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| The campus Pavilion |
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History
Founded in 1991 by Warren
Wilson College President Emeritus Douglas M. Orr, Jr., The Swannanoa Gathering
is a series of week-long workshops in various folk arts held in July
and August on the campus of Warren
Wilson College just east
of Asheville in the heart of North Carolina's beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
With a limited enrollment and an 'open' format which allows each student
to select their own curriculum from a variety of courses, we offer an
intimate, supportive community experience for students of all abilities,
featuring a staff of some of the finest performers and teachers in the
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Class
Format
The workshops take place
at various sites around the Warren Wilson campus and environs, including
classrooms, Kittredge Theatre, our Bryson Gym dancehall and campus Pavilion, the campus
gardens and patios, an outdoor amphitheatre, and our own jam session
tents. Each year we offer over 150 classes. Students are free to
create their own curriculum from any of the classes offered for each
week. Students may select a class choice and an alternate for each
of our scheduled class periods, but concentration on a few classes
is strongly recommended, since taking too many may not leave enough
opportunity and/or practice time to absorb all the material presented,
and class selections are required for registration. We ask that you
be thoughtful in making your selections, since we will consider them
to be binding choices for which we will reserve you space.
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| Old-Time jam |
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After their
first class meeting, students may switch into another open class if
they find they have made an inappropriate choice, and are then expected
to remain in those classes. Unless indicated in the class descriptions,
classes have a maximum of 15 students, and when those limits are reached,
classes will be closed and additional students waitlisted. Registration is on a first-come, first-served
basis.
Some of our class descriptions
define required skills in detail, but when the following terms appear, Beginner refers to those with no experience at all, or those who play some but
are not yet comfortable with the basics. Intermediate students
should have mastered basic skills, and be able to tune their instruments,
keep time, play the principal chords and scales cleanly, and know how
to play a few tunes with confidence (dancers should know basic steps
and figures, and how to lead and/or follow). Advanced students should be very comfortable with their instruments and able
to focus on style, arrangement and ornamentation. Roman numerals after
a class title indicate a difference in focus or skill level of the same
subject, while capital letters denote different sections of the same
class. Many of our classes may include musical notation or tablature,
though in general, we emphasize learning by ear. Our classes have no age restrictions, but we require that younger students should be sincerely interested in the subject and not a distraction to others. |
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Jam session at the pond |
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Week
Format
Each week commences with
supper, an orientation session, and jam sessions and socializing on
the Sunday before classes begin. Most classes will meet for morning
or afternoon sessions, Monday through Friday. Friday evening's activities
will close the week. Some classes may meet in the evenings for performance
critiques, rehearsals, or jam sessions. Most of our programs also feature
staff members in concerts open to the a public. See the Concerts page for details. |
In addition to the scheduled classes and instructor
staff, we will have various 'potluck sessions', guest instructors and
adjunct staff to call dances and lead picking sessions and 'slow jams',
or tune-learning sessions. Evening activities might include open mikes,
dances, staff concerts, student showcases, jam sessions, song swaps
and more. Some concerts and dances will be open to the public. Please note that although there is no deadline for registrations,
both class size and total enrollment are limited for each calendar week,
so early registration is encouraged. Students enrolled for instrumental
instruction should provide their own instruments, and most of our instructors
encourage the use of small recording devices like tape- or mini-disc recorders as a classroom memory
aid. Students wishing to videotape classes will be required to obtain
the permission of the instructor prior to the first class meeting, and
must sign a release form stating that no commercial use will be made
of any recorded materials. The Swannanoa Gathering reserves the right
to cancel, add, and/or substitute classes and personnel where necessary.
Our
program’s ‘open’ format, which encourages students
to take several courses a day, allows a breadth of understanding of
our folk traditions seldom found in workshops of this type. For example,
a fiddler may take a class in her instrument in the morning, then, after
lunch, a dance class that uses tunes from her fiddle class, and a folklore
class in the afternoon describing the cultural context in which both
tunes and dances developed. This may then contribute to a more complete
grasp of the nuances of the style during her practice time, and a more
authentic fiddle sound. We encourage all students to come to Swannanoa
with an open mind and a willingness to try something new.
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Children's
Programs
We encourage those bringing
children aged 6-12 during our Fiddle/Traditional Song, Celtic, and Old-Time Weeks to take advantage
of the Children’s Programs described in the catalog, but remember, space
is limited. Children must have turned 6 by July 1st to participate.
No exceptions please. Program activities are scheduled during class
periods, and parents are responsible for their children at all other
times. We provide evening childcare for ages 3-12 at no additional
cost. Those bringing children should indicate so on their registration
form. Children under 12 may stay in a room with two adults, at least
one of whom is a registered student, at no charge,other than the cost of meals. The accompanying
adult should provide each child’s bedding, and both adults must request
the arrangement. In the case of a single adult with child(ren), they
will be housed together and charged an additional $130 for the
week as long as space permits. |
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| The Bryson Gym dancehall |
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Youth
Scholarships
Each year, we award Youth
Scholarships for the cost of tuition and housing in any of our programs to a number of promising
young musicians and dancers. Several of these scholarships are memorial scholarships awarded during
Celtic Week in memory of Tony Cuffe, and Regis Malady, during Old-Time
Week in memory of Ralph Blizard, and during Contemporary Folk/Fiddle or Traditional Song Weeks in memory of Freyda Epstein,
our dear friends and long-time staff members. One Guitar Week scholarship
honors staffer Ed Dodson. Applicants
should be under the age of 22 and should submit by April 1 a selfwritten
letter of request for the specific week desired, giving background and
contact information, including the applicant’s age, prior musical
experience and stating why (s)he should receive a scholarship, plus
a letter of recommendation from a mentor or other individual knowledgeable
in the applicant’s area of folk music or dance. Please do not
send recordings. Priority will be given to those who have not received
a scholarship before. An application fee is not required. Scholarships
are merit-based, limited and competitive.
The Doug & Darcy Orr Music Fund is an endowment fund established to provide long-term financial support for the work of the Swannanoa Gathering now, and for decades to come. Originally established with a generous gift from one of our workshop participants, interest from the fund provides financial support for the program where it is most needed. Tax-free contributions to
to the Doug & Darcy Orr Music Fund and/or for our Youth Scholarship fund are welcome and may be included on the registration
form.
SERFA
The Swannanoa Gathering is a member of the North American Folk Alliance, www.folk.org, and its regional affiliate, the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA), whose mission is to “preserve, promote, develop and celebrate the diverse heritage of roots and indigenous music, dance, storytelling and related arts of the southeastern US.” By special arrangement with SERFA, one of our attendees in each week of the Gathering will win a free registration for two to the 2012 annual SERFA conference, May 17-20, in nearby Montreat, NC. Visit SERFA’s website to learn more about this great organization: www.serfa.org.
Course
Credit
The North Carolina Department
of Public Instruction has allowed 3 hours of Teaching Certificate Renewal
Credit for each week of the Swannanoa Gathering. Interested teachers
should contact their local school board for prior approval.
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| Morning coffee break |
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Other
Activities
The Colleges facilities include
a gymnasium, weight room, aquatic center and tennis courts, as well
as a pond, nature trails and a working farm. Our mountain campus is beautiful but hilly, and those with physical problems may find it challenging. Before registering, students should give reasonable consideration to their ability to get around without assistance. Although we help where we can, we don’t have the resources to provide mobility assistance to all that require it. There are also a number of nearby
scenic attractions, including historic Asheville and Black Mountain,
the Biltmore Estate, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Folk Art Center, Pisgah
National Forest, Great Smokies National Park and Mount Mitchell, the
tallest peak in the eastern US. Contact the Asheville
Chamber of Commerce for more
information. |
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Airport
Shuttle
For those travelling by air,
we can offer free airport shuttle service only at the times listed below.
SUN. shuttle departs the Asheville airport for the College at noon, 3 pm, & 5 pm.
SAT. shuttle departs the College for the Asheville airport at 9 am and noon.
Shuttle space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served
basis. Other commercial transport to and from the College is available
at the Asheville Regional Airport. Drive time between the College and
the Asheville Airport is approximately 30 minutes. Please make your
travel plans accordingly, and note your flight info and desired shuttle times on your registration
form, or contact us so we know who to expect on each shuttle run.
Those staying over on Saturday may make arrangements to ride out to
the airport on the Sunday shuttles. |
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How to Get Here
The Asheville-Swannanoa area
is easily reached by car from the east and west by I- 40, and from the
south by I- 26. For those traveling to Asheville from the north and west, please be advised that I-40 is closed between Asheville and Knoxville, TN due to a rockslide that occurred this winter. To get here from Tennessee, take I-40 east from Knoxville, until joins with I-81 and follow it towards Johnson City, then take I-26 down to Asheville, where it rejoins with I-40. Follow I- 40 east to exit 55, and go north a quarter mile
to Hwy 70. Go east approximately 1.6 miles to the next stoplight. Turn
left onto Warren Wilson Rd. and go 1.4 miles to the College. See map. US Airways, Continental, Delta,
Northwest and United provide
daily service to the Asheville Regional Airport, a 30 minute drive from
the College. |
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| Evening concert |
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| Administration
Founder:
Dr. Douglas M. Orr Jr.
Director: Jim Magill
Office Mgr. & Registrar: Nicole Veilleux
Logistics Asst: Julia Weatherford
Housing Asst: Stephanie Wallace
'10 Student Crew: Rosalind Parducci
Program
Coordinators
Celtic: Jim Magill
Dulcimer: Lois Hornbostel
Traditional Song: Julee Glaub
Old-Time: Phil Jamison
Contemp. Folk: David Roth
Guitar: Al Petteway
Fiddle: Julia Weatherford
Children's Programs: Denisa
Rullmoss
Advisory
Board
David
Holt: artist
Si Kahn: artist
Dougie MacLean: artist
John McCutcheon: artist
Art Menius: promotion
Mick Moloney: artist
Tom Paxton: artist
Jennifer Pickering: Dir. LEAF festival
Barry Poss: Sugar Hill Records
Fiona Ritchie: Thistle & Shamrock
Tommy Sands: artist
Billy Edd Wheeler: artist
David Wilcox: artist
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