Black Banjo Renaissance Symposium and Concert in Washington, DC in July 2026

The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress will celebrate the Black Banjo Renaissance with a free, public symposium and concert on July 21st. The event is open to all who register in advance. The symposium will bring together tradition bearers, instrument builders, community organizers, and scholars who have participated in the Renaissance. Activities will take place at the James Madison Building.

Panels during the day will offer both retrospective reflections on the movement’s achievements over two decades and discussions on the work that lies ahead. The topics to be discussed include the proliferation of gourd banjo making, community organizing, new scholarship, and festivals inspired by the Black Banjo Renaissance. The evening program will include a keynote conversation followed by a performance from Greensboro-based artist Demeanor, whose work weaves together rap, hip-hop, and folk.

In 2005, the first Black Banjo Gathering convened on the campus of Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and helped launch what award-winning musician and composer Rhiannon Giddens called the Black Banjo Renaissance. This ongoing movement brings together banjo players, makers, and scholars of African descent to both reclaim the instrument’s roots and reimagine its future.

From that founding gathering emerged the GRAMMY Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, the string band led by Rhiannon Giddens, Dom Flemons, and Justin Robinson. They introduced new audiences to Black string band practitioners, as well as a whole generation of players, makers, and thinkers devoted to honoring the banjo’s black roots. Twenty years have passed since this event.

Folklife Event Black Banjo Renaissance: Reflections on the Future Symposium, Concert, and Lecture
Symposium: Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm EDT
James Madison Building – Mumford Room (LM649)

Lecture and Concert: Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm EDT
James Madison Building – Montpelier Room (LM619)

101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20540

More information at guides.loc.gov/black-banjo-symposium?loclr=eafe

(headline images: Black Banjo Renaissance Symposium artists: (left to right) Brandi Waller-Pace, Lillian Werbin and Dom Flemons)