The Swannanoa Gathering :: Old-Time Music & Dance Week

The Swannanoa Gathering :: Old-Time Music & Dance Week The many diverse offerings enable students to explore new areas: fiddlers sing, singers dance, and dancers learn to play instruments.

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 Blue Ridge Mountains. Old-Time Music & Dance Week at the Swannanoa Gathering explores the rich music, dance, and singing traditions of the southern Appalachian region through a wide variety of classes

taught by an experienced and supportive staff. New this year, the Teen Gathering is a class specifically for teenagers. Students enroll in as many as three regular classes during the week, and each afternoon a variety of short workshop topics are offered during the Potluck Sessions. The daily Communal Gathering features master musicians, singers, and dancers from across the Appalachian region. Evening activities include jam sessions, singing, square danced, clogging, concerts, and the popular Late-Night Honky-Tonk dance! For those students bringing their families, we also offer a program for kids, but space is limited. Our Children's Program for ages 6-12 features kids' activities scheduled during the daytime class sessions, and evening childcare for ages 3-12 is provided at no additional cost.

Sami Bramen and Clarke Williams are giving workshops at Warren Wilson College this fall. They are fabulous, you'll learn...
08/23/2026

Sami Bramen and Clarke Williams are giving workshops at Warren Wilson College this fall. They are fabulous, you'll learn cool stuff and it will be a fun! Not to be missed

The Swannanoa Gathering is excited to announce a fall 2026 weekend workshop in old-time string band (Sep. 26-27)! It’s open to all instruments and features award-winning musicians Sami Braman (of The Onlies) and WNC’s own Clarke Williams as instructors. This is a perfect course for those who can already play some tunes on their own, but want to gain more experience playing old-time music with others. Join Sami and Clarke for a fun weekend of learning, connection, and tunes!

Learn more and register at www.swannanoagathering.org/weekend-workshops!

Everybody at Swannanoa Old-Time Week can dance! I mean check out this Concert Finale - wow! Thanks to participant Andrea...
07/29/2026

Everybody at Swannanoa Old-Time Week can dance! I mean check out this Concert Finale - wow! Thanks to participant Andrea Ploetz for capturing the moment!

Swannanoa Old-Time & Dance Week Concert Finale - Wow! July 2026Thi...

Swannaoa Old-Time Week 26 Memories continued! Save the date for next year: July 11 - 17, 2027
07/24/2026

Swannaoa Old-Time Week 26 Memories continued! Save the date for next year: July 11 - 17, 2027

A few Swannanoa Old-Time & Dance Week photos. More to come. Wow - what a week of music, dance and good times! Such a swe...
07/24/2026

A few Swannanoa Old-Time & Dance Week photos. More to come. Wow - what a week of music, dance and good times! Such a sweet community!

07/23/2026

The Concerts at Swannanoa Old-Time Week are pretty killer! Here's a little moment and check out the link for a longer video too of this cool version of AK Traveler. Tatiana Hargreaves, Hasee Ciaccio, Elizabeth LaPrelle and Lizzie Cahalen tearing it up.


https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1M529z6vRM/

07/20/2026

What a wonderful week Swannanoa Old-Time Week was this past week. Here's a glimpse of some jam magic that occurred featuring: Zephyr Yellman, Beth Hartness, Adam Hurt, Lloyd and Elijah Wright. There was beautiful music happening everywhere the last few nights. I miss it all already.
,

05/30/2026

We are so thrilled that NC native (and former Green Grass Clogger) is coming from Alaska to teach banjo at Swannanoa Old-Time Week this July 12- 18! He'll cover both clawhammer and fingerpicking for tunes and songs in his banjo classes. Registration is open at swannanoagathering (dot) org. Always a special week of trad music, great concerts, food, jams, dances, fun and community in the beautiful mountains of Swannanoa, North Carolina. Come join us!

04/22/2026

Swannanoa Old-Time Week July 12- 18, 2026. General registration opens this Thursday April 23rd at noon. One of the teachers we're so excited to have this year is Kilby Spencer from SW VA who many of you have seen come as a visiting artist with his mom Emily Spencer / Whitetop Mountain Band. www.swangathering (dot) org

There have been many beautiful tributes and memories of Carol Elizabeth Jones. We at the Swannanoa Gathering are also so...
04/20/2026

There have been many beautiful tributes and memories of Carol Elizabeth Jones. We at the Swannanoa Gathering are also so saddened by her passing - such a beautiful person with an incomparable singing voice that takes your breath away. CE generously taught harmony singing and other classes, encouraged singers at song-circles, co-led the honky-tonk (often with Paul Kovac) and shared her musical gifts in ways too numerous to mention. She was on staff over 20 times at Swannanoa Old-Time Week starting in 1996. We are heartened that her music carries on in the music of Vivian Leva who also has taught at Swannanoa Old-Time Week. This July at Old-Time week we will have a Friday tribute called: Beautiful Songs Share / Memories of Carol Elizabeth Jones. We hope if you are coming to OT week you might consider participating in this by singing a song you learned from from Carol Elizabeth or one you might learn now to honor her memory. Let's come together and share stories and remember our dear friend CE❤️
Thank you for Arlin Geyer for this photo of Carol Elizabeth Jones performing at OT week with Paul Kovac and Kevin Kehrberg

Address

Swannanoa, NC
28815

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Swannanoa Gathering :: Old-Time Music & Dance Week posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to The Swannanoa Gathering :: Old-Time Music & Dance Week:

Shortcuts

Share

Category