Saturday, November 9, 2024

Tony Trischka • Dom Flemons • Brad Kolodner

Presented with KGNU Community Radio and the Denver Folklore Center

Swallow Hill Music is thrilled to announce our first-ever BanjoFest, a one-day festival of workshops, concerts, and community for banjo lovers of all stripes.

Tony Trischka • Dom Flemons • Brad Kolodner

Presented with KGNU Community Radio and the denver folklore center

Swallow Hill Music is thrilled to announce our first-ever BanjoFest, a one-day festival of workshops, concerts, and community for banjo lovers of all stripes.

Instantly recognizable and often misunderstood, the banjo is an instrument with deep African roots that holds a unique place within the American musical landscape, and it has many tales to tell.

Join us for BanjoFest whether you’re a picker, a listener, or a little bit of both! An evening concert with three banjo masters caps off a day of workshops and activities (led by both the performers and Swallow Hill teachers.)

Schedule

7-10 pm: Concert

Mainstage Performers

Workshop Instructors/Presenters

Dick Weissman

We are excited to welcome The Denver Folklore Center to Swallow Hill BanjoFest! Denver Folklore Center offers a broad selection of new, used and vintage banjos from popular companies like Deering, Gold Tone, Pisgah and Rickard – both open-back and resonator style, in a wide range of prices. Learn more here.

They’ll also have several loaner banjos on-hand in case you want to try a different kind of banjo during workshops, or if you are unable to travel to BanjoFest with yours. 

BanjoFest’s workshops will be open to all banjo players, across all levels.

Workshops will feature instruction for the predominant styles in American banjo playing, Scruggs style or three-finger picking, and clawhammer playing.

Workshops will focus not only on playing, but songwriting, and playing the banjo within musical genres not popularly associated with the instrument.

(For a good explainer about the differences between Scruggs style and clawhammer banjo, click here.)

Banjo Songster and Storytelling Workshop

with Dom Flemons

11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Beyond the Bum Ditty Clawhammer Workshop

with Brad Kolodner

2:45 – 4:15 pm

Presentation on Banjo Orchestras

with Rex Rideout

6:15 – 6:45 pm

Get tickets for the workshops or the concert, or do both and save $10 with the Full Day Pass!

Swallow Hill members get $5 off with their discount code! (Become a member here.)