General news from the Montana Folk Festival.
Mali Balafon Djeli | New York, NY Balla Kouyaté was born into a musical family that goes back over 800 years to Balla Faséké, the first of an unbroken line of djelis in the Kouyaté clan. Djelis are the oral historians, musicians, and performers who keep alive and celebrate the …
Kathak Dance | Menlo Park, CA Farah Yasmeen Shaikh is an internationally acclaimed Kathak performer, choreographer and instructor, and Founder & Artistic Director of Noorani Dance. As a performer, Farah is known for her evocative storytelling, technical precision, delicacy, and grace, with two decades of training from the late Pandit …
Western Swing | Austin, TX In 1994 in New York City, Elana James placed an ad in the music section of the Village Voice looking to join a band, and Whit Smith answered it. Since then the music these two have made has always been a secret brew of energy, …
Hawaiian Hula | Carson, CA Hālau ‘O Lilinoe is one of the foremost halau (hula schools) in the mainland United States, dedicated to presenting hula kahiko (“ancient hula”), the traditional dance and chant of the Hawai’ian Islands. Beloved for its graceful and powerful performances, the school also celebrates hula as a means of preserving …
Tejano Conjunto Fiddle | San Antonio, TX When Texas Folklife and the Festival of Texas Fiddling honored Belen Escobedo with the 2017 Texas Master Fiddler Award, they praised her for “single-handedly keeping alive” the tradition of conjunto fiddle, “a rare and beautiful style of Mexican-American fiddling which has almost disappeared despite …
Gospel | Richmond, VA Gospel artist Cora Harvey Armstrong still lives in her tiny hometown of Newtown in King and Queen County, Virginia. Her father was a deacon at First Mount Olive Baptist Church where Armstrong served as minister of music for four decades. Her mother started the Harvey Family …
Gypsy Jazz and Swing | Montreal, Quebec For two decades, Christine Tassan, an outstanding guitarist, has been steering her ship with boundless enthusiasm and confidence. Blessed with an absolutely contagious dynamism, she is one of the rare female jazz and gypsy jazz guitar soloists; and she stands out for her …
Cajun | Lafayette, LA One of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco (Louisiana French) music over the last decade, Cedric Watson is a four-time Grammy-nominated fiddler, singer, accordionist & songwriter with seemingly unlimited potential. Originally from San Felipe, TX (population 868), Cedric made his first …
Bomba y Plena | Miami, FL Plena Es has carved a space for Puerto Rican music in South Florida by emphasizing the island’s distinctive bomba y plena musical traditions, percussion-driven sounds that reflect the island’s African heritage. Founded by Pierre Ramos in 2004, the band—featuring percussion, trombones, piano, bass, and …
Bluegrass | Winchester, VA With a powerhouse voice and remarkable range, Linda Lay is, hands down, one of the best singers in grassroots bluegrass and country music. She leads an exceptional ensemble of award-winning musicians in Springfield Exit. The core trio of Linda, her husband David Lay, and multi-instrumentalist David …
Tango | New York, NY Latin GRAMMY Award winner bassist and composer Pedro Giraudo is among the most compelling tango artists today. After two decades performing with the most important interpreters of tango, Pedro Giraudo debuted his own Tango Orchestra at Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing in July 2015 and …
Join us for the 14th Montana Folk Festival in Butte, Montana, July 8-10, 2022. An amazing lineup of musical artists and performers descend on Butte, Montana every July. Stay tuned for updates on the 2022 Montana Folk Festival performers right here. Admission is free to all performances during the three …
Due to the threat posed by COVID-19, the Montana Folk Festival was postponed in 2020 and 2021. These decisions were made considering the guidelines for public gatherings set by federal, state and local authorities and from growing concerns for the health and welfare of our friends, neighbors, and community. While …
Due to the ongoing threats posed to us all by the spread of COVID-19, the 2020 Montana Folk Festival has been postponed until a date to be determined later in 2021. The decision was made considering the guidelines for public gatherings set by federal, state and local authorities and from …
Exploring All That Montana Has To Offer. Every year the Montana Folklife Area and Stage bring parts of Montana’s great history and traditions to life in a fun setting. Everything from hunting and fishing to mining and music has been explored and more great themese are on the horizon. Join …
Women’s Work Making Montana By Mary Murphy, Professor of History, Montana State University Montana women are nothing if not resourceful. Since the first encounters between indigenous peoples and white settlers, women’s work has shaped this place we call Montana. For the most part, we think of the Treasure State as …
Montana Folklife Presenter | Author, Radio Producer | Missoula, MT Beth Judy grew up in Chicago, graduated from Harvard College in 1983, and moved from Atlanta to Missoula in 1992, where she earned an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Montana. Researching and writing her book Bold Women in Montana …
Montana Folklife Demonstrator Montana Mad Hatters | Twin Bridges, MT The story of Montana Mad Hatters began with Kirkpatrick Custom Hatters in the small town of Wisdom Montana. Sheila Kirkpatrick opened the doors in 1983, shortly after her daughter Ericka was born. That didn’t slow Sheila down one bit. She …
Montana Folklife Demonstrator Indigikitchens | Kalispell, MT Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet, Cherokee) grew up in Northwest Montana. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Environmental Engineering and returned home where she developed Indigikitchen, an online cooking show dedicated to re-indigenizing diets using digital media. Indigikitchen is a portmanteau of …
Montana Folklife Demonstrator Backcountry Blacksmith Inc. | Driggs, ID Born in the Rocky Mountains and raised in the backcountry of Alaska, Alexandra Paliwoda expresses her love of the great outdoors with her hand-forged ironwork. True to its name, the Backcountry Blacksmith was forged in the remote wilds of the Wrangell-St. Elias …
Montana Folklife Demonstrator Metal Engraver | Dubois, ID Thirty-four years ago, Bev Gilger started Dubois Leather, a leather shop in Dubois, Idaho. It was there she met her husband Steve and together they repaired shoes and saddles and built custom boots for 20 years. Then one Christmas, Bev got an …
Montana Folklife Demonstrator Kellem Custom Works | Sheridan, MT Callie Kellem is a custom leatherworker currently residing in Sheridan Montana. She is also an EMT, federally certified aircraft mechanic, backcountry wrangler, camp worker in Montana and Alaska, and experienced world traveler. One may think all of these credentials seem unrelated …
Montana Folklife Demonstrator Upper Canyon Outfitters | Alder, MT Cassie Ubaldo is a fifth generation Montanan who grew up at Upper Canyon Outfitters in Alder, MT. Horses have played a role in Cassie’s life as far back as she can remember. Growing up on a guest ranch allowed many opportunities …
Montana Folklife Demonstrator Schwarz Custom Boots | Dillon, MT Julia Schwarz was born and raised in Idaho, a stone’s throw from Dillon. She is an accomplished artist in her own right, and adds a great deal of color to the shop. Julia changed occupations in 2006 when she began designing …
Montana Folklife Demonstrator Big Sky Mohair Cinches | Bozeman, MT Big Sky Mohair Cinches is a two-sister team based out of Bozeman, Montana. It was born out of necessity. A horse at the therapeutic riding program where they worked required a 42″ cinch—a tough size to find. So they made …
