Sights & Sounds

Remembering Gerald Anderson

I’m sure we join so many throughout Southwest Virginia and beyond in our sadness and shock to learn of the passing of Gerald Anderson. Gerald was a fine luthier, player, …

Sights & Sounds

Sherman Holmes Project: The Richmond Sessions

The first solo recording in his more than fifty-year career, Sherman Holmes’ The Richmond Sessions carries on the spirit of the revered Holmes Brothers by reimagining songs and making them …

Sights & Sounds

Frank Newsome: Gone Away with a Friend (Free Dirt Records)

On Gone Away with a Friend, Frank Newsome sings a more than four-century-long American tradition into the present. His arresting style—the lined-out hymn singing of the Old Regular Baptists from …

Whitetop Mountain BandNews

Apprenticeship Showcase Schedule and Special Guests

You will not want to miss a minute of the  Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Showcase at James Monroe’s Highland on Sunday, May 5 from noon to 6:00pm. We will kick off …

Sights & Sounds

Brian Calhoun and Adam McNeil and Jake Hopping

Brian Calhoun grew up in Rockbridge County, an area rich with many fine players of bluegrass and old-time music as well as a wide variety of acoustic styles. Already a …

Sights & Sounds

Emily Spencer and Lisa Ring

Returning to the Folklife Apprenticeship Program in 2019 is the beloved Grayson County clawhammer banjoist Emily Spencer. The clawhammer banjo style is an essential aspect of old time music, an …

News

Announcing Apprenticeship Class of 2019–2020

The Virginia Folklife Program at Virginia Humanities announces the 2019-2020 class of Master Artists in the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program. Master Artists are selected through a competitive process in all …

Sights & Sounds

Light the Candles with Flory Jagoda’s internationally loved Hanukkah anthem “Ocho Kandelikas”

As the holidays enter full swing, Christmas songs—ranging from the insipid to the sublime—become a seemingly ubiquitous presence in our lives. Largely buried in a sonic avalanche of sleigh bells, …

Sights & Sounds

Blue Ridge Folklife Festival: scenes from the day

The Blue Ridge Folklife Festival at Ferrum College celebrates the traditional crafts, music, foods, storytelling, horse handling skills, dog training skills, and moonshine folklore of southwestern Virginia. This festival features …

Sights & Sounds

Remembering Bert Carlson

We are deeply saddened to report the passing of our friend Bert Carlson. Bert was a remarkably gifted guitarist, and a sweet and generous soul. He will be fondly remembered …

News

First place finishes for Folklife Apprentices at Galax Fiddlers’ Convention

Virginia Folklife apprentices and dynamic sister-brother duo Aila Wildman and Eli Wildman took first place in adult old time fiddle and mandolin, respectively, at the 83rd annual Galax Fiddlers’ Convention. Congratulations to …

News

Eddie Bond receives 2018 National Heritage Fellowship

The Virginia Folklife Program at Virginia Humanities is proud to announce that Eddie Bond, celebrated old-time fiddler from the small southwestern Virginia town of Fries, has been honored with the …

CLOSE