FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Kelly Vance
August 20, 2018 kelly@vanceagency.com
RICHMOND, Va. - Venture Richmond today announced 14 additional artists who will be performing at the 2018 Richmond Folk Festival on the weekend of October 12-14
This year’s program includes a spectacular group of diverse musicians and dancers from around the world; six of these artists carry on cultural traditions that have never been featured at the festival before. In addition to previously announced artists, including gospel, soul, and rhythm and blues icon Mavis Staples and award-winning Irish musician Jarlath Henderson, New Orleans bounce music pioneer Ricky B will perform, as will Chinese wind and percussion masters, the Zhou Family Band, rising jazz star Brianna Thomas, and many more.
With talented performers on seven stages, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. The Richmond Folk Festival’s dedication to opening eyes, ears, and hearts to cultural traditions from all over the world has helped it become the largest festival of its kind in the country. And, thanks to the generous support of community sponsors and individual donors, the three-day festival remains completely free to the public.
“It’s incredibly special to watch Richmonders gather each year to discover and celebrate these rich cultural traditions,” Venture Richmond executive director Lisa Sims said. “We are so grateful to the community for keeping the festival going strong all of these years. It has become a Richmond tradition all its own.”
The 14 newly announced Richmond Folk Festival artists include:
Brianna Thomas (jazz)
New York, New York
Cora Harvey Armstrong (gospel)
Richmond, Virginia
Jeff Little Trio (Blue Ridge piano trio)
Boone, Virginia
Larry Bland & the Volunteer Choir (gospel choir)
Richmond, Virginia
Linda Gail Lewis (rockabilly)Austin, Texas
The New York Crimean Tatar Ensemble (Crimean Tatar)
Brooklyn, New York
Pan Franek, Zosia & the Polka Towners (polka)
Muskegon, Michigan
Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus (reggae)
Los Angeles, California
Ricky B (New Orleans bounce)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Sona Jobarteh (Manding griot)
Kartong, The Gambia
Tribu Baharú (Afro-Colombian champeta)
Bogotá, Colombia
Vishtèn (Acadian)
Prince Edward Island and Magdalen Islands, Québec
Zhou Family Band (traditional wind and percussion music from central-eastern China)
Anhui Province, China
Zuni Olla Maidens (Zuni dance and song)
Zuni, New Mexico
Previously announced artists include:
Bounxeung Synanonh (Laotian khaen)
Fresno, California
Claire Lynch (bluegrass)
Nashville, Tennessee
Farah Yasmeen Shaikh (Kathak dance)
San Francisco, California
Jarlath Henderson (Irish)
County Armagh, Northern Ireland
Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne (blues and boogie-woogie piano)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Leroy Thomas & the Zydeco Roadrunners (zydeco)
Elton, Louisiana
Lulo Reinhardt (Gypsy jazz)
Koblenz, Germany
Mavis Staples (gospel, soul, rhythm and blues)
Chicago, Illinois
Orquesta el Macabeo (salsa)
Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
Tamburaški Sastav Ponoć (tamburitza)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Click here for extended bios, plus audio and video samples.
Still to be announced in September are this year’s theme and roster of artists and craft demonstrators who will participate in the ever-popular Richmond Times-Dispatch Virginia Folklife Area and Stage, featuring an eclectic mix of traditional music, dance, food, and crafts from across the region. Programming for the CarMax Family Area and Stage, produced by the Children’s Museum of Richmond, will also be revealed next month.
Sponsors and Partners:
STAGE/MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS
Altria
Dominion Energy
CoStar
The Community Foundation
CarMax
Richmond Times-Dispatch
NewMarket Corp.
City of Richmond
CONTRIBUTING PARTNERS
WestRock
Loveland
Genworth
VCU Health
Amtrak
LIDL
National Council for the Traditional Arts
Children’s Museum of Richmond
NBC12 and CW Richmond
SUMMIT Media
WCVE Radio
American Civil War Museum
Hilton Richmond Downtown
Virginia Humanities
FRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL
National Park Service
JAMinc.
Plan 9 Music
RMC Events
County Waste
SmartBox
VHDA
Wells Fargo
Winn Transportation
House of Hayes
TNT
Virginia War Memorial
More artist announcements and additional details about the Richmond Folk Festival will be released throughout the summer. Folk Fest Insider subscribers will be among the first to receive updates and breaking news about the festival.
Venture Richmond Events produces the Richmond Folk Festival in partnership with the City of Richmond, National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), The American Civil War Museum, the Children’s Museum of Richmond, and the Virginia Folklife Program.
For more information about the Richmond Folk Festival, visit www.richmondfolkfestival.org
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About The Richmond Folk Festival
The Richmond Folk Festival is one of Virginia's largest events, drawing visitors from all over the country to downtown Richmond's historic riverfront. The Festival is a FREE three-day event that got its start as the National Council for the Traditional Arts’ National Folk Festival, held in Richmond from 2005-2007. In the tradition of “The National," the Richmond Folk Festival features excellent performing groups representing a diverse array of cultural traditions on seven stages. The festival includes continuous music and dance performances, a Virginia Folklife Area featuring ongoing demonstrations, an interactive Family Area produced by the Children's Museum of Richmond, a folk art marketplace, regional and ethnic foods, festival merchandise and more. Additional information is available at www.richmondfolkfestival.org.
About Venture Richmond
Venture Richmond is a non-profit organization formed to engage business and community leaders in partnering with the City to enhance the vitality of the community, particularly Downtown, through economic development, marketing, promotion, advocacy and events. Venture Richmond provides enhanced property management services for both the Downtown and Riverfront including; the Clean & Safe program, beautification and landscaping projects and management and maintenance of Brown's Island, the Canal Walk and Belle Isle parking lot. Venture Richmond Events produces Friday Cheers, the 2nd Street Festival, the Richmond Folk Festival, and partners with the Richmond Sportsbackers to produce Dominion Energy Riverrock. Venture Richmond also operates Riverfront Canal Cruises. Both Venture Richmond Events, LLC, and Riverfront Canal Cruises, LLC, are subsidiaries of Venture Richmond, Inc. For more information visit www.venturerichmond.com.
About the National Council for the Traditional Arts
The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk and traditional arts in the United States. Founded in 1933, it is the nation's oldest folk arts organization. The NCTA presents the nation's very finest traditional artists in festivals, tours, international cultural exchanges, workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions, media productions, school programs, and other activities. It works in partnership with communities across America to establish new, sustainable traditional arts events that deliver lasting social, cultural, and economic benefits. For more about the NCTA, visit ncta-usa.org.