Workshops
Workshops will be held Saturday in Ida Noyes Hall.
Click here for a map to Ida Noyes.
Saturday Workshops
These are free workshops, open to the public. No tickets required.
Click on the name of a workshop to jump to the description.
Play the Recorder with the Chicago Chapter, American Recorders Society
10:00–11:00, Library (1st floor)
Join the Chicago Chapter of the American Recorder Society
for their fifth year at the annual UChicago Folk Festival.
This year's session will begin with a short performance demonstrating the various size recorders
followed by a playing session for all.
Bring your recorder and stand if you have one.
We'll provide the music and a few recorders for you to try.
All are welcome, no matter age or playing level!
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Scandinavian Dance Workshop with Mary Allsopp & Friends
10:00–11:00, Cloister Club (1st Floor)
Get your day started moving to the lively tunes of Scandinavia.
We have playful party dances, gentle waltzes and lively set dances.
Partners optional, all ages welcome.
Walk-through instruction by Roo Lester, and live music throughout.
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Vocal Harmony with Alum Ridge Boys & Ashley
10:00–11:00, West Lounge (2nd floor)
Join the Alum Ridge Boys & Ashley for a discussion and demonstration of singing in harmony with others.
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Ukranian Dance with Chicago Cossacks
10:00–11:00, Third Floor Theater (3rd floor)
The Ukrainian and international folk music and dance ensemble "Chicago Cossacks"
was created in 1993 and since then has been entertaining people of the Greater Chicago area and beyond.
The workshop will feature traditional music and dancing from the Slavic world,
as well as demonstrations of and lectures on traditional music and dancing.
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Knitting and Crochet with Fiber Friends Studios
11:00–1:00, Library (1st floor)
Join us for a delightful workshop where you'll learn the art of crocheting a classic granny square
or receive basic knitting lessons suitable for all ages!
All necessary supplies will be provided, so just bring your enthusiasm.
Additionally, crafters of all levels are encouraged to hang out with us to knit, crochet,
and create together in a welcoming and creative environment.
Bring your project and connect with fellow craft lovers.
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International Dance
11:00–12:00, Cloister Club (1st floor)
Enjoy dancing to a great variety of music, rhythms, and styles from all over the world with Mady Newfield.
She has been teaching traditional dance of various sorts
(international folk dance as well as dance styles from the British Isles) for 5 decades,
with much of that in the Chicago suburbs.
Mady is also a longtime dance organizer in the Chicago area,
and helps run in-person and online local and national dance events.
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Shanty Singing with Kathy Whisler, Dean Nolan, David Well and Ellen Rockett
11:00–12:30, West Lounge (2nd floor)
Kathy and friends have been organizing and participating in shanty sings
in the Chicago area for over a decade.
They will offer a brief introduction into the world of maritime songs,
the old tradition of work songs, and the modern tradition of shanty sings.
Join them as they present some of their favorite shanties, sea songs, and drinking songs in a participatory setting.
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Fiddle Styles Discussion
11:00–12:00, Third Floor Theater
Fiddlers from the bands performing this year at the Folk Fest will present and
discuss their various styles of music and playing.
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Barn Dance played by Rhys, Joseph and Nokosee
with calling by Meg Dedolph
12:00–1:30, Cloister Club (1st floor)
Rhys Jones, Joseph Decosimo and Nokosee Feilds will play for an old-time Barn Dance
in the Cloister Club on Saturday afternoon,
with Meg Dedolph teaching and calling the dances.
No experience necessary.
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Balkan Dance with Galia Kuo
12:00–1:30, Third Floor Theater (3rd floor)
Balkan dances include a variety of traditional dances done with people holding each other's hands or shoulders.
Some are wedding dances; some are danced Sunday after church. Some are flashy, others more demure.
Galia Miloucheva Kuo will present and lead Balkan and Bulgarian dances,
drawing on her years with Ensemble Balkanske Igre
and her life-long involvement with Balkan dance and music.
In addition to this workshop, she is also the co-directory of the UChicago Spring Festival,
which in March 2025 will celebrate of the 60th anniversary of Ensemble Balkanske Igre.
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Change Ringing
12:30–1:00, West Lounge (2nd floor)
Change ringing is a form of campanology (bell ringing) which focuses on sounding bells in rhythmic sequences
rather than playing tunes.
By following a set of rules called methods, a trained group of ringers may take the bells
through a series of complicated sequences.
The sequences are known as changes and the art is known as change ringing.
Change ringing is also called "full circle ringing" because the bells rotate a full 360 degrees;
it evolved in England about 400 years ago with tower bells.
The style of ringing and the way the bells are hung evolved together.
We will demonstrate how change ringing works with a dumbbell and with handbells.
Participants will have an opportunity to pull the dumbbell rope and ring changes on handbells.
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Quilting with the Lakeside Quilting Guild
1:00–3:30, Library (1st floor)
Today's workshop will be about designing, putting together and sewing a Log Cabin Block
that can be used in a quilt or individually as a mug rug or wall hanging.
There are 2 sizes we'll cover: a 9" finished or 12" finished block.
In this Workshop you'll design a block with a center focus fabric
surrounded by strips in increasing size using your choice of colors.
(Fabric will be provided.)
The origin of the block is thought to be from ancient Egypt.
Log cabin quilts became popular in the U.S. in the 1860's, used to raise money for the Union Army.
For the history and more info on log cabin blocks please
click here.
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Hurdy Gurdy with Dennis Sherman
1:00–2:00, West Lounge (2nd floor)
The hurdy-gurdy is an instrument with a unique combination of melody, drones, and percussion included.
This session will introduce the instrument and some of the traditional repertoire it has been used for,
including French folk dance, medieval and renaissance dances, and English country dance.
A collective of Chicago area hurdy-gurdy players will present the session,
each with their own experience and perspective to share.
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Morris Dance with Mortarbordis and Pullman Morris & Sword
1:30–2:30, Cloister Club (1st floor)
Join your two local Morris teams for a workshop featuring dance performances, live music
and the opportunity to try Morris dancing yourself. Wave hankies, clash sticks and try something fun.
Representing a cross-section of English ritual dance, Mortarbordis is a University of Chicago Border Morris team
and Pullman Morris and Sword is based in the far South Side Pullman neighborhood.
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Greek Dancing with Izake Metropolous, Sophia Metropoulos Laouto & George Lawler
1:30–2:30, Third Floor Theater (3rd floor)
Discover the ethnic dances of Greece.
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Irish Fiddle with Nathan Gourley & Laura Feddersen
2:00–3:00, West Lounge (2nd floor)
Join Laura and Nathan for a discussion and demonstration of Irish Fiddle techniques.
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Cajun Dance with T'Monde
2:30–4:00, Cloister Club (1st floor)
T'Monde will play for a Cajun dance.
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Irish Music with Jimmy Keane
3:30–4:30, Third Floor Theater (3rd floor)
Jimmy Keane will play and discuss Irish music.
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Shapenote Singing
3:00–4:30, West Lounge (2nd floor)
Please join us for some robust four-part harmony singing from the Sacred Harp.
First composed by itinerant New England singing masters in the 18th century,
then nurtured and developed in the South in the 19th and 20th centuries and rediscovered mid–20th century,
these hymns have been a part of American traditional culture since before the Revolutionary War
and are now part of a living tradition and sung around the world.
The UChicago Folk Festival was a very early player in the renaissance of this music.
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History of Chicago Blues with Michael Dietler
3:30–4:30, Library (1st floor)
Michael Dietler will present an illustrated lecture on the history of the Chicago Blues
that discusses the birth of the Delta Blues in the late 19th century,
the transposition of the music to Chicago with the Great Migration of African Americans
leaving the Jim Crow South, its transformation in the new urban context
into the gritty electrified music that became known as Chicago Blues,
and its expansion beyond the African American community from the 1960s on.
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Blues with Gabe Carter
2:30–3:30, Third Floor Theater (3rd floor)
Gabe Carter will discuss and play his music.
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Balfolk Dance with Isaac, Meg, Jonathan & Qi
4:00–5:00, Cloister Club (1st floor)
Balfolk is a hybrid tradition of traditional dances from across Northern Europe.
Some dances are in pairs, others are in chains or groups.
The magic is that there's no caller ÎíÎñ making the dance all about communicating
with each other and the music.
Don't know the dance? Don't worry – your partner or the rest of the line will soon get you up to speed.
This session will start with an open and accessible crash-course workshop from Isaac,
designed to get you comfortable social dancing as quick as possible,
before diving into a bal – a traditional French dance session –
with music hosted by Meg, Jonathan and Qi. No prior experience needed.
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Harmonica with Joe Filisko
4:30–5:30, Library (1st floor)
How to play the Harmonica for total beginners with world-renowned teacher, player,
technician and historian, Joe Filisko.
Bring a harmonica in the key of "C". Inexpensive harps will be available for purchase.
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Ethnomusicology & Applied Folklore with Juan Dies
4:30–5:30, West Lounge (2nd floor)
Ever wonder what an ethnomusicologist actually does?
Think Jacques Cousteau—if he traded his scuba diving gear and oceanography underwater camera
for a guitar and a recording device!
Join Juan Díes, a Chicago-based Mexican musician, entrepreneur,
and co-founder of the two-time Grammy Award nominated Sones de México Ensemble,
as he takes you on a story-filled journey through his 30-year career in applied ethnomusicology and folklore.
From uncovering little-known musical traditions to working with cultural institutions
and government agencies to bring folk music to new audiences, Juan has spent decades using music
as a tool for connection, preservation, and social impact.
Through lively anecdotes, behind-the-scenes stories,
and maybe even a little live music, he'll share how he's turned his passion for folk traditions
into a career that solves social issues and bridges cultures and communities.
If you love music, culture, and a good story, this is one session you won't want to miss!
Come ready to listen, learn, and maybe even sing along!
Juan Dies is a USArtist Fellow. He has a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology from Earlham College and an M.A. in Folklore and Ethnomusicology from Indiana University.
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Jug Band with Jonas Friddle
4:30–5:30, Third Floor Theater (3rd floor)
Come experience a little of the world's happiest music!
All acoustic instruments are welcome.
Attendees of this workshop will get an introduction to the Jug Band Blues by learning a Memphis Jug Band song.
Spoon, washboard, washtub bass techniques will be demonstrated and instruments available for people to try.
Come join us and walk away humming a tune (maybe even into a kazoo).
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Ida Noyes Hall
1212 E. 59th St.
Chicago, IL 60637
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