An Evening of American Stories & Songs with Stephen Wade
Join us for an unforgettable, ninety-minute multimedia performance by Grammy-nominated musician, author, and master storyteller Stephen Wade. Widely celebrated as one of the finest living virtuosos of the five-string banjo, Wade brings the heart of American grassroots music directly from the front porch to our stage.
This dynamic performance seamlessly threads together lyric folksongs, traditional old-time instrumentals, and humorous spoken-word tall tales. Armed with his banjo and guitar, Wade doesn't just play the music—he inhabits it, punctuating his performance with traditional step-dancing and a larger-than-life expressiveness that has captivated audiences nationwide.
The program draws from his extensive life's work as a musical detective, including his latest critically acclaimed book, Our Common Life: Folksong from the Front Porch to the Concert Hall. Through a brilliant fusion of comedy, history, and musical virtuosity, Wade shares the fascinating human stories behind the songs, honoring the everyday musicians, coal camps, and cattle trails that shaped our nation's sonic landscape.
“Stephen Wade, bubbling with larger-than-life expressiveness, telling tall tales to a vigorous banjo accompaniment.”
— The New York Times
Live concert followed by an exclusive book signing with the artist.
Artist Biography
Stephen Wade is an award-winning American folk musician, researcher, and author whose career has bridged the worlds of scholarship and the creative arts. Raised in Chicago, Wade was mentored by traditional music icons Fleming Brown and Doc Hopkins at the Old Town School of Folk Music. He is best known for creating and performing Banjo Dancing, a legendary one-man stage show that ran off-Broadway and occupied Washington D.C.’s Arena Stage for an unprecedented ten years, making it one of the longest-running solo performances in American theater history.
Wade’s deep passion for traditional music has taken him across the country to track down and preserve the legacies of surviving old-time players. His landmark book and album project, The Beautiful Music All Around Us: Field Recordings and the American Experience, earned widespread praise and multiple awards for its exploration of deep-rooted folklore.
A Grammy nominee for his celebrated album Banjo Diary, Wade continues to celebrate the creative freedom of the American folk tradition. His newest 2026 book and multimedia program, Our Common Life, marks another milestone in his lifelong dedication to keeping America's frontline musical history vibrantly alive for modern audiences.