as At Adau, Nitin Sawhney, BLACKFIRE, Yat-Kha, Ojos de Brujo, Manu Chao, Yasmin Levy, Mariza, Trio Mocot� and ADJ�GAS, to name a few.

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click�here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

Please Join us on July 14 at noon Eastern time for a half-hour concert in the Homegrown at Home series: 

Neli Andreeva: Traditional Songs from Bulgaria

Master traditional Bulgarian singer Neli Andreeva was born 1976 in Asenovgrad. She grew up in the resort of Narechen in the majestic Rhodope Mountains. There she learned her first folk songs from her grandmother and mother. Neli graduated from the music school for folk instruments and singing in the village of Shiroka Laka in 1995. Neli Andreeva is renowned for her stirring interpretations of her native Rhodope region. She is a soloist as well as choirmaster of the Philip Koutev Folklore Ensemble, and has also been artistic director of the Nusha vocal ensemble. Followers of Bulgarian folk music invariably associate her name with the songs "Malka moma" and “Kozhilyo,” as well as many others which have brought her worldwide recognition.

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

The American Folklife Center is happy to announce a two-part series of hour-long online Zoom presentations with live Q&A featuring recent and current Archie Green Fellows discussing the impact of the pandemic on their fieldwork experiences. We’re calling the event Occupational Folklife and Fieldwork in the Post-Pandemic World: Adaptation, Innovation, and the Future, Parts 1 & 2.  Registration is required, but don’t worry…you’ll find the registration links in the post at the link!

Each of the program’s two parts will feature live 15-20 minute presentations by two Archie Green Fellows (AGF) with Nancy Groce serving as moderator.  Nancy is an AFC staff folklorist and director of the AGF program, as well as the host of our America Works podcast. The discussions will be on two successive Tuesdays, July 13 and July 20.

Prior to the pandemic, Archie Green Fellows’ research, like so much folklife research, was predicated on in-depth in-person interviews documenting the experiences of contemporary American workers. The in-person aspect of the documentation process was, of course, severely disrupted by the pandemic. This 2-part series will explore these researchers’ adaptation to virtual research, describing what worked or didn’t work as they were forced to modify their methodologies and change to virtual online interviewing, as well as how they addressed or are addressing the challenges. Presentations will be followed by a short moderator-led discussion among participants, after which the speakers will respond to questions from pre-registered attendees.

The Archie Green Fellows for part 1 on July 13 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time will include oral historian Sarah Filkins, who interviewed prominent women architects; and folklorist Ed Millar, who is in the midst of interviewing dirt track workers at western New York’s Ransomville Speedway.

Part 2 on July 20 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time will feature oral historian Alana Glazer, who is interviewing nurses working at Veterans Administration hospitals; and folklorists Josephine McRobbie and Joseph O’Connell, who documented midwives, doulas and other birth workers in North Carolina.

Please join us--we'd love to have your presence, and your input, at these timely panels.  Register at the link!

Click here for information and registration links.

Please Join us on July 14 at noon Eastern time for a half-hour concert in the Homegrown at Home series: 

Neli Andreeva: Traditional Songs from Bulgaria

Master traditional Bulgarian singer Neli Andreeva was born 1976 in Asenovgrad. She grew up in the resort of Narechen in the majestic Rhodope Mountains. There she learned her first folk songs from her grandmother and mother. Neli graduated from the music school for folk instruments and singing in the village of Shiroka Laka in 1995. Neli Andreeva is renowned for her stirring interpretations of her native Rhodope region. She is a soloist as well as choirmaster of the Philip Koutev Folklore Ensemble, and has also been artistic director of the Nusha vocal ensemble. Followers of Bulgarian folk music invariably associate her name with the songs "Malka moma" and “Kozhilyo,” as well as many others which have brought her worldwide recognition.

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

The American Folklife Center is happy to announce a two-part series of hour-long online Zoom presentations with live Q&A featuring recent and current Archie Green Fellows discussing the impact of the pandemic on their fieldwork experiences. We’re calling the event Occupational Folklife and Fieldwork in the Post-Pandemic World: Adaptation, Innovation, and the Future, Parts 1 & 2.  Registration is required, but don’t worry…you’ll find the registration links in the post at the link!

Each of the program’s two parts will feature live 15-20 minute presentations by two Archie Green Fellows (AGF) with Nancy Groce serving as moderator.  Nancy is an AFC staff folklorist and director of the AGF program, as well as the host of our America Works podcast. The discussions will be on two successive Tuesdays, July 13 and July 20.

Prior to the pandemic, Archie Green Fellows’ research, like so much folklife research, was predicated on in-depth in-person interviews documenting the experiences of contemporary American workers. The in-person aspect of the documentation process was, of course, severely disrupted by the pandemic. This 2-part series will explore these researchers’ adaptation to virtual research, describing what worked or didn’t work as they were forced to modify their methodologies and change to virtual online interviewing, as well as how they addressed or are addressing the challenges. Presentations will be followed by a short moderator-led discussion among participants, after which the speakers will respond to questions from pre-registered attendees.

The Archie Green Fellows for part 1 on July 13 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time will include oral historian Sarah Filkins, who interviewed prominent women architects; and folklorist Ed Millar, who is in the midst of interviewing dirt track workers at western New York’s Ransomville Speedway.

Part 2 on July 20 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time will feature oral historian Alana Glazer, who is interviewing nurses working at Veterans Administration hospitals; and folklorists Josephine McRobbie and Joseph O’Connell, who documented midwives, doulas and other birth workers in North Carolina.

Please join us--we'd love to have your presence, and your input, at these timely panels.  Register at the link!

Click here for information and registration links.

Please Join us on June 30 at noon Eastern time for a half-hour concert in the Homegrown at Home series: 

Tenzin Choegyal: Tibetan Music from Australia

Tenzin Choegyal is a Tibetan/Australian artist, composer, activist, musical director and cultural ambassador, widely considered one of the world's finest musicians with Tibetan heritage. He feels a particular connection to the music of the high Himalayan plateau and, as a son of Tibetan nomads, he remains dedicated to preserving the musical traditions of his ancestors. Tenzin is a master of the lingbu (bamboo flute) and the dranyen (three-stringed lute) but is best known for his extraordinary vocal ability and performance of droklu, the nomadic music of his parents. Tenzin’s original compositions are inspired by Buddhist texts and poetry, traditional nomadic songs and playful folk tunes that reflect the experiences of the Tibetan people. Tenzin also embraces opportunities to take his music into more contemporary, uncharted territory, both in the studio and on stage. Tenzin is a regular at festivals and events in throughout Australia, and has performed in New Zealand, Japan, India, Germany, Bali, Bangladesh, New Caledonia, Russia and the United States. Tenzin has nine independent albums, three of them with his fusion band Tibet2Timbuk2. His collaborative albums include The Last Dalai Lama? with Philip Glass and Songs from the Bardo with Laurie Anderson and Jesse Paris Smith - a moving interpretation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which was nominated for a 2020 Grammy Award.

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

Please Join us on June 16 for two half-hour concerts in the Homegrown at Home series: 

June 16 at Noon: Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin: Old Time Music from California

Kate Brislin is a specialist in singing with others, a peerless blender. She was a founding member of the all female Any Old Time String Band in the 1970s. Tone and rhythm are paramount in the way she plays five-string banjo and guitar. Jody Stecher has been a soloist, a band member, an amateur folklorist, a record producer, an unusually enabling teacher, and an individualistic multi-instrumentalist and singer. In recent years he has been dreaming and composing new songs and tunes that sound old.

Kate and Jody have been musical partners for close to 50 years. Their duet vocal sound is at once soaring and soothing. Combining it with their deft playing results in a fully unified sound in which voices and instruments blend into an inseparable and singular musical entity. Their craft is twofold: The creation of arrangements and versions of traditional songs, and the way they perform them, which includes a good deal of spontaneity. They aim to draw the audience in, rather than projecting outward as entertainment. Their recordings have twice been Grammy finalists. Over time, some of their versions of traditional songs have become the standard versions around the world.

“Their music captures the essence and core of traditional music. Their bare-bones approach to this art form ranks them among the legends”—PK, Bluegrass Unlimited

"Jody and Kate have the uncanny ability to crystalize the spiritual essence of an old song, while making it their own".—BOTMC

“They bring an almost unearthly savvy and sensitivity to Appalachian and early bluegrass material, breathing freshness and vitality into even the most timeworn of standards”—Elderly

June 16 at 12:45: Martin Carthy: Master Folksinger and Guitarist from England

Martin Carthy has been a leading figure in the revival of English folk music since the 1960s. He has been a member of many iconic formations, including the duo of Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, the a cappella harmony group The Watersons, the pioneering electric folk-rock groups Steeleye Span and the Albion Band, the groundbreaking folk and brass combo Brass Monkey, and the acoustic folk groups Waterson: Carthy and Wood Wilson Carthy. He is also one of the most influential solo artists in folk music, with a guitar style emulated by practically all English folk guitarists since the 1970s. His versions of many traditional folksongs have become standards in the revival. He has also been influential in America: it was Martin who taught Paul Simon the traditional ballad “Scarborough Fair” in the 1960s. Among many other awards and honors, Martin has been awarded an MBE for services to Folk Music, roughly equivalent to receiving a National Heritage Fellowship in the United States.

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

Please Join us on June 16 for a second half-hour concert in the Homegrown at Home series: 

Martin Carthy: Master Folksinger and Guitarist from England

Martin Carthy has been a leading figure in the revival of English folk music since the 1960s. He has been a member of many iconic formations, including the duo of Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, the a cappella harmony group The Watersons, the pioneering electric folk-rock groups Steeleye Span and the Albion Band, the groundbreaking folk and brass combo Brass Monkey, and the acoustic folk groups Waterson: Carthy and Wood Wilson Carthy. He is also one of the most influential solo artists in folk music, with a guitar style emulated by practically all English folk guitarists since the 1970s. His versions of many traditional folksongs have become standards in the revival. He has also been influential in America: it was Martin who taught Paul Simon the traditional ballad “Scarborough Fair” in the 1960s. Among many other awards and honors, Martin has been awarded an MBE for services to Folk Music, roughly equivalent to receiving a National Heritage Fellowship in the United States.

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

Please Join us on June 16 for a half-hour concert in the Homegrown at Home series: 

Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin: Old Time Music from California

Kate Brislin is a specialist in singing with others, a peerless blender. She was a founding member of the all female Any Old Time String Band in the 1970s. Tone and rhythm are paramount in the way she plays five-string banjo and guitar. Jody Stecher has been a soloist, a band member, an amateur folklorist, a record producer, an unusually enabling teacher, and an individualistic multi-instrumentalist and singer. In recent years he has been dreaming and composing new songs and tunes that sound old.

Kate and Jody have been musical partners for close to 50 years. Their duet vocal sound is at once soaring and soothing. Combining it with their deft playing results in a fully unified sound in which voices and instruments blend into an inseparable and singular musical entity. Their craft is twofold: The creation of arrangements and versions of traditional songs, and the way they perform them, which includes a good deal of spontaneity. They aim to draw the audience in, rather than projecting outward as entertainment. Their recordings have twice been Grammy finalists. Over time, some of their versions of traditional songs have become the standard versions around the world.

“Their music captures the essence and core of traditional music. Their bare-bones approach to this art form ranks them among the legends”—PK, Bluegrass Unlimited

"Jody and Kate have the uncanny ability to crystalize the spiritual essence of an old song, while making it their own".—BOTMC

“They bring an almost unearthly savvy and sensitivity to Appalachian and early bluegrass material, breathing freshness and vitality into even the most timeworn of standards”—Elderly

At the link, you'll find the Folklife Concerts page. Look down the list of links for each concert; selecting that concert page will get you all the ways to watch!

Click here for the Folklife Concerts Page.

Over the past year, like you, the Library of Congress has adjusted, recalibrated and learned. We want to continue to learn from you about what more we can do. As a friend of the Library of Congress, your feedback is critical to us as we look to the future. The Library of Congress is your library and we want to build plans based on YOU.

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Thanks for your time!

Carla Hayden
Librarian of Congress