Say Sister Festival

About the Event

Join us For A Diverse And Revolutionary Celebration Of Women In Roots Music With The Inaugural Say Sister! Festival. This Transformative Event Celebrates The Vital Contributions Of Women To A Space Where Their Presence Has Always Been Essential, Though Often Underappreciated, Shining A Spotlight On The Past, Present, And Future Contributions Of Women In Old Time Music.

Schedule:

8pm -Theater -Concert Night 2! $
Saturday Night Supergroup, Where These Incredible Artists Unite For A Never-Before-Seen, One-Time-Only Collaboration.
Classes -Attend 2 Or 4 With Concert Or Weekend Pass Tickets
10-11am -Fiddle W/ Kimber Ludiker
Champion Fiddler And Della Mae Member, Kimber Ludiker Will Teach A Tune In The Nw Old Time Fiddling Style She Grew Up With. Kimber Will Address Bowing, Fingering And Fun!
Level: Confident Beginner + Intermediate
10-11am -Dulcimer Workshop & Demo W/ Sarah Kate Morgan
Build From The Basics And Further Your Appalachian Dulcimer Skills. We’ll Start By Honing Our Strumming Skills And Developing A Strong, Consistent, And Interesting Strumming Hand That Can Add Unique Rhythmic Drive And Texture To Any Old Time Jam. Learn A Tune And Watch Sarah Demonstrate Modern Versatility Of The Instrument.
Level: All Levels
11:30am-12:30pm -Mandolin W/ Kimber Ludiker
Learn To Play Rhythm Mandolin In 2 Keys  D And G, To Some Favorite Fiddle Tunes. And Of Course We’ll Learn Version Of Those 2 Tunes.
Level: Confident Beginner-Intermediate
11:30am-12:30pm -Libba Cotten Guitar W/ Marcy Marxer
Dig Into The Fingerpicking Guitar Style Of Elizabeth Cotten. We’ll Be Learning The Song “Oh, Babe It Ain’t No Lie.” Cotten Wrote “Freight Train” And Was Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Her Style Includes Keeping A Steady Bass Rhythm While Playing The Melody Of The Song On Higher Strings.
Level: Intermediate + Up
11-12pm -Flatfoot W/ Becky Hill, Music W/ Meghan Mette & Ann Porcella
Come One, Come All. Get Started Or Keep On Dancing With Master Flatfoot Dancer Becky Hill. Live Band!
1-2pm -Clawhammer Banjo: Variations On A Tune  – Cathy Fink
There Are Over 18 Different Ways To Play The First Note Of Cripple Creek! By Teaching These Variations, Cathy Will Lead The Group Into An Exploration Of How To Create Variations Tunes One Phrase At A Time.
Level: Intermediate And Up
1-2pm -Old Time Guitar Bass Runs W/ Ann Porcella
The Guitar Player Holds Down The Band For Rhythm And Decorates And Often Drives That Rhythm With Bass Runs- Single Notes On Bass.  Learn Bass Runs In 3 Keys, 3 Chords Each, To Power Your Rhythm Guitar Playing. Keys Of G, D And A.
2.30-3.30pm -Fiddle W/ Malia Furtado
Calling All Fiddlers! Want To Hone Your Rhythm Skills? This Fiddle Workshop Will Focus On Shuffle Patterns And Bowing Technique To Help You Find Your Fiddle Groove. During This Workshop, We Will Take A Few Common Tunes And Explore How We Can Integrate Different Bowing Patterns To Create That Classic Fiddle “Feel” That Will Help You Lock In With Others, Fiddle For Dances, And Support Your Improvising.
Level: Intermediate
4-5pm -Clawhammer Banjo W/ Meghan Mette
Meghan Will Teach The 3 Part Version Of “Cumberland Gap” In The Key Of D, Using Double C Tuning On The Banjo. Participants Will Learn The Tune And Some Alternate Ways Of Playing All Three Parts. If There’s Time, We’ll Squeeze In Another Popular Tune, Needlecase.
2:30-3:30pm  -Flatfoot Choreography W/ Becky Hill
Becky Will Take You Through The Steps Of Creating Flatfoot Choreography To Match Up Note By Note- Step By Step- Beat By Beat, A Fiddle Tune.
Activities (Free With Your Ticket!)
10-11am -Singalong -Theater -Hazel & Alice Songs
Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer, And Ann Porcella Lead A Singalong Of Hazel Dickens And Alice Gerrard’s Repertoire. Lyrics And Chords Provided So You Can Play Along By Watching The Big Screen.
11:30am-12:30pm -Marquee Lounge -Influenced By Tradition – Song Swap W/ Amythyst Kiah, Sarah Kate Morgan, Cathy Fink -Moderator: Lillian Werbin
These Women Are Taking The Roots Of Old Time Music To New Places, Sometimes Applying Old Songs To New Ideas, Sometimes Applying Their Old-Time Music Skills To Completely New Songs. Hear Examples And Talk About The Evolution Of New Music Coming From Old.
1-2pm -Marquee Lounge -Black Roots Of Old Time Music Discussion & Music W/ Lillian Werbin & Dena Jennings
Dena Jennings Is A Banjo Builder, Music Historian And Runs The Affrolachian On-Time Music Gathering. Lillian Werbin Is The Co-Director Of The Banjo Gathering And Of The Roots Revival Black Stringband Symposium. There Will Be An Awesome Discussion About The Black Roots Of Old Time Music And Some Sampling Of Both Live And Recorded Music.
1-2pm -Film -Theater -“I’ve Endured: The Music And Legacy Of Ola Belle Reed”
With A Voice Born In The Mountains And Shaped By The Hard Times She Lived And Saw, Ola Belle Reed Established Herself As An Influential Musician, Singer, And Songwriter Of Old-Time Mountain Music.  The  Documentary, “I’ve Endured:” The Music And Legacy Of Ola Belle Reed”, Explores The Life Of  This  Remarkable Musician, Singer And Songwriter Whose Contributions Have Left An Indelible Mark On The Cultural Landscape.  In 1986 Ola Belle Received A Nea National Heritage Fellowship. The Library Of Congress Added Her 1973 Album Ola Belle Reed To The National Recording Registry In 2019. Her Best Known Songs Are “High On A Mountain,” “I’ve Endured” And “Tear Down The Fences.”
2:30-3:15pm -Ola Belle Reed Songs & Stories
Cathy Fink And Marcy Marxer Celebrate The Music And Stories Of Ola Belle Reed.
2:30-3:30pm -Concert -Marquee Lounge -Favorite Kentucky Songs & Tunes W/ Sarah Kate Morgan
All Day -Gourd Banjo Building Demonstration W/ Dena Ross Jennings
Help Dena Make A Gourd Banjo That Will Be Auctioned Off Saturday Evening!
Plus, Open Jam Sessions Throughout The Day!

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