John McCutcheon is an American folksinger, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is regarded as a master of the hammered dulcimer, and is also proficient on many other instruments including guitar, banjo, autoharp, mountain dulcimer, fiddle, and jawharp. His eclectic catalog of ballads, historical songs, children’s songs, love songs, topical satire, fiddle and hammer dulcimer instrumentals, and even symphonic works, are among the broadest in American folk music. His vast repertoire also includes songs from many other contemporary writers. His own songwriting has been hailed by critics around the world; his song "Christmas in the Trenches" is considered a classic and was named one of the 100 Essential Folk Songs by NPR, alongside "John Henry," "This Land Is Your Land," and "Blowin' in the Wind." His thirty-six albums have earned six Grammy nominations.

McCutcheon is also a collector of folk music. During his fieldwork in Appalachia he collected from and learned from some of the legendary greats of traditional music, such as Roscoe Holcomb, I.D. Stamper, and Tommy Hunter. McCutcheon also traveled and collected with traditional musician and folklorist Mike Seeger. Most of this fieldwork is part of the permanent collections of the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress.

For this concert McCutcheon will perform songs from AFC collections, including his own.

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