Press Releases

“Five Points Serenaders” - American Southern Music Program

On Friday, March 7, 2008, the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy-Seoul will hold an American Southern Music program twice at the Information Resource Center, located at Yongsan.  The first show is from 2-4 P.M., the second show is from 5-7 P.M..  A group of American musicians will be playing the traditional folk songs of the American South’s “Old Time Music,” which is a unique blend of black and white folk traditions.  It is also often called “Mountain music” because it developed the most in the states within the southern Appalachian Mountains.  The songs often combine the melody, fiddle styles, and tunings introduced by early Scots-Irish, Irish, and English immigrants.  The music also contains backbeat and syncopated rhythms introduced by African Americans during slavery in the United States.

Musicians:

Fiddlin Chuck Horneman is an extremely accomplished old time fiddler from Madison, Wisconsin as well as one of the most sought after dance fiddlers in the Midwest.  He specializes in the complex regional tunes of the Southern Appalachians and Mississippi. Chuck regularly plays for contra and square dances in Madison, Chicago, The Folklore Village Farm in Dodgeville, WI, and at the Fermilab Barn Dance.  Chuck is a regular at major old time music festivals like the Indiana Fiddler’s Gathering, and the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, W.Va.  When he is not fiddling, Chuck works as a catalyst fabrication engineer for Virent Energy Systems, Inc. in Madison.

Dan Margolies is a clawhammer banjo player from Norfolk, VA.  He has taught banjo technique to students at Virginia Wesleyan College and the College of William and Mary and has played for, and called, many square dances.  Dan is a regular at old time festivals and contests throughout the southeast, including the Virginia State Banjo Contest, the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, W.Va., the Mt. Airy N.C. Fiddlers’ Convention, and the Rockbridge Mountain Music and Dance Festival in Buena Vista, VA.  Dan teaches United States History, Southern History and Culture, and American Foreign Relations at Virginia Wesleyan College, and is a Fulbright Senior Scholar-Lecturer in the History Department at Sogang University, 2007-2008.

 

Todd Cambio of Madison, Wisconsin is a fine guitar player and guitar builder specializing in fingerpicked Mississippi Delta blues and old time songs in the tradition of Frank Hutchinson, Charlie Poole, and Riley Puckett.  Todd’s company, Fraulini Guitars, builds highly sought after custom designed ladder braced guitars for the finest traditional musicians playing today.  Building ladder braced guitars has been considered a lost art, and Todd models his instruments on the designs of classic builders like Stella, Lyon and Healy, and Oscar Schmidt.  Fraulini guitars are sold throughout the world and have been featured in the Old Time Herald: A Magazine Dedicated to Old Time Music.   
Consecutive interpretation will be provided.

This program is free of charge and is open to the public. Media are welcome to attend.

For general information about the event, the public should contact the Information Resource Center at 02-397-4605 or 4647.