Bluegrass Ensemble
Each year in Berea, mountain music born in Appalachia and passed from generation to generation is on center stage at the annual Celebration of Traditional Music (CTM). Since 1974, the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center at Berea College has hosted the CTM to spotlight and document Appalachian performers often overlooked by mainstream media markets.
Every year, CTM helps guests from all over learn about Appalachian music and dance. It also helps Appalachians—especially Berea students—get in tune with the region’s cultural roots firsthand while creating opportunities for students involved in the Berea College Folk and Roots Ensemble, Black Music Ensemble, Bluegrass Ensemble, Country Dancers, and Berea Mariachi to perform alongside some of the traditional music greats.
Berea College Black Music Ensemble, 2019
This year the 47th annual Celebration of Traditional Music festivities are going virtual due to COVID-19 precautions. The new virtual format means anyone from anywhere can enjoy traditional ballads, blues, gospel, bluegrass, and old-time string band music.
This year’s talent includes banjo and fiddle virtuoso Jake Blount and living legends like Alice Gerrard who will perform with Kay Justice and receive the CTM Lifetime Achievement Award for her immeasurable contributions to traditional music. The virtual concerts will also feature legendary blues guitarist and Grammy nominee Guy Davis, The Big Possum String Band, the Gibson Family, Kevin Howard, and storyteller Sheila Arnold.
For more information, please visit the CTM website or keep in touch on the official Facebook page. Catch all the performances here.
Showtimes* include:
Thursday, October 15 at 7pm
Jake Blount
Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16 and 17 at 8pm
Alice Gerrard with Kay Justice, Guy Davis, The Big Possum String Band, the Gibson Family, Kevin Howard, and Sheila Arnold
Sunday, October 18 at 3 pm
Berea’s Traditional Music Showcase featuring The Bluegrass Ensemble, Black Music Ensemble, Folk-Roots Ensemble, Country Dancers, and Mariachi Berea
* Schedule subject to change
By SAM MILLIGAN