Contact: Whitney Hale

Mike Seeger

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 28, 2005) -- Legendary folksinger Mike Seeger will be in residence at the University of Kentucky the first week of March. The residency, supported by the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music and the UK Appalachian Center, will include seminars, lectures and classes with students from the UK School of Music, Department of History, and the Gaines Center for the Humanities.

Mike Seeger, brother of folk icon Pete Seeger, has devoted his life to singing, playing and documenting southern traditional mountain music. He has toured throughout the world as a soloist and as a member of the New Lost City Ramblers, a Vanguard old-time music group of which he is a founder. Mike plays a variety of traditional styles on the banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, trump, harmonica, quills, lap dulcimer, autoharp and other instruments. He has produced nearly 70 recordings and has been nominated for six Grammy awards.

Numerous public events are planned during his week of residence. While visiting UK, Seeger also will give a performance for a live taping of the Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour at the Kentucky Theater on Feb. 28. On campus, he will present a free concert in the Center Theater of the Student Center at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 3. Seeger will also give a lecture and performance at 3:30 p.m. Friday, March 4, in the John Jacob Niles Gallery in the Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library.