Description

V is the Valley: A Concert-Conversation, featuring New England folk songs from the Helen Hartness Flanders Ballad Collection, with singer-storyteller Jack DesBois

Come enjoy this vibrant tour through the landscape of traditional folk songs. Jack brings his extensive research and scholarship into conversation with the audience, while his rich baritone voice breathes new life into these old songs. Experience these musical gems in all their delight, horror, humor, and gravity, and join a conversation about the history of folk music and its value in our lives today.
Helen Hartness Flanders (1890–1972) was a “song-catcher” who devoted her life to collecting and preserving New England folk music culture. From 1930 to the late 1950s, she collected over four thousand field recordings of folk songs, fiddle tunes, and stories from the musicians she interviewed. Her collection, currently housed at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, is a treasure trove of living history.
Jack DesBois developed V is the Valley in 2018 with the help of grants from the Vermont Community Foundation and the Vermont Folklife Center. This program is suitable for ages 14 to adult.