Sixteenth Annual Abbeville Institute Summer School
July 15 - July 20
$1128 – $1956
Southern Identity Through Music
St Christopher Conference Center, July 15-20, 2018
Seabrook Island, South Carolina
Music has been described as “the soul of the world embedded in sound.” Southern music exemplifies the traditions and culture of its people “embedded in sound.” It sprang from the mud, the rivers, the forests, the fields, and the mountains. From the land and place, to religion, folk songs, poverty and defeat, a “new South” and and old culture, the South has a story to tell, and for most of her history, that story has been told through song.
Every form of “American” music is, in fact, Southern in origin. Blues, jazz, rock ‘n roll, country, bluegrass, gospel, and rhythm and blues all originated in the South. Most of the iconic names in American music were reared south of the Mason Dixon. Elvis, Chuck Berry, Hank Williams, Fats Domino, Leadbelly, Robert Johnson, Bill Monroe, Johnny Cash, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Daniels, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and countless others proudly called the South home and often sang about the South and its people. Even modern television singing contests like American Idol typically have Southern winners.
Join us for a thoughtful discussion of how music is a tangible reminder of the valuable and lasting contributions of the South to American culture and one of the elements that will endure. As long as her people can write the songs, the South and the Southern tradition will remain.
SUNDAY, JULY 15
4:00-5:45 Registration and Orientation (all events are in the Temple)
6:00-7:00 Supper (all meals in the cafeteria)
7:00-8:00 “American Music is Southern Music,” Dr. Tom Daniel
8:00- Conviviality
MONDAY, JULY 16
8:00-9:00 Breakfast
9:00-10:00 “Gospel Music and the Rural South,” Alan Harrelson
10:30-11:30 “Laissez les bons temps rouler,” Kathryn Harpainter
12:00-1:00 Dinner
1:00-3:00 Free Time
3:00-4:00 “Sing Me Back Home: Songs of People and Place,” Dr. Brion McClanahan
4:00-5:00 “The Southern Diaspora: How Southern Music Became American Music,” Frank Clark
5:00-6:00 Seminar
6:30-7:30 Supper
7:30- Conviviality
TUESDAY, JULY 17
8:00-9:00 Breakfast
9:00-10:00 “Atlanta’s Burning Down: The War in Postbellum Southern Music,” Dr. Brion
McClanahan
10:30-11:30 “Muscle Shoals Has Got The Swampers,” Dr. Tom Daniel
12:00-1:00 Dinner
1:00-3:00 Free Time
3:00-4:00 “The Sounds of Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta,” Michael Martin
4:00-5:00 “The Music and Legacy of Singing Billy Walker,” Dr. James Kibler`
5:00-6:00 Seminar
6:30-7:30 Supper
7:30- Conviviality
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18
8:00-9:00 Breakfast
9:00-5:00 Free Time in Charleston
5:00-6:00 Reception at Washington Light Infantry Arsenal, 287 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina
6:00-7:00 Supper
7:00-8:30 Lecture and Music by Bobby Horton
THURSDAY, JULY 19
8:00-9:00 Breakfast
9:00-10:00 “The Southern Origin of the Bluegrass Sound,” Alan Harrelson
10:30-11:30 “The Southern Music of Ronnie Van Zant,” Dr. Jeff Rogers
12:00-1:00 Dinner
1:00-3:00 Free Time
3:00-4:00 “Dixie Scenes in Poetry From Virginia to Louisiana,” Dr. Catharine Savage Brosman
4:00-5:00 “Joker and the Hound Dog: Federalism and Southern Music,” Dr. Carey Roberts
5:00-6:00 Seminar
6:30-7:30 Supper
7:30- Conviviality
FRIDAY, JUNE 20
Departure
Special Banquet Musical Performance and Lecture
Bobby Horton, Critically acclaimed multi-instrument musician
Cost
The cost for tuition, room, board, continuous refreshments for five days, plus the banquet and performance/lecture by Bobby Horton Wednesday evening is $1,128 (single) and $1, 956 (double).ROOMS have two double beds. Considerable reduction in room rates for up to four in a room. The conference is open to the public. Off site accommodation is available on Seabrook and Kiawah Island. Scholarships are available to students who are encouraged to apply. Space is limited. For inquiries and application contact Don Livingston by email [email protected] or by phone (843) 323 0690.
