To the Editor:

Musician Tom Thorpe will be presenting “An Evening With Tom Thorpe: African Origins of American Bluegrass and Appalachian Folk Music” at the Thursday, Oct. 17, meeting of the Guilderland Historical Society.

The public is invited to this informal discussion and slideshow based on Mr. Thorpe’s travels to Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana and his performances for audiences there. He feels “music is a common language throughout the world, but since many of the songs performed in American bluegrass and Appalachian folk music originated in Africa, it is as if the circle is completed.”

Tom Thorpe, a Voorheesville resident, has been performing for many years, playing guitar, banjo, mandolin, dobro, and fiddle. Currently, he is focusing on songwriting and teaching others to love and perform music.

The public is invited to attend this free program which begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Mynderse-Frederick House at 451 Route 146 in Guilderland Center. Refreshments will follow the program. For information call 518-861-8582.

Mary Ellen Johnson

President

Guilderland

Historical Society