BYUs Mountain Strings preserves folk traditions, connects cultures

BYUs Mountain Strings ensemble filled the recital hall with music from around the world Wednesday during a performance celebrating the College of Fine Arts 100th anniversary.

There's kind of something special about it and something that really, I feel like, resonates with ... people's inner soul, Camryn Porter, a flutist and vocalist in the ensemble, said.

Folk music in the United States draws from traditions brought by immigrants from Europe as well as communities across the country. For generations, the music was passed down orally before recording technology existed.

It's kind of this history that only exists in people, and if we don't pay attention, it's going to kind of die on us, and so I think it's important because I feel like a lot of people, if they actually listen to it, they do enjoy folk music, Porter said.

Mountain Strings tours with BYUs Folk Dance Ensemble, originally formed to provide live accompaniment for competitions.

When we go on tour in the summertime, we become strictly an American group, Mark Geslisen, Mountain Strings director, said.

The value of the opportunity to share American culture with the rest of the world is not lost on members. Madeline Xu, a vocalist and pianist in the ensemble, said the experience allows them to connect with musicians from around the world.

We get to represent BYU and the U.S. and interact with musicians and dancers from different groups from around the world and I love hanging out with these groups and talking with them and really connecting through music. I get to learn from their music styles and make real friends on a totally different side of the world, Xu said.

In celebration of other cultures, Mountain Strings performs songs from Ireland, Scotland, France, Macedonia and more. At Wednesdays event, Xu herself sang in five different languages.

Mountain Strings is an audition-only class and is open to non-music majors. Geslisen noted that there is currently only one music major in the group.

I feel like, as flute players especially, often it's either we're in a solo, or we're in such a big ensemble that there's not really the sense of community or family that you get with this one. And so it's really nice to have that, Porter said.

The group recently traveled to a conference in North Carolina, where bluegrass music has a strong presence. Porter recalled how an impromptu ensemble formed on the trip one day with people from all around the world.

I just remember it was sunny outside, and we all just got in a circle. And originally, it was just a banjo player and a fiddler. And then some more people, like our accordion player from our group, joined in, and then a few other fiddlers. And then I got in the action, too. And it's just like, you can cue each other and whatnot, Porter said.

At the same conference, the ensemble learned from North Carolina natives just how different the music can be county to county. The bowing of a fiddle could vary just a few miles away.

I just wish people would gravitate this way and learn more about the depth of American music. Just that one little region of the Appalachian Mountains is amazing, Geslisen said.

More information about upcoming performances is available on the ensembles Instagram page.