NewsVirginia Folklife Awards $35,000 to Five Apprenticeship Teams
The five apprenticeship teams represent artforms with centuries-old roots in Virginia—African American storytelling and music, as well as old time fiddling—as well as the dance and music of Bolivia and Puerto Rico.
EventMusic as Work
Join us and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum for a fascinating discussion on “Music as Work,” in partnership with the Arts Alliance Mountain Empire (AAME). Coming from a variety of …
EventA Celebration of Virginia Folklife: Performances, Displays & Activities
Join us on Saturday, July 8 at the Library of Virginia for an afternoon of performances, displays, and activities highlighting old and new Virginia musical traditions including blues, fiddling, shape-note singing, and more.
NewsBernadette “B.J.” Lark and Alanjha Harris
Handpainted symbols hang on the walls of Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia, where Bernadette “B.J.” Lark hosts CommUNITY ARTS Roanoke, an after-school program for children. A black, green, …
NewsKazem Davoudian & Alexander Sabet
Kazem Davoudian of Sterling, VA, is an experienced ustad (master artist, in Farsi) of Iranian classical music. He is teaching Alexander Sabet of Washington, DC, how to play the tar, a traditional long-necked string instrument.
NewsHome Is the Sound of Rivers and Crooked Roads
Elsa Howell, who is learning the art of Appalachian ballad singing through our Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, reflects on the important role music plays in her culture and community.
NewsRaceway Ministries Continues Serving Race Fans
Founded in 1992, Bristol Raceway Ministries is a church-led effort to organize services for spectators at the Bristol Motor Speedway. “We get to experience every aspect of life here at the track,” says volunteer Bobby Branch.
NewsForging Connections with Bristol’s Tyler Hughes
Old-time musician Tyler Hughes is now co-managing a new funding opportunity for traditional arts in and around Bristol. “People in the Appalachian region deserve to have the fullest life that they can achieve,” he says.
NewsSephardic Music Traditions In Virginia — Folklife Fieldnotes Episode 13
Exploring the folk music of the Sephardim, from the songs of Flory Jagoda and “Shorty” Elias to the new sounds of Minnush and beyond in this episode of Folklife Fieldnotes.
NewsElizabeth LaPrelle & Elsa Howell
Appalachian Ballad Singing On a farm outside of Rural Retreat, tucked into a bend of small, winding White Rock Creek and down the hill from the home she grew up …
