11:15AM
I Giullardi Di Piazza featuring Alessandra Belloni
I Giullari di Piazza, aka The Players of the Square, was founded in 1980 by NJSCA Heritage Fellow Alessandra Belloni—award‑winning singer, percussionist, director, and author—and guitarist and composer John La Barbera. The ensemble blends traditional Italian folk music, theater, and dance with folk rituals and commedia dell’arte.
After a residency at NYU’s Italian department, the group has been in residence for 30 years at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Their notable productions include Tarantella: Spider Dance, Stabat Mater, The Voyage of the Black Madonna, and La Cantata dei Pastori, and they have performed internationally at venues such as Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall and appeared on PBS, CNN, National Geographic, and in documentaries. Their recordings, including Tarantata, have been hailed by The New York Times and Los Angeles Times as best Italian albums of the year. Alessandra and John have taught ongoing classes in Italian folk music since 1998.
11:45AM
"New Jersey Folk Revival Music" by Michael C. Gabriele
“New Jersey Folk Revival Music: History & Tradition” is a book by New Jersey author Michael Gabriele, published by The History Press. In this program, he traces the evolution of folk music in the state—from the 1700s, with bawdy tavern revelers and fiddlers in the Pine Barrens, through the “Guitar Mania” craze of the 1800s, to landmark recordings by Woody Guthrie, Paul Robeson, Jimmie Rodgers, and the Carter Family at RCA Victor in Camden, the rise of music festivals, and the work of today’s pioneering musicians.
A 1975 graduate of Montclair State University, Gabriele has worked as a journalist and author for more than 45 years, writing five books on New Jersey history and serving on the executive board of the New Jersey Folk Festival.
12:30PM
Instrument Workshop with Yang Yi & Tang LIangxing
New Jersey’s own cultural treasures, world-renowned virtuosos Yang Yi 杨艺 and Tang Liangxing 汤良兴, present a workshop on their signature instruments, the guzheng and pipa.
Yang Yi, a 2025 NJSCA Heritage Fellow—is a master of the guzheng (a 21-string Chinese zither). She directs the Guzheng Ensemble and has toured extensively across Asia, Europe, and the United States, performing at venues such as Royal Albert Hall, Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center. She is also the founder and music director of the Eastern Culture & Performing Arts Center (ECPAC) in West Windsor, New Jersey.
Her longtime collaborator, Tang Liangxing of Somerset, New Jersey, received the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 1993 as a master pipa player. The pipa, a Chinese lute with nearly 2,000 years of history, is his specialty. A former soloist with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Tang remains active internationally, dividing his time between the United States and Taiwan while contributing to performance, education, and cross-cultural exchange.
1:15PM
New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) Heritage Fellows Spotlight
One of the most diverse states in the country, New Jersey is home to an amazing array of traditional artists, each a keeper of an age-old art form. In July 2023, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts honored ten of these artists as the inaugural cohort of New Jersey Heritage Fellows followed by a second cohort in 2025. These fellowships recognize artistic excellence, lifetime achievement, and contributions to New Jersey’s traditional arts heritage. The New Jersey Folk Festival is pleased to feature many of these fellows on our stages and in our Heritage area and will recognize those in attendance during this spotlight.
1:30PM
Songs & Stories with Mindy Murray
Mindy Murray’s edgy, roots‑driven songs grow from oral history, urban legend, and newspaper clippings, and are delivered with passion and intensity. Many reflect working‑class life in 1930s and ’40s New Jersey and neighboring Pennsylvania and have been praised nationally and internationally, including by the United Mine Workers of America and journals such as fRoots and No Depression.
She has performed at major festivals including the Philly Folk Festival, Northern Appalachian Folk Festival, and the Cup of Tae in Ireland, and her songs have taken top honors from the International Women’s Freedom Song and International Songwriters Day competitions.
2:15PM
"How to Hunt the The Jersey Devil" by Tony DiGerolamo
Join Tony DeGerolamo, author of The Pineys and general provocateur, at the Pinelands Narrative Stage for “How to Hunt the Jersey Devil!,” a lively look at the Jersey Devil and South Jersey folklore. Witches, monsters, ghosts, and other supernatural figures thrive in the Pine Barrens, so the Jersey Devil is far from alone. Hear the fascinating history and tall tales of your community—and learn some practical (if tongue‑in‑cheek) tips for avoiding a rendezvous with Mother Leeds’ 13th child.
2:45PM
250 Years of American Folk Music with Spook Handy
New Brunswick local and longtime NJFF performer Spook Handy, singer‑songwriter, will share “250 Years of American Folk Music” This performance is a key part of the Semiquincentennial celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The concert highlights American folk songs from Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, John Denver, and others, along with 21st‑century originals by Spook Handy, while also reaching back to the nation’s earliest tunes. Did you know that “Yankee Doodle” started as a British term meant to mock American colonists? The Patriots reclaimed it as an anthem of the Revolution. An 1806 military church song, “Brothers, Are You with Me?,” later became “John Brown’s Body” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” then evolved in 1905 into the labor anthem “Solidarity Forever.” Spook has performed alongside Pete Seeger more than fifty times, and Pete recorded several of his songs. He has also shared the stage with Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary, and appeared at Lincoln Center in 2014 with Peter, Judy Collins, Tom Chapin, and David Amram at the Pete Seeger memorial concert.
3:30PM
“Winemaking in New Jersey” by Dr. Angus Kress Gillespie
NJFF founder and Professor Angus Kress Gillespie has long been interested in New Jersey agriculture, writing articles and featuring experts on his television show. His interest in wineries is more recent: while visiting Lambertville, he discovered Angelico Winery and learned about the Garden State Wine Growers Association’s passport program, which encourages visitors to tour the state’s roughly fifty wineries. He and his wife began weekend visits to different wineries, which grew into a serious passion. Gillespie started hosting wine owners on his East Brunswick television show, Old Ways in New Jersey, and those interviews were posted on YouTube, reaching a worldwide audience.
Website
Rutgers University Feature Article
Old Ways of New Jersey YouTube Channel
4:00PM
“Ma Rainey’s Living Tradition of the Blues” by Charlie Apicella with Iron City & Madame Pat Tandy
Charlie Apicella has received numerous grants for his work preserving Ma Rainey’s legacy in collaboration with the Ma Rainey House Museum in Columbus, Georgia, and the Library of Congress. As a young guitarist he met his idol, B.B. King, who gave him valuable advice and shared memorable stories. Apicella studied composition and improvisation with Yusef Lateef and Pat Martino and was trained as a historian by Archie Shepp and Billy Taylor. He is a lecturer and curator for the Yusef Lateef Estate and has collaborated with Lincoln Center, Vanderbilt University, Williams College, and the Newport Jazz & Folk Festivals Foundation. He has toured with blues legend Lil’ Jimmy Reed and performed with jazz greats including Dave Holland, Sonny Fortune, John Blake, Jr., and Avery Sharpe, and serves as guitarist for the Sonny Stitt Legacy Band. In this talk about Ma Rainey’s Living Tradition of the Blues, he will accompanied by his band Iron City and lead vocalist Madame Pat Tandy.
4:30PM
“Preserving the Pines: New Jersey and the Origins of Environmentalism” by William J. Lewis
William J. Lewis is a lifetime resident of the New Jersey Pine Barrens and the author of several books on Piney culture, including New Jersey’s Lost Piney Culture (2021), Adventure with Piney Joe (2022), South Jersey Legends & Lore (2024), and Reserving the Pines (2025). As “Piney Tribe” on social media, he shares outdoor adventures and promotes the idea of exploration without exploitation, teaching children to become tomorrow’s environmental stewards.
After serving as a U.S. Marine and graduating from Rider University, Lewis founded an environmental nonprofit to get kids outdoors and has held leadership roles in both government and New Jersey nonprofit organizations.
About “Preserving the Pines:” There is much to say about the New Jersey Pinelands—its history, plants, animals, and place in the national environmental movement. A simple piece of advice for writers—“Write the book that will change your life”—is precisely what this new book has done for me. I am deeply grateful to each of you for your part in it.
Stage Emcee: To Be Announced