Minstrel Banjo

For enthusiasts of early banjo

Dear Friends,

Since 1998, the Banjo Gathering (formerly the Banjo Collectors Gathering) has been the platform for sharing new scholarship and findings on the banjo as a historical, cultural, and design object. Every year, collectors, researchers, instrument builders, and musicians from throughout the United States and abroad come together for the Banjo Gathering’s signature activities: formal presentations, field trips to culturally significant locations, and a marketplace to inspect, buy, sell, and trade instruments and ephemera from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The 20th Banjo Gathering will take place in Alexandria, Virginia from Thursday, November 2 through Sunday, November 5, 2017, and will feature three extraordinary field trips:

  • Thursday, November 2, 2017 (10AM-2PM): Library of Congress, American Folklife Center — pre-Gathering visit and tour of banjo holdings
  • Friday, November 3, 2017 (8AM-11AM): Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — exclusive curator-guided tour
  • Friday, November 3, 2017 (12:30-2:30PM) Smithsonian National Museum of American History — tour of extensive banjo collection


REGISTRATION:
This year’s registration is a two-step process. First, please fill out this Google Survey (https://goo.gl/forms/tQU90J4vx0F0Pkz22) to express your intention to attend the Gathering and each of the field trip tours. Second, submit your registration fee of $280 (with a special half-price offer of $140 for students and first-time attendees) with a check made payable to:

Peter Szego
2 Beekman Lane
Hillsborough,
NJ 08844

Please note that because of the high demand and limited space, advanced confirmation is required for each field trip and can only be secured on a first-come, first-serve basis when you submit your registration fee to Peter Szego.

ACCOMMODATIONS:
The 20th Banjo Gathering will be held at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia, with a guest room rate is $139 per night for single or double occupancy. On-site parking is $15 per day, but off-site parking is available. We have reserved a block of guest rooms from Wednesday, November 1, through Sunday, November 5. You can make reservations online with the SRP Code “BANJO” and the following pass-key link:

https://aws.passkey.com/event/49238024/owner/10925932/landing?gtid=...   

 

The number of reserved guest rooms is limited and availability is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please be aware that we were not able to reserve enough guest rooms at the host hotel last year and quite a few Banjo Gathering participants had to stay at nearby hotels. We therefore urge you to make guest room reservations ASAP.

PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS:
Some of the presentation topics thus far confirmed will include: close encounters with an early gourd banjo; the banjo during the 1849 gold rush; collecting adventures in northeast Ohio; early banjo recordings on original machines; the “Golden Age” of the Tenor banjo; English Weaver banjos; a fresh look at Boston banjo makers; and banjo rim construction.

For more information, please visit our website www.banjogathering.com or contact any of us directly if you have questions. 

Banjovially,

Jim Bollman jim@fineoldbanjos.com 

Peter Szego pszego@comcast.net

Hank Schwartz hank@hschwartz.com

Greg Adams gregcadams@gmail.com

 

 

Views: 83

Reply to This

About

John Masciale created this Ning Network.

© 2024   Created by John Masciale.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service