51st annual Celebration of Traditional Music bringing a variety of performers to Berea
October 7, 202
BEREA, Ky. – The 51st annual Celebration of Traditional Music (CTM)—a series of workshops, performances and activities celebrating the history of Appalachian music—will take place Oct. 10-13 on the Berea College campus.
The CTM will kick off on Thursday, Oct. 10 with a Stephenson Memorial Concert featuring Grammy-nominated American roots musician Guy Davis.
A variety of other performers will perform throughout the week, including award-winning yodeling cowgirl Phoebe White, whose newest album “Cowgirl’s Delight” features a song written by Janis Ian.
Other events include workshops, lectures, dinners and activities for kids.
A Traditional Music Committee was organized in 1972 to advise the College on music collections, records, video tapes and sound tapes and collecting musical instruments and other materials. An early committee report written by Loyal Jones mentioned “developing a series of concerts that will give us an opportunity to make videotapes of traditional singers for our collections.”
The CTM is an outgrowth of that effort. It continues as part of the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center’s mission of encouraging and coordinating Appalachian programs for the campus and community.
The CTM and other traditional Appalachian music recordings can be accessed online from the Berea Sound Archives. Instruments and materials, such as historical dulcimers, are part of the College’s Appalachian artifact teaching collection.
The CTM is planned and presented by the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center, the Berea College Music Department and the Berea College Folk-Roots Ensemble.
For more information, including a complete schedule of events and artists, visit the Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music Facebook page or its website, https://tinyurl.com/LJAC-CTM .
Daytime events are free. Evening concerts are $10 and the Saturday evening dance is $8. All events are open to the public.
CTM is sponsored by the L. Allen Smith Memorial Fund, directed by Elizabeth DiSavino, and is planned and presented by the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center, the CTM Committee, the Berea College Music Department and the students of the Berea College Folk-Roots Ensemble.
A livestream for Friday, Saturday and Sunday events will be available at https://livestream.com/bereacollege.