Multimedia Programs: Online or In-Person
Ballad of America Live! multimedia programs entertain, inspire, and inform. In each of the programs, Matthew Sabatella weaves an engaging narrative through a selection of songs and historic images that illuminate a theme or story from America's past. They can be delivered at live in-person events or online via Zoom, GoToWebinar, and other platforms
Programs may be presented by Matthew Sabatella with or without the Rambling String Band.
Contact us for more information.
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Our Top 3 Programs
Celebrate the United States semiquincentennial
with our newest program!
With vocals, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, bass fiddle, and a wealth of historic American songs, Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band tell the story of the United States. This 90-minute multimedia experience includes music and images from Colonial America, the Revolution, Westward Expansion, the Abolitionist Movement, the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, the Women's Rights Movement, the World Wars, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, and more.
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-Our Signature Program-
Take a journey through time and celebrate the multicultural nature of the music of the United States. Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band perform the songs and tell the story that connects traditional folk music, spirituals, fiddle tunes, Appalachian music, ragtime, blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, bluegrass, and rock & roll. Immigrants, both voluntary and involuntary, have been carrying their musical traditions to the New World since before the United States became an independent nation. New songs and styles emerged from encounters among diverse people and the unique American experience itself. As America changed, grew, and pushed its boundaries, so did the music. Beautiful projected images enhance this fun and unique experience for all ages.
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Watch the trailer:
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This program is a completely unofficial countdown of the most beloved American folk songs of all time. You'll learn the fascinating stories behind songs you've probably known most of your life. Music from colonial times through the folk music revival of the 1950s and 60s will be included. These are songs that have been handed down, generation after generation. We have the privilege of singing them today and the responsibility of passing them on to future generations. Beautiful projected images enhance this fun and unique experience for all ages.
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The Birth of Rock & Roll
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Songs of Westward Expansion
When the American Revolution ended, the United States was just a narrow strip of land along the Atlantic Ocean. Throughout the nineteenth century, the boundaries of the country expanded as Americans pushed westward in pursuit of land, riches, and adventure. In this program, the songs of the people tell their story. With live performance and historic images, the journey begins in Colonial America and follows the paths of the pioneers, sailors, immigrants, ‘49ers, farmers, slaves, soldiers, cowboys, homesteaders, and railroaders who moved the country across the continent and into the twentieth century.
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Songs of the American Folk Music Revival
During the twentieth century, successive waves of singers and folklorists became interested in older forms of American music. The folk music revival peaked in the 1960s as the focus on traditional songs gave way to singer/songwriters who were informed by older music but wrote their own songs that addressed issues important for their generation. This program includes historic images and plenty of well-known songs by artists including Woody Guthrie, Burl Ives, The Weavers, The Kingston Trio, Odetta, Peter, Paul, & Mary, Bob Dylan, and more.
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Songs of American Workers
Music has been tied to work at least since the beginning of recorded history. People have sung songs while working. They have sung about work, working conditions, and other issues of concern to workers. This program tells the story of labor in the United States through the songs of workers and historic images. It includes the music of farmers, lumberjacks, people in slavery, indentured servants, factory workers, railroad workers, coal miners, labor unions, and more.
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Songs in the Life of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was a man of remarkable determination, compassion, honesty, humor, and melancholy. This program celebrates the 16th president of the United States through the music he cherished. From a childhood on the American frontier to a presidency that changed the course of history, Lincoln's life unfolds through historic images and music, including Old World, play party, minstrel, campaign, slave, Civil War, and sentimental songs.
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Songs from America's Wars
This program tells the story of American military engagements. It includes music and images from the American Revolution through World War II. It's perfect for Veterans Day and Memorial Day observances and may also be presented as "Tribute to American Soldiers."
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Banjo: The Story of an African American Instrument
How did the banjo, which has roots in West Africa, become a symbol of rural white America? Along the way, the instrument took center stage in America's most popular entertainment form in the mid-19th century and found a home in the Victorian parlor. With live performance, historic instruments and images, this program tells the story of the banjo from its African roots through its development in the Caribbean, early history with people in slavery in North America, growth in popularity through blackface minstrel performances, integration into dance and song traditions in Appalachia, and its role in 20th and 21st century ragtime, jazz, folk, old-time, bluegrass, country, popular, and world music.