01-07-2013
Performers will appear at VWC this January as part of a special series focusing primarily on Appalachian music and culture. The concerts are happening in conjunction with a unique Winter Session course, “Music and Folk Culture of the Southern Appalachians,” taught by Professor of History Dr. Daniel Margolies. The course focuses on the region that includes Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. Students are learning about rural dance music, social and religious music, and early commercially recorded music, including the old time string band, jug bands, and more. Performers in the Folk Music Series include ethnomusicologist and old time musician James Ruchala; champion old time fiddler Mark Cambell; prize-winning fiddler and author Erynn Marshall accompanied by guitarist Carl Jones; and multidisciplinary traditional performers Elizabeth LaPrelle and Anna Roberts-Gevalt. “This series is a phenomenal opportunity to hear some of the best old time musicians of today performing in an informal, intimate setting,” says Margolies, “We are really glad to be able to present these evenings to the campus and to the Hampton Roads community.” All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dan Margolies at dmargolies@vwc.edu. More