Old Town School of Folk Music
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| Old Town School of Folk Music | |
|---|---|
| Name | Old Town School of Folk Music |
| Formation | 1957 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
| Founder | Frank Hamilton; Win Stracke; Dawn Greening |
| Type | Music school; cultural organization |
| Location | Lincoln Square, Chicago |
Old Town School of Folk Music is a nonprofit cultural institution founded in 1957 in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood that offers instruction, performance, and preservation of folk, roots, and traditional music. It operates as a community-centered school, concert hall, record label, and archive, connecting local and international artists with audiences, learners, and scholars through classes, workshops, festivals, and recordings. Over decades the institution has intersected with figures, venues, and movements across American folk, blues, jazz, world music, and popular culture.
History
Founded in 1957 by Frank Hamilton, Win Stracke, and Dawn Greening, the organization emerged amid the postwar folk revival associated with Pete Seeger, The Weavers, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, and Odetta. Early decades linked it to venues like Chicago Theatre, Ravinia Festival, and Gate of Horn and to scenes including the Greenwich Village revival and the Newport Folk Festival. The School weathered cultural shifts from the 1960s folk boom to the 1970s singer-songwriter era involving artists connected to Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, and Simon & Garfunkel. Institutional milestones include expansion in the 1970s, the 1990s launch of community programs paralleling initiatives at Carnegie Hall, collaborations reflecting networks with Smithsonian Folkways, National Endowment for the Arts, and alliances with Chicago institutions such as Chicago Arts District, Lincoln Park Conservatory, and Chicago Public Library branches. Financial and operational challenges in the 2000s and 2010s prompted leadership changes reminiscent of nonprofit governance issues seen at Kennedy Center and Brooklyn Academy of Music, leading to renovation and relocation projects influenced by urban development trends in North Side, Chicago and partnerships with municipal entities like the City of Chicago cultural offices.
Programs and Education
The School's curriculum spans beginner to advanced instruction on instruments and traditions tied to guitar, banjo, mandolin, piano, violin, fiddle, accordion, harmonica, and vocal techniques associated with genres from Delta blues and Chicago blues to bluegrass, old-time music, Cajun music, Tejano music, Klezmer, Celtic music, and Afro-Cuban music. Pedagogical approaches reflect influences from educators and practitioners such as Alan Lomax, Bela Bartok, Elizabeth Cotten, Mississippi John Hurt, and Son House, and incorporate methods similar to those used at Berklee College of Music, Juilliard School, and New England Conservatory. The School runs teacher training, youth ensembles, summer camps, early childhood classes, and intergenerational programs comparable to initiatives at El Sistema and Youth Music. Partnerships with organizations like Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, About Face Youth Theatre, Lincoln Square Chamber, and community centers extend access through sliding-scale tuition, scholarships, and outreach models mirroring Elk Grove Village arts outreach and national efforts funded by Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation grants.
Performance and Events
The School presents concerts, house concerts, and festivals featuring genres and artists associated with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, Arlo Guthrie, Nina Simone, and contemporary acts linked to Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, and Rhiannon Giddens. Regular events include instructor showcases, student recitals, listening sessions drawing on the Smithsonian Folkways catalog, and annual festivals akin to Chicago Folk & Roots Festival and citywide celebrations like Chicago Blues Festival. Residency programs invite international ensembles from West Africa, Cuba, Ireland, Scotland, Mexico, and Brazil, echoing exchanges seen between Carnegie Hall's global initiatives and the World Music Institute. The School's performance calendar collaborates with venues such as Lincoln Hall, Vic Theatre, Riviera Theatre, and neighborhood stages.
Notable Musicians and Alumni
Alumni, faculty, and visiting artists include influential figures tied to the folk and roots panorama: Steve Goodman, Michael Smith, Bonnie Koloc, Cindy Mangsen, John Prine (visitor and collaborator), Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Martin Simpson, Doc Watson, Sam Amidon, Chris Thile, Zakir Hussain, Rhiannon Giddens, Sonia Rutstein, Ani DiFranco, Billy Bragg, Kris Kristofferson, Peter Rowan, Alison Krauss, Irma Thomas, Townes Van Zandt, Billy Connolly, Ramsey Lewis, and educators connected to Béla Fleck. Recordings and teaching legacy reflect intersections with producers and labels like Ralph Rinzler, Folkways Records, Rounder Records, Arhoolie Records, and Nonesuch Records.
Facilities and Community Outreach
Facilities include classrooms, rehearsal spaces, a concert hall, a listening library, and an archival collection paralleling repositories at Library of Congress, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and Smithsonian Institution. Community outreach programs serve schools, senior centers, hospitals, and correctional facilities, partnering with Chicago Public Schools, Cook County Health initiatives, Greater Chicago Food Depository collaborations, and neighborhood organizations. The School's archival and preservation work draws on methodologies from Association for Recorded Sound Collections and collaborations with academic programs at Northwestern University, University of Chicago, DePaul University, and University of Illinois Chicago.
Governance and Funding
Governance is overseen by a board of directors, executive leadership, and artistic directors, reflecting nonprofit practices similar to those at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and Seattle Symphony. Funding sources combine tuition, ticket sales, donations, endowments, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants from entities like MacArthur Foundation and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and public funding from agencies analogous to National Endowment for the Arts and Illinois Arts Council. Financial stewardship and strategic planning have involved capital campaigns, real estate negotiations, and partnerships with municipal and philanthropic stakeholders such as Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.