Appalachian Song & Voice Workshop

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum will host a free workshop with musician and singer Elizabeth LaPrelle on Saturday, March 30, 2:00 p.m. Elizabeth will teach a variety of traditional Appalachian songs as repertoire, using them as a springboard to talk about the voice and how to use it in solo performance. Participants will also get the chance to explore the “mountain” sound through listening to a few examples and practicing a few exercises together. Everyone who wants to will get a chance to sing solo!

Elizabeth LaPrelle has been performing and studying Appalachian ballads and old-time songs since she was 11 years old. Raised in Rural Retreat, Virginia, Elizabeth attended old-time fiddlers’ conventions and sang harmonies with her family, who encouraged her to sing her own favorite American folk music. As a teen Elizabeth learned the “mountain” style of singing from mentors Ginny Hawker and Sheila Kay Adams, which led her to explore archives and field recordings for ancient and little-known songs. She received her undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary with a major in Southern Appalachian Traditional Performance, and in 2011 formed performance duo “Anna & Elizabeth” with Anna Roberts-Gevalt. She now tours the US regularly both performing and teaching.

This workshop is presented by the Crooked Road on Tour and is partially supported by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. It is companion programming to our current special exhibit Reading Appalachia: Voices from Children’s Literature, on display until June 30, 2019. Special thanks to the Massengill-DeFriece Foundation for their support of this exhibit and its related programming.