Sights & SoundsHerschel Sizemore and Mike Walker
Legendary Roanoke mandolin player and composer Herschel Sizemore returns as a 2016 master artist. When he was eight years old, Herschel’s parents took him to see Bill Monroe perform at …
NewsAnnouncing Scott Street Five String Banjo Finals at the Richmond Folk Festival
The Virginia Folklife Program has partnered with JAMinc to honor the memory of distinguished Richmond attorney and dedicated banjo player Scott Street, who passed away in February of this year …
NewsBogtrotters and Bristol
Next weekend Bristol will be packed with concerts for Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion. From September 18th to 20th 130 artists will play all over the city on big stages …
NewsA new World Record at Galax
The Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention is the largest and oldest fiddlers’ convention in the world, so it’s no surprise that it’s been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. …
Sights & SoundsAndrei Saveliev and Aaron Mott
The balalaika, a traditional Russian stringed instrument with a triangular wooden body, is often referred to as “the Russian three-string guitar.” It was considered a folk instrument in Russia, and …
Sights & SoundsBilly Baker and Jack Hinshelwood
Billy Baker, born in 1936 in Pound, Virginia, has lived his whole life surrounded by music. Encouraged by his parents, both banjo players, Baker proved to be a musical prodigy. …
Sights & SoundsDale Wise and Lori Sallade
The accordion, a box-shaped instrument first patented in Vienna in 1829, was a folk instrument played largely by commoners. At the turn of the twentieth century, European emigrants took the …
NewsNational Folk Festival: September 11-13, Greensboro, NC
First held in 1934, the National Folk Festival is the oldest multicultural festival of traditional arts in the nation. It is a traveling festival produced in partnership with communities around …
Sights & SoundsDanny Knicely and Jack Dunlap
Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley has long been fertile ground for the development of old-time and bluegrass music, and the Knicelys are one of its most prominent musical families. Multi-instrumentalist A. O. …
Sights & SoundsSherman Holmes and Whitney Nelson
The Holmes brothers, of Virginia’s Middle Peninsula, have been performing a joyous and moving blend of blues, gospel, soul, rhythm and blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and country for fifty years. …
NewsThere’s Something Spiritual about Watermelon Park
The Virginia Folklife Program has forged a wonderful partnership with Watermelon Park Fest, September 24-27, in Berryville, Virginia. Home to one of the country’s first-ever bluegrass festivals, Watermelon Park is …
NewsCelebrating Youth “Tradition Bearers” and the Masters Who Taught Them at 2015 Richmond Folk Festival
Fans of the Richmond Folk Festival may notice a bit of a younger vibe at the Virginia Folklife Area this year. While the Virginia Folklife Program will continue to celebrate …
