Roots Road Show in Portland, Brooklyn, DC March 29, 2012

The Berklee Roots Road Show brings rising talent from the college's American Roots Music Program to audiences beyond Boston. The variety show rolls into One Longfellow Square, Portland, ME on March 29; the Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn, NY on April 5; and the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage in Washington, DC on April 6.

The Berklee American Roots Music Program teaches blues, gospel, early country, bluegrass, old-time, Cajun, Tex-Mex, western swing, polka, and other styles — some of the building blocks of today's contemporary music — through a curriculum based on folk music's oral tradition. Also, using a broader definition of "roots," the program explores the origins of our western musical traditions, from Bach to traditional African music.

The artistic director is Matt Glaser, a violinist who was chair of Berklee’s String Department for 28 years, and has performed with Stephane Grapelli, Yo-Yo Ma, and Bob Dylan. The managing director is Joe Walsh, who was Berklee’s first-ever mandolin major, and a current member of the Gibson Brothers. The board of advisors includes Bela Fleck, Darol Anger, Charlie Haden, Ricky Skaggs, Lloyd Maines, Edgar Meyer, and others.

Among its many projects, the program has hosted acclaimed visiting artists Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck, Mark O’Connor, Tony Trischka, Del McCoury, Punch Brothers, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Crooked Still, and others; and showcased students at the Grey Fox, RockyGrass, MerleFest, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and Celtic Connection festivals. In September, the program will present Inspired by Ray, a three-day symposium on Ray Charles.