Registration Now Open!
The Folk Music Revival: Politics and Community
A Symposium by the New York Folklore Society
Clark Auditorium of the New York State Museum
Albany, NY
October 18, 2008
New York State was instrumental to the revival of folk music and folksong in the second half of the 20th century. Institutions such as Caffe' Lena and media outlets such as radio station WNYC helped to launch the careers of many folk musicians in the 1960s and 1970s. The New York Folklore Quarterly devoted a conference and an entire journal issue to the subject in 1963, inviting the commentary of many noted scholars and proponents of that day.
The Folk Music Revival: Politics and Community
A Symposium by the New York Folklore Society
Clark Auditorium of the New York State Museum
Albany, NY
October 18, 2008
New York State was instrumental to the revival of folk music and folksong in the second half of the 20th century. Institutions such as Caffe' Lena and media outlets such as radio station WNYC helped to launch the careers of many folk musicians in the 1960s and 1970s. The New York Folklore Quarterly devoted a conference and an entire journal issue to the subject in 1963, inviting the commentary of many noted scholars and proponents of that day.
Fast Forward 45 years!
The 2008 NYFS conference, "The Folk Music Revival: Politics & Community" continues this scrutiny, through exploring the influences of and on the folk music community.
Participants include Andy Spence of Old Songs, Wanda Fischer of WAMC's Hudson River Sampler, and Sarah Craig, manage of Caffe' Lena.
"Folk Scare! Politics and the Folksong Revival," will examine the politics of the era through the
eyes of those who experienced it firsthand, including Sonny Ochs, Josh White, Jr., Oscar Brand, and Jaye Alper.
"Folk Scare! Politics and the Folksong Revival," will examine the politics of the era through the
eyes of those who experienced it firsthand, including Sonny Ochs, Josh White, Jr., Oscar Brand, and Jaye Alper.
Suze Rotolo, author of A Freewheelin' Time, will deliver the keynote speech. Suze Rotolo was 17 years old when she met Bob Dylan in 1961. Her recently published book offers a firsthand, eyewitness account of the early days of the folk music explosion when Bob Dylan was first bursting on the folk scene.
Special guests include Josh White, Jr, Oscar Brand, Tony Barrand, and John Roberts.
Oscar Brand, who appeared at the 1963 New York Folklore Society conference, is a folk singer, songwriter, radio personality and author who has played alongside such legends of folk music as Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger. He is host of the longest-running radio show, "Oscar Brand's Folksong Festival," which airs on WNYC in New York City and which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2005. He has twice been awarded the Peabody Award for broadcast excellence.
Josh White Jr. began his folksong career as a child, singing with his father, Josh White, who was a singer, actor, and civil rights activist. After his father appeared before the House Un-American Committee and was blacklisted, Josh White Jr. continued to perform as a solo folksinger. Josh White, Jr. has produced over 20 recordings in his contiuous career of more than 60 years.
Tony Barrand and John Roberts will perform a concert of the Songs of Rudyard Kipling, a series of folksongs based on the poems of Rudyard Kipling. These folksong inspired pieces were first commissioned and performed by Roberts and Barrand at the re-opening of Kipling's house, Naulakha, in Dummerston, Vermont. Tony Barrand and John Roberts are well known
for their annual performances of "Noel Sing We Clear" and for their frequent appearances at the
Old Songs Festival in Altamont, NY.
For registration and information, visit our website at http://www.nyfolklore.org/progs/conf2008.html.
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