Female Announcer:
>>From the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
>>Peggy Bulger: Welcome.
I'm Peggy Bulger, and I'm director of the American Folklife Center here
at the Library of Congress, and on behalf of the entire staff I want
to welcome you to this, which is the very first "Homegrown" concert
for the 2009 series being held right here
in the historic Coolidge Auditorium.
Many of you may know that the Coolidge Auditorium has an
illustrious history in presenting folk and roots music over the years.
In fact,in 1938 Alan Lomax used this very auditorium
to capture the piano performances and oral histories [sic]
of the great jazz pioneer, Jelly Roll Morton.
ANd these historic recordings a few years ago were put out in a CD set
that won a Grammy Award and so we're very proud of that.
Other people who have performed here: Josh White,
the Golden Gate Quartet, Mississippi John Hurt, Odetta, Pete Seeger,
Woody Guthrie, and other legendary folk figures of traditonal music
and American culture have played and performed here in this auditorium.
So all of those recordings are priceless, as you can imagine,
and they are all now part of the permanent collections
of the American Folklife Center.
So we continue this great tradition of presenting the very best
of traditional music and dance,
story and song here the Coolidge Auditorium.
And today's performance will also be recordered
for the center's permanent collections and will also be put
into a webcast on our home page soon, so be looking for that.
We record all of the concerts so that future generations
of scholars can both enjoy and learn from them.
So this is a good time to remind you that if you have a cell phone,
if you could please turn that off.
Otherwise your cell phone ringtone will be immortalized forever
in the Library of Congress.
>>The "Homegrown" series actually is designed to feature artists
from every state in the union.
We, of course, have ten concerts a year so we can feature 10 states.
And we work very closely with the state folk art coordinators
around the country.
And I'm really happy to say that we we work
with the state folklorists they are the folks who are on the ground,
covering the state, documenting the music
and traditions of their own states.
And they know who really represents and can represent the state
in the most wonderful way for our collections.
>>We also work in cooperation
with the Millenium Stage of the Kennedy Center.
And so tonight-- this performance will happen at noontime
and then tonight at 6:00 the performer will be
at the Kennedy Center again presenting his wonderful music.
>>And so for the great state
of New Hampshire we actually have been working with Lynn Martin Graton
who is the traditional arts coordinator
at the New Hampshire State Council of the Arts.
And Lynn tells me that the artist and she--
Brendon and she and all
of the family have been really doing their due diligence
and visiting the [Capitol] Hill this week.
>>And I wanted to say we wanted to welcome--
I think staff members are here from everyone
of New Hamshire's congressional delegations.
We have Rep.   Paul Hode, Rep.
Carol Shes-Porter; Senators JUdd Gregg and Jeanne Shaheen.
And I beleive staffers are here so please make them welcome.
[Applause ]
>>And now to introduce our first "Homegrown" performer for 2009;
please welcome Lynn Martin Graton.   [Applause ]
>>Lynn Martin Graton: Good afternoon everyone.
Thank you so much for taking time away from your touring
of the extraordinary temple to wisdom and learning in our country
to come join us for this performance.
Ans Peggy said I work for the New Hampshire State Council of the Arts.
It's a state arts agency and like all others we are funded
through a conbination from funds from the National Endowment
for the Arts and our state legislature.
So this is your tax dollars
at work supporting community-based traditions.
Our traditonal arts program like many public sectors arts programs
around the country is dovoted to honoring
and preserving community-based traditional crafts, music and dance.
>>Today, we're showcasing Brendan Carey Block, who's a gifted,
very young performer and we are so proud of him.
And I'm going to tell you a little bit about music in New Hampshire
and northern New England.
The fiddle is at the heart of traditional music in New Hampshire.
From the 17th through the 19th centuries settlers from England,
Ireland, Scotland,
and French-speaking Canada brought their fiddles, traditional tunes,
and the love for social dancing with friends and neighbors to the region.
Brendan grew up in Antrim, in the Monadnock region,
known as the craddle for traditional music and social dancing.
And at the age of 10 he showed some promise and interest in the fiddle.
And after a start with New England fiddling he found himself pulled
to the traditions of Cape Breton,
which is an island off the coast of Nova Scotia.