PRESS RELEASE: 2022 Berkeley Bluegrass Festival

(April 7, 2022 Berkeley, CA) For the sixth year, the Freight & Salvage celebrates incredible talent with the Berkeley Bluegrass Festival, April 29-May 1, 2022. This festival presents concerts programmed by Grammy-award winner Laurie Lewis and the Freight’s Artistic Director Peter Williams, plus instructional workshops curated by Laurie Lewis and Freight Education Associate Leah Wollenberg.

Lessons from the Living Room: Freight & Salvage Finds Success with Online Music Education

When Covid-19 struck and the country went into lockdown, many professional musicians faced a complete loss of income as live venues and dependable gigs shut down. The Freight responded by taking advantage of digital tools to meet the changing needs of the music community. The pivot to online classes at the Freight supported our teaching musicians as they found their feet with digital instruction.

PRESS RELEASE: Hewlett Foundation Announces Largest Ever Commissions in Folk and Traditional Arts

New Round of Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions honors world-class artists steeped in diverse cultural traditions. Iranian singer and musician Mahsa Vahdat, in collaboration with Freight and Salvage, has been commissioned to create and perform an evening-length song cycle set to interwoven classical and contemporary Persian texts.

Freight & Salvage gives $60,000 to Bay Area musicians during pandemic crisis

Freight & Salvage, the West Coast Home of traditional music since 1968, has distributed 60 grants of $1,000 to individual Bay Area musicians to assist during the global COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Normally the cultural institution presents concerts seven nights a week from its state-of-the-art, 450-seat listening room in downtown Berkeley; however the venue has been closed since March 12, 2020 due to the pandemic.