Atlanta Area Friends of Folk Music 
and the Frank Hamilton School
present 
Sheila Kay Adams & Susan Pepper

Atlanta Area Friends of Folk Music (AAFFM) 

and the Frank Hamilton School (FHS) 

present a concert by two of the most acclaimed

 traditional Appalachian singer/musicians in the Southeast, 

Sheila Kay Adams and Susan Pepper. 

The concert will take place Friday, October 20, 7:00 pm 

at First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta, 
470 Candler Park Dr., Atlanta.

Two workshops by these artists will be presented simultaneously 

Saturday, October 21, 9:30-10:45 am, 

followed by a jam at 11:00 am, 

at the Frank Hamilton School, Legacy Park, 
520 S. Columbia Dr., Decatur.  

Workshop details below. 

SouthArts (Southern Arts Federation) has awarded 
AAFFM a grant supporting the event.

One of the best-known living ballad singers in the United States, as well as a fine old time banjo player, Sheila Kay Adams has recorded prolifically and performed at many dozens of venues and festivals in the United States and Great Britain. As a storyteller Sheila also presents her family’s heritage to a world audience.

Susan Pepper shares old and new songs on dulcimer, guitar, banjo, fiddle and voice. She is featured in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area’s Traditional Artist Directory and has performed ballads alongside North Carolina ballad keepers at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Day, the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Festival, and the Library of Congress.

The October 20 concert will consist of ballads, banjo and dulcimer music from the Blue Ridge Mountains. We need not belabor the importance of Southern Appalachian traditional balladry and music. It descended substantially from oral and musical traditions from Scotland, England and Ireland and led to the development of modern country and bluegrass music.

Simultaneous Workshops Saturday 10/21 

9:30-10:45 am, 

at the Frank Hamilton School

Sheila will offer an Intermediate Clawhammer Banjo Workshop. Sheila has been playing clawhammer banjo for over 50 years, learning from masters such as Jerry Adams, Fred Cockeram, Tommy Jarrell and Dwight Dillard. Known for her delicate yet driving style, Sheila combines clear-noted banjo sounds of Madison County with Round-Peak clawhammer influences.

Susan will conduct a Ballad / Folk Song workshop for all levels. This interactive workshop will offer students a deep dive into Appalachian ballad singing and the beautiful vocal ornamentation that makes this tradition unique. Susan delights in passing on songs she has learned from wonderful singers of an older generation in Western North Carolina over the past couple of decades. Singers will walk away from this workshop with a couple of new songs in their pockets and strategies for approaching traditional singing.

Advance reservations for both the concert and the workshops  are requested to guarantee your seat. 

Reservations can be made and tickets can be purchased
at the Frank Hamilton School website

 Concert admission is $20 per person for the general public, 

$15 for AAFFM and First E. members, as well as FHS students and staff.

The cost of the workshop is $20. 

Register for both the concert and the workshop for $30, 

$25 for AAFFM and First E. members,  as well as FHS students and staff! 

Payment for both the concert and the workshop may be made at the door, but advance reservations are highly recommended to ensure your seat.

For more information on the concert, contact Chris Moser at 770-482-1209 or chrismoser@bellsouth.net.

For more information on the workshops, contact Maura Nicholson at 770-880-5525 or maura@frankhamiltonschool.org.