Search Interviews

A conversation between Robbie Fulks & Steve Dawson. This conversation was recorded at the school on June 5th, 2017. Go to www.oldtownschool.org/StoryCorps to hear selected excerpts from interviews collected as part of the StoryCorps-Old Town School partnership.

A conversation between Mateo Mulcahy and Karima Daoudi. Mateo, the current director of Old Town School's World Music Wednesday series, remembers how his involvement with the Old Town School started when he was a 14 year old punk rocker who...

Musician and musicologist Bau Graves was Executive Director of the Old Town School of Folk Music from 2007 to 2018, during which he was known for his humor, and as the director of the Mandolin Ensemble. IT director and instructor...

The story of my dad with fowl.

Erica Hymen (29) and her husband Adam Arenstein (28) talk about their relationship, how they met and what the future holds.

World-class Irish fiddler Liz Carroll talks with friend and bodhran player Mike Austin about the Irish music community in Chicago, Liz's ideas about learning music, and her time teaching at the Old Town School of Folk Music in the 1980s....

Seto You, age 92/93 or 97/98, is interviewed by his son, Ed You, age 26, about his early days in the USA. He arrived from China in 1916, worked as a cook in this country well into his 80's. He...

This is the life of my dad who has lived 76 years in Vermont and lived a humble, hardworking life!

In my interview with Joseph Wilcox (my father) we discuss many different topics from many different points in my life. We talk about things from what parks he used to play at, to how our family was almost not even...

Chicago public employee give her insights.

My grandmother and I talked about her story and her acceptance of Jesus Christ as her savior. Growing up she never really was religious however she had an experience where she started to believe in Jesus Christ. Her religion means...

Lynn shares with Sarah her experience of going to the 1965 Presidential Inauguration, of attending Northwestern in Chicago in 1965-1969 during the campus uprisings, and recognizing the importance of living in diverse places with water roots.

In this interview, conducted on November 26, 2017 in Chicago, IL. Najabelle Oscar (16) interviews her mother, Magalie (47) about her teenage years and making an impact. She shares how she loved school as a teenager and how her life...

Interviewing Dad about his life on his visit to Arcata, CA summer 2018.

Oulimata Sylla, Djibril Cisse, and Patricia Carlin, talk about Ouli’s recent arrival from Senegal to finally be reunited with her husband.

This interview was mostly me just asking Ms. Jackson some random question. About her life, growing up, Job, and etc.

Sometime in the late 1970s, Skip Landt walked into the Old Town School on Armitage to sing in the community chorus. Today he's been teaching harmonica at the school for over 30 years. Here he talks to student-turned-teacher Rick Sherry,...

My Uncle Lou grew up in the 40’s on the South Side of Chicago and was a school teacher for Chicago Public schools. This is a brief account of his childhood and pieces of his career as told by him.

Old Town School teaching artist Steve Rosen talks with his coworker and one-time fiddle student Mareva Lindo about his long tenure at the school. Steve is a member of long-running string band The Volo Bogtrotters, winner of the Midwest Fiddle...

A conversation between friends, bluegrass musicians and fellow Old Town School coworkers Colby Maddox and John Huber. Colby has been managing the Resource Center and teaching mandolin at the school since 1999. John has been working at the school since...

Raúl Fernández talks with his bandmate and mentee Camilo Rincón about Chicago's Mexican traditional music community, its connections to the Old Town School, and their experiences together as part of the group Jarochicanos. Raúl has been involved at the school...

In this interview I speak with my dad about how growing up in his family changed him as a person as well as the influence brought onto him by his mother and neighbor. We speak of family traditions, origins from...

Last one!

“My childhood was actually great!” In November of 2018, ninth grade student, Olivia Foxman interviewed her grandmother, Shelly Foxman. Olivia learns about Shelly’s admirable  childhood post World War ll. Shelly’s story starts in 1951 in Chicago, but her family's story originates...

Don Anderson discusses his childhood growing up in Chicago, what he is grateful for, and what kind of legacy he will leave to his children and grandchildren.