An amazing lineup of musical artists and performers descend on Butte, Montana every July. Stay tuned for updates on the Montana Folk Festival performers right here.
Admission is free to all performances during the three days of the festival. More than 20 groups representing a broad diversity of musical and cultural traditions will perform on the festival’s six stages in Uptown Butte. Get the latest festival info on Facebook.
Irish Traditional | New York, NY Solas is lighting up stages across the globe as they celebrate three decades of pushing boundaries and honoring traditions in Irish music! Hailed by The Boston Globe as “the finest Celtic ensemble this country has ever produced,” and by The Wall Street Journal as …
Zydeco | Soileau, LA Keith Frank, born on October 9, 1972, in the community of Soileau, Louisiana, is an American singer, accordion player, and producer. Dubbed the “Zydeco Boss,” Frank is one of the most well-known figures in zydeco music, especially in the nouveau zydeco sound, which was influenced by other genres …
Texas Mariachi | Rio Grande Valley, TX If you are a fan of mariachi music, you will fall in love with the sounds of the all-female mariachi, Mariachi Mariposas. Mariachi Mariposas began their musical journey in the summer of 2012 in the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas, as a 12-member …
Pakistani traditional folk | Peshawar, Pakistan Khumariyaan, a renowned music band from Pakistan, is celebrated for blending traditional folk music with modern styles. The band’s name, translating to “the state of intoxication from music,” captures the essence of their music, mesmerizing and captivating listeners.Formed in 2009 in Peshawar, Pakistan, Khumariyaan …
Mali Dance music | Bamako, Mali The Bamba Wassoulou Groove was born in Bamako in 2013 on the initiative of Bamba Dembélé, (who passed in 2018) percussionist and co-founder of the Super Djata Band, mythical group of Zani Diabaté, the most original and funky guitarist of music of Mali after …
Kuchipudi Dance | Lansing, MI Yamini Kalluri, a celebrated Kuchipudi dancer, choreographer, and educator, represents the future of classical dance with her innovative blend of tradition and contemporary influence. Based in the US and India, her journey began under the tutelage of Padmasri Dr. Sobha Naidu in Hyderabad, where she …
Appalachian Old Time | Greenville, WV As a seven-time West Virginia state fiddle champion and current Grand Master Traditional Fiddle Champion, Tessa McCoy’s mastery of her unique and technical old-time fiddling style has positioned her as one of the most significant fiddlers living in Appalachia today. Born and raised in …
Bluegrass | Charlestown, IN The tension between tradition and innovation is at the core of bluegrass music, and the fiddle playing of Michael Cleveland exemplifies this musical tug of war. As a boy, Cleveland heard a local fiddler play “Orange Blossom Special,” which sparked a lifelong obsession with the tune …
Blues | New York, NY Shemekia Copeland possesses one of the most instantly recognizable and deeply soulful roots music voices of our time. The multi-GRAMMY nominee is beloved and honored worldwide for the fearlessness, honesty and humor of her revelatory songs, as well as for her winning, engaging personality. The …
Cumbia | San Jacinto, Colombia Yeison Landero was born in San Jacinto (Bolívar); that is to say, in the very heart of the mountains of María of our Colombian Caribbean. He carries in his soul a cumbiambero heart inherited from his grandfather Andrés Landero: a musician recognized as the king …
Puerto Rican Cuatro | Caguas, Puerto Rico Native to Caguas, PR, Fabiola began playing the cuatro, Puerto Rico’s national instrument, at six. She got her early music training at the Antonio Paoli School of Music in Caguas and her Bachelor’s in Music from Berklee College of Music, where in 2018, she …
Arabic | New York, NY Zahra Alzubaidi is a New York-based singer who performs a variety of Arabic music styles, with a particular focus on Iraqi music. She has taken the stage at prestigious music venues across the United States, including Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall, Joe’s …
Gospel | Memphis, TN Elizabeth King is a sacred soul and gospel singer from Memphis, Tennessee. Possessed of a powerful, quaking contralto, she has led church services and performed weekly on gospel radio since the 1960s. King sang from the time she could talk. At age nine, she took seriously …
Haitian Creole | Port au Prince, Haiti Paul Beaubrun is a Haitian singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer. Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, son of the Grammy nominated band Boukman Eksperyans and the grandson of legendary Haitian comedian Languichatte.Paul has gained recognition locally and internationally for his unique art; at the …
Brazilian Choro For 19 years, Choro das 3 was a family band formed by the three sisters: Corina (flute and piccolo), Lia (7 string guitar), Elisa (mandolin, clarinet, banjo, piano and accordion) and their late father Eduardo (pandeiro), who tragically succumbed to COVID-19 in 2021. Everything started with a volunteer …
Ethiojazz Hailu Mergia was born in 1946 in the Shewa Province of the Ethoipian Empire. and moved to the capital Addis Adaba at age 10. He had grown up on traditional Oromo, Amhara, and Tigrinya songbook melodies, and taught himself the accordion at age 14. His mastering of the accordion, as well as …
Irish | Springfield, Illinois Reverie Road is a fresh, eclectic celtic combination, featuring fiddler Winifred Horan and accordionist John Williams (founding Solas members) alongside former Gaelic Storm fiddler Katie Grennan and Jazz and Raga pianist Utsav Lal (Young Steinway Artist). This powerful combination is made up of four of today’s …
Meti Fiddle | Harlem, Montana Jamie Fox is a Métis fiddler of the Aaniih and Nakoda tribes of Montana. The Métis are members of ethnic groups native to Canada and parts of the United States that trace their descent to both Indigenous North Americans and European settlers. Jamie grew up …
Flamenco | New York, NY Hailed by The New York Times as “a furnace of earthy sensuality”, Sonia Olla was born and raised in Barcelona when she earned a degree in Spanish Dance and Flamenco at the esteemed “Instituto de Teatro y Danza” in Barcelona. She has toured as company member and …
Japanese Traditional | Los Angeles, California The Wagaku Collective (和楽器コレクティブ) is Terry Nguyen, Shih-wei Wu and Wes Hayashi. The Los Angeles based trio are composed of three Asian American musicians that share the love and respect for traditional Japanese folk music. Through live performance, storytelling and workshops, The Wagaku Collective aims …
Country and Western Swing | Seguin, Texas Sam Platts and the Plainsmen, based in Seguin, Texas, play traditional country and western swing. Sam Platts leads the group on guitar and vocals. Songs range from Sam’s originals to country and western swing covers. They have played around the world for …
Mississippi Delta Blues | McComb, Mississippi Castro Coleman a-k-a Mr. Sipp, was born August 25, 1976 to Johnelle and the late Vera Coleman in the small town of McComb, Mississippi. He began playing the guitar at the tender age of 6. Through hard work and perseverance, Mr. Sipp has become …
Hindustani Violin | Redwood City, California Maestro Kala Ramnath with her ‘Singing Violin’ stands among the world’s finest, most inspirational instrumentalists. Her playing has been featured on the Grammy-nominated Miles from India project, compositions of hers have appeared on the Grammy-winning album In 27 Pieces and the Kronos Quartet’s 50 …
Iranian Kamancheh | Brooklyn, New York Mehrnam Rastegari is a well-established Iranian musician and film score composer, singer, violinist, and master Kamancheh player. She has been featured in concerts and music festivals worldwide, including in The US, Germany, Switzerland, France, Finland, Iran, and Kazakhstan. These performances have occurred at some …
Mardi Gras Indians | New Orleans, Louisiana Behind the splendid theater and music of the Mardi Gras Indian parade lies a turbulent history: both the legacy of American slavery and segregation that birthed the unique New Orleans tradition and the internecine conflicts that marked itsmearly days, after it took shape …
