Join ballad singer and historian Saro Lynch-Thomason and Jeremy Carter-Gordon for a conversation about traditional song, social justice, sharing songs across race and culture, and trying to be relevant on TikTok! Saro is the creator of Songs that Speak, a YouTube documentary series about the history, conflicts and culture behind traditional songs. Jeremy Carter-Gordon of vocal harmony group Windborne will interview Saro about creating the series, the challenges and opportunities of using digital media to celebrate traditional songs, and finding ways to respectfully learn and share songs from diverse musical traditions.
Saro Lynch-Thomason is a ballad singer, song writer, folklorist, documentarian, and illustrator from Asheville, North Carolina. Her passion for traditional music, people’s struggles and Appalachian traditions calls her to perform, teach and produce media that tell the stories and songs of America’s social history. Saro holds an M.A. in Appalachian Studies and a Certificate in Documentary Studies.
Jeremy Carter-Gordon is an ethnochoreologist, singer and sought after dance instructor. He holds an MA in Dance Knowledge, Practice, and Heritage, and spent a year studying Swedish folk dancing at the Eric Sahlström Institute in Sweden. Jeremy sings with Windborne, a vocal quartet that brings old songs of social struggle back to life, drawing connections between movements of the past and the challenges of today.
Thanks to the Massachusetts Cultural Council for their generous support.