Skip Landt & Rick Sherry

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,...

Liz Carroll & Mike Austin

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....

Steve Rosen & Mareva Lindo

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...

Getting To Know The Person You Know Best

Did you ever wonder what your parents were like before you came along? On November 26, 2017, at the age of 15, Topper Guild interviewed his mother, Toni Kotite, about her childhood and how that influenced her choice of career....

Grandpa’s life

We talked about his life, and what he was like growing up. Also, about war-life and his friends and comrade-in-arm during the war.

Eric Zorn & Mary Schmich

Friends and Chicago Tribune columnists Mary Schmich and Eric Zorn talk about their memories at the school, from taking lessons to co-founding the long-running holiday showcase and singalong, Songs of Good Cheer. This interview was recorded at the Old Town...

Adjusting to a foreign land

Nicholas “Nicky” Weinstock had jumped headfirst into an entirely new civilization, with no knowledge of the language or culture. Nicky’s son, Lincoln Weinstock, interviews him about his experience in Africa. Nicky tells about his near-death malaria experience, what it was...

A Ukrainian Immigrant’s Cultural Journey

Over Thanksgiving of 2019, Mia Chuma (15) and her 76-year-old grandmother, Kwitoslava Saluk Paschyn, conversed about Kwitoslava’s journey to America. Mia’s grandmother reflects on her past, how she escaped Ukraine with her parents due to religious and cultural persecution. Reminiscing...

Love, Riots, and Violence, at USC

Ann Garrett, from Clovis, California, in her junior year of USC, 1992, was put into the middle of the Rodney King riots. It is a firsthand story of someone stuck in a violent protest. Interviewed by Luke Garrett, 14, her...

The Boat To a New Cluture

On November 24th in Los Angeles California, 14-year-old Jason Marounian interviewed his dad, Arthur Marounian. Arthur Marounian was an immigrant from Lebanon. He came to America because of the civil war in 1983. When Arthur was a kid he played...

Michael O’Toole & Mike Blackburn

Michael O'Toole and Mike Blackburn share memories of how they first got into playing music and how they became involved with Old Town School of Folk Music. This conversation was recorded at the school on October 21st, 2017. Go to...