The 76th National Folk Festival will be held in Greensboro, Sept. 9-11

PRESS RELEASE:

Today the National Folk Festival announced two additional artists who will perform in downtown Greensboro from September 9 – 11, 2016. The 76th National Folk Festival in 2016 marks the event’s second year of its three-year residency in Greensboro.

Last fall, the 75th National Folk Festival attracted more than 102,000 attendees to downtown Greensboro for the FREE, three-day weekend. Based on survey data, organizers expect attendance to grow substantially in 2016—by as much as 30% or more.

Approximately 300 artists—musicians, dancers, storytellers, and craftspeople—will take part in the National Folk Festival, with more than 30 different musical groups performing on as many as seven outdoor performance venues throughout downtown Greensboro. The two artists announced today are:

• Joshua Nelson – Kosher Gospel: Joshua Nelson created “kosher gospel,” an innovative cultural tradition, blending Hebrew texts and African American gospel. For Nelson, who channels the vocal powers of Mahalia Jackson, kosher gospel is a way to claim both parts of his identity as a Black Jew. Nelson became widely celebrated as a gospel singer during his teens and early twenties; after that, he spent two years on a kibbutz in Israel. When he returned to the US, he applied what he had learned to his music, and kosher gospel was born. Nelson has performed around the world—for presidents, congregations, major music festivals, and even for Oprah Winfrey, who named him a “Next Big Thing.”

• Samba Mapangala & Orchestra Virunga – East African Rumba, Soukous, and Benga: Although he has lived in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., for almost 20 years, Samba Mapangala retains the title of “East Africa’s most beloved singer.” With his astonishing high tenor that “melts in the ears,” Mapangala composes and sings eminently danceable music in both Lingala and Swahili. In 1981, he founded Orchestra Virunga, named after a mountain chain that includes Africa’s two most active volcanoes; the band’s Virunga Volcano CD was named one of the “100 Essential World Music CDs” by the Rough Guides reference series.

These outstanding artists join the following performers, who have already been announced:

Balsam Range – Bluegrass
Chaksam-pa – Tibetan Opera, Folk Song, and Dance
Clinton Fearon & the Boogie Brown Band – Reggae
DJ Grandmaster Flash – Hip Hop
Grupo Rebolú – Afro-Colombian
Hula Halau ‘O Lilinoe – Hawai’ian Hula
Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys – Zydeco
The Jerry Grcevich Tamburitza Orchestra – Tamburitza
Leonardo Sandoval – Tap
Le Vent du Nord – Québécois
Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano – Mariachi
Nathalie Pires – Portuguese Fado
The Quebe Sisters – Texas Fiddling & Western Swing
Sahba Motallebi – Persian Tar
Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks – Delta Blues
The Alt – Irish
Dr. Michael White & the Original Liberty Jazz Band – New Orleans Jazz

To learn more about all these artists, their traditions, and their stories, please visit nationalfolkfestival.com/performers. Throughout the spring and early summer, the National Folk Festival will feature individual artists on its Facebook page (Facebook.com/NationalFolkFestivalNC).