DISCUSSION: What the Folk?

From a resurgence of interest in collective practices, archival sources and contemporary ensembles, folk music is having a moment. Yet it is also in a tough spot – local traditions are often co-opted by conservative political movements under claims of ‘heritage,’ with little care for actual preservation or support. Meanwhile, artists from both outside and within the communities that preserve these traditions often give folk music a new lease of life, engaging in an important dialogue with the past. In this discussion with Joanna Sztucka of Tercet Imperial, Łucja Siedlik of Polish Radical Ansambl, Milkweed and Debit, moderated by musicologist Ben Wheeler, we will consider what futures lie ahead of folk music, emphasising models of experimentation, interaction, and reciprocation, while also asking where inspiration ends and appropriation begins.