NC Song School

Singer/songwriter Laurelyn Dossett lives and writes in the piedmont of North Carolina, and her songs tend to reflect the stories of the region, both traditional and contemporary. One of the most sought-after voices in creative collaborations, she co-founded Polecat Creek with singing partner Kari Sickenberger in 1997. Laurelyn is a frequent performer at regional music festivals such as Merlefest and has been a guest on the radio show Prairie Home Companion. She has toured with folk legend Alice Gerrard and songwriter Diana Jones, and premiered composer Kenneth Frazelle’s song cycle, “Songs in the Rear View Mirror,” in 2010, and has toured with the North Carolina Symphony in 2009 and 2011 and 2013.

In recent years Laurelyn has partnered with Triad Stage’s Preston Lane on five plays featuring regional folklore and original music: Brother Wolf (2006), Beautiful Star: An Appalachian Nativity (2006), Bloody Blackbeard (2008), Providence Gap (2010) and Snow Queen (2013). An adaptation of Bloody Blackbeard toured NC schools in 2009, and both Brother Wolf and Beautiful Star are published by Playscripts and have gone on to have professional productions in cities across the U.S. 

A song from Brother Wolf, “Anna Lee,” was featured on Levon Helm’s Grammy-winning record, Dirt Farmer, is included in the documentary film about Helm’s life, called “Ain’t in it for my Health,” and is featured on the 2011 Grammy-winning cd Levon Helm’s “Ramble at the Ryman.” Another song Dossett wrote “Leaving Eden,” became the title track for the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops’ 2012 release

Commissioned by the North Carolina Symphony, Dossett and the symphony premiered her song cycle, “The Gathering: A Winter’s Tale in Six Songs, in November 2011. She performed with singer and fiddler Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, legendary Nashville mandolinist Mike Compton, and North Carolina’s own banjo virtuoso, Joe Newberry. The accompanying cd, “The Gathering,” was released to critical acclaim, including top holiday picks from the Wall Street Journal, LA Times, and USA Today.

From Greensboro, North Carolina, Ashley Virginia is an artist who has gained attention for her unique songwriting style of introspective poetry and interesting harmonic structure. Her sound has been described as “raw, contemporary angst” by Americana Highways.

Like the spiritual daughter of Stevie Nicks and Paul McCartney, her style falls somewhere between ’70s Country cool, West Coast cosmic Americana, and ‘60s Rock ‘n’ Roll. While attending a masterclass in Greensboro, 14-Grammy award winning songwriter, Emmylou Harris, categorized Ashley Virginia’s writing as “unique and unusual”. In 2021, she released her debut album, “and life just goes on living” tackling themes of mental health, healing, and social-political commentary.

 Since her arrival in 2014, she has been a driving force in Greensboro’s vibrant music scene. Starting with the NC Folk Festival in 2019 as an intern, she rose to her current role as Artistic Director through years of dedication and expertise. Her artistic insight informs her curation, ensuring the festival remains a vibrant celebration of folk traditions;  programmed and organized with an artist perspective at the forefront of the planning.

Justin Harrington, referred to by his stage name “Demeanor“, is a rapper, producer, musician, and songwriter from Greensboro, North Carolina most known for his merging of Black American Roots music with Hip-Hop. In 2021 he was the first rapper to do a full hip-hop set on the mainstage at Newport Folk Festival, as well as curating a hip-hop series on the mainstage of the North Carolina Folk Festival. He has since made his debut on NPR’s Tiny desk with Jake Blount. The first banjo-playing rapper, Harrington bridges the gap between tradition and innovation while celebrating the many facets of the Black American Music Tradition.