This special holiday edition of In Performance features folk singer Jean Ritchie, musical ensemble Ars Femina, and a group of young artists who have studied at the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts. Sky Yancey is the program host.

Jean Ritchie, a living treasure of Kentucky culture, sings several traditional holiday ballads, accompanying herself on dulcimer, and reads a childhood reminiscence.

The Governor’s School for the Arts is represented by a duet performed by Matt Dillinger on trumpet and John Villaveces on piano. Both attended Dunbar High School in Lexington and are 1998 graduates of the Governor’s School. Asha French, a student at duPont Manual High School in Louisville at the time of the taping, reads from works written by creative writing students at the 1998 GSA. Singer Angelique Clay, who attended the first GSA in 1987, also performs. A graduate of Louisville’s Male High School, she was a doctoral student in vocal performance at the University of Kentucky when this program was taped in 1998.

Ars Femina is a Louisville musical group dedicated to discovering and recovering music written by women composers before 1800. For In Performance, they ring in the holiday season with pieces written by several Latina composers. Then Ritchie joins the group for a finale performance of “Silent Night.”

Seasons 2-5 were made possible
by a generous grant from Ashland Inc.