Artists
The Richmond Folk Festival has grown to become one of Virginia’s largest and most anticipated events of the year. The Festival strives to present the very finest traditional artists from across the nation. In making its selections, a local Programming Committee is guided by the Folk and Traditional Arts definition, which is the guide for the National Council for Traditional Arts and the National Folk Festival, as well as the National Endowment for the Arts.
artists performing in 2026
country
Salina, Oklahoma
Cherokee musician and educator, Agalisiga “Chuj” Mackey, has been turning heads with a vibrant and fresh idea: country music sung entirely in Cherokee. With the goal to create projects that speak directly to different times and experiences—inspired by Māori language revivalists’ blueprints—Chuj Mackey is composing original music that speaks to his upbringings in the Cherokee Nation, as well as translating iconic country songs into Cherokee. Through his recordings and mesmerizing performances, with a deep and rich voice that draws equally from tones and inflections of Cherokee ceremonial song and the unhurried confidence of traditional country, Mackey says his goal is “to inspire people to create in the language on their own.”
tap dance
Baltimore, Maryland
Alexandria “Brinae Ali” Bradley is at the forefront of a new generation of artists who are using tap dance as a vehicle for both artistic expression and community activism. Besides being an exceptional dancer, choreographer, and teacher, she is applauded for her multifaceted talents as a playwright, spoken-word artist, singer-songwriter, and community organizer. In a recent review, the New York Times praised how her historically informed work “looks back to look forward.” Brinae is the co-founder of the Baltimore Jazz Collective, and her most recent work, The Baby Laurence Legacy Project, explores the history of Baltimore-bred dancer Laurence Donald Jackson and his impact on tap dance and jazz music.
traditional New Orleans jazz
New Orleans, Louisiana
In New Orleans’ parlance, “professors” are the great jazz musicians, the individuals who define the tradition in the Crescent City. As one of the leading exemplars of the city’s rich jazz clarinet sound, Dr. Michael White is without question a “professor”; yet he can also claim that title as a long-time university faculty member and an eminent scholar of African American music, as well as a prominent figure in the preservation and dissemination of traditional New Orleans jazz, contributing to the city’s vibrant and distinctive musical heritage. Over four decades of a spectacular career, Dr. White has solidified his position not just as a preeminent jazz scholar, but also a dazzling musician whose mastery of New Orleans jazz is sure to delight audiences in Richmond and beyond.
Yemeni Jewish junkyard band
Berlin, Germany
El Khat is a Berlin-based collective that hypnotizes audiences with a potent brew of traditional Yemeni melodies, touches of swirling psych-rock, and gutbucket grooves played on a collection of homemade instruments. The trio takes its name from the traditional herbal stimulant chewed in Yemen and throughout the Horn of Africa, and their music mimics the herb’s dizzying, disorienting effects. Led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Eyal El Wahab, the ensemble puts a contemporary DIY spin on the rich musical heritage of the Yemeni Jewish community, while paying tribute to Yemen’s golden age of traditional music. El Khat forges a sound that bridges past and present—keeping classic Yemeni sounds alive while reimagining its future.
Puerto Rican bomba
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Direct from his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Héctor “Coco” Barez, an adopted son of Richmond, brings his startling and newest offer—El Laberinto del Coco—to Richmond audiences. Deeply rooted in tradition, Coco’s proposition embellishes the heart of bomba with a horn section and a full band that explode with energy, playfulness, and an irresistible invitation to dance. The group’s name plays both on Barez’s nickname, Coco, and the Puerto Rican slang association of the coconut with the human head; a translation might be “the labyrinth of the mind,” aptly reflecting the groups’ endeavor to push the boundaries of bomba while staying true to its roots. Via this map of Barez’s fertile imagination, El Laberinto del Coco takes audiences on a joyous tour through the creative landscape of bomba music, influenced by salsa, reggae, and bachata.
Korean traditional mask dance and rock music
Seoul, South Korea
Direct from Seoul, South Korea, Insun Park & Generals offer a riveting and sometimes raucous blend of experimental Korean music and dance—part traditional, part rock—based primarily on the unique centuries-old Gangnyeong Mask Dance, designated as part of Korea’s National Intangible Heritage by UNESCO. Together Insun Park & Generals performances bridge ritual, social critique, and contemporary expression, while making this ancient Korean art form accessible to global audiences.
Chicago blues
Chicago, Illinois
With his blistering slide guitar riffs, raw-boned Chicago shuffles, and heartfelt slow blues, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials have been aptly described as “the world’s #1 house-rocking blues band.” Not since the heyday of Hound Dog Taylor has a Chicago blues group served up such sizzling, rollicking sound. Lil’ Ed appears with his high-octane band of 38 years, the Blues Imperials, which features guitarist Michael Wolancevich, bassist James “Pookie” Young, and drummer Kelly Littleton, who each provide impeccable backup for Williams’s charismatic music.
Cabo Verdean
Lisbon, Portugal
One of the finest musicians carrying the torch of Cabo Verdean music today is singer Lucibela. Cabo Verde, a tiny island archipelago off the coast of West Africa, has emerged as a musical powerhouse in the decades since it gained independence from Portugal. In an era where global pop music has long gone digital, Cabo Verde’s music remains proudly analog—an unexpectedly luxurious musical throwback with complex arrangements, stellar musicianship, and heart-wrenching vocal performances. With soulful vocals full of emotion and a talented band of musicians joining her on stage, Lucibela has been delighting audiences across the globe with the mesmerizing sounds of her home.
mariachi
Rio Grande Valley, Texas
Mariachi Mariposas, based in the Rio Grande Valley, is a groundbreaking all-female mariachi ensemble redefining a tradition long dominated by men. Founded in 2012 by educator and musician, Mayra García, the group has become a driving force in preserving and keeping the flame for mariachi music. Everywhere they go, the band’s elegant purple traje de charro—the traditional filigreed suit of the mariachi—proclaims their status as both women and mariachi; as mariposas (butterflies) who are gracefully evolving the music that they love and representing their culture. As Mayra García declares, “We’re very proud to be from the Rio Grande Valley…because the Valley has such a rich culture, you know, it’s a big part of us and who we are.”
Tibetan opera, folk song, and dance
New York, New York
A lifeline to the Himalayas rings out in the music and dance of the New York Tibetan Ensemble. Strumming the dranyen lute, singing tales of hunters and princesses, stomping and swaying, the group sustains performing arts traditions from Tibet and across the Himalayas, including Nepal, Bhutan, and northern India. Their repertoire encompasses regional folk songs, classical court traditions, and opera alike to stir broad streams of heritage in the Tibetan-Burmese speaking world. Based in Queens, New York––home to the largest Tibetan population outside of Asia––the New York Tibetan Ensemble provides an inclusive outlet for Himalayan diasporic communities to collectively celebrate their shared heritage. Nawang Tsering Gurung, Tashi Dhindu Thakuri, and the collective members of the New York Tibetan Ensemble ensure that music, dance, and stories from the Himalayas continue to teem with life and community in New York City and far beyond.
Irish
New York, New York, and Chicago, Illinois
Reverie Road is a powerhouse group adding fresh ideas and boundless energy to Irish music—looking “beyond the horizon of the tradition," according to The Irish Echo. Band members Winifred Horan, John Williams, Katie Grennan, and Utsav Lal bring a lifetime of experience from legendary groups such as Solas, Cherish the Ladies, and Gaelic Storm, and each is steeped in far-flung Irish musical traditions, from Dublin to New York City to Chicago.
Cajun
Estherwood, Louisiana
Referring to themselves as “just a couple of young guys playing Cajun music,” Seth Spell & Cajun Strong are an emerging Cajun music quintet that prides itself on its deep connections to the music’s lineage. “We love to play the music that is older than we are,” says bandleader Spell. The youthful band has attracted an enthusiastic following in the dance halls of south Louisiana, where they’re based, and have been branching out to conquer parts of Texas, particularly Houston. While the members of Cajun Strong are winning over audiences with their fresh-faced energy and forward-facing enthusiasm, they maintain a strong fidelity to Cajun music’s enduring legacy.
gospel
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Sons of Promise are an exciting group of young, anointed singers breathing new life into the storied quartet gospel tradition of their native Philadelphia. Their sound mixes traditional gospel harmonies and explosive lead vocals with a hard-driving rhythm section and a timeless commitment to their faith, topped with a high-energy showmanship. Audiences in Richmond are sure to feel the power, faith, and passion the Sons of Promise bring to each performance.
traditional Sephardic song
Miami, Florida
Susana Behar of Miami is a leading voice and cultural champion for Sephardic song. She weaves together her Jewish, Cuban, and Venezuelan heritage to bring a unique perspective to the music of the Sephardic diaspora in the Americas. Singing primarily in the once-endangered Ladino language with grace, passion, and beauty, Behar illuminates and reclaims this deeply evocative, centuries-old tradition, with an emphasis on history, culture, storytelling, and inclusion.
Caymanian kitchen dance music
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Swanky Kitchen Band is on a quest to revive the traditional music of the Cayman Islands. Set amidst the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, the three tiny islands are home to kitchen dance music, an infectiously danceable fiddle-driven style. The kitchen dance sound, created through a crossroads of European and African influences, nearly disappeared save for the efforts of Swanky Kitchen Band, the last of the Caymanian kitchen bands. “Swanky,” as the group is known to its fan base, was founded by fiddler Samuel Rose, at a time when development and societal change nearly ended the genre. The band adds a modern twist to their Caymanian heritage with more contemporary instruments, creating a 10-piece powerhouse dance band.
go-go
Washington, D.C.
What better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of go-go, the official music of Washington, D.C., than by welcoming back the Chuck Brown Band, now led by Wiley Brown, son of the “Godfather of Go-Go,” Chuck Brown. The go-go sound is firmly rooted in D.C.’s Black neighborhoods; created, nurtured, and sustained by a whole community over generations, but almost everyone agrees that the originator of the sound was guitarist, singer, and bandleader Chuck Brown and his band The Soul Searchers. Nearly 15 years after the passing of their legendary founder and bandleader, the pioneering group continues to lay down the signature go-go beat for legions of fans nationwide.
hip hop and powwow dance
Washington, D.C.; Edmonton, Alberta; and Los Angeles
The trio of Miss Chief Rocka, CreeAsian, and Artson are all leaders in the growing community of Native American artists combining hip hop with traditional art forms to create a vibrant 21st-century indigeneity. While hip hop culture emerged in the early 1970s as a manifestation of African American and Latino cultures in the South Bronx, its proud and resilient voice speaks to communities around the globe, with localized forms appearing every day. In many Indigenous communities, the younger generation of artists find resonance with hip hop on shared experiences and social struggles. Masterfully blending the fancy footwork of powwow dances and acrobatic moves of breakdancing with infectious thumping hip hop beats and resounding Native drumming, Tradition-ILL will treat Richmond audiences to an eye-opening experience of rhythm, movement, and color.
bluegrass
Maryville, Tennessee
When a musician makes a guest appearance on the Grand Ole Opry at age 13, people take notice. In just a few short years since that 2023 performance, Wyatt Ellis has blazed his own path through the bluegrass world, being widely recognized as one of the most exciting young performers and composers in the genre. While firmly grounded in the traditions of the bluegrass greats, Ellis continues to push the music into the future with original compositions and virtuosic musicianship.