Projects
Photo by Rick Barnwell
This duo brings a fresh take to Irish music, pairing traditional fiddle melodies with old time two-fingered banjo. Drawing inspiration from the Celtic traditions that Sarah grew up with in Boston and the old-time and folk scene that Jonathan calls home in Baltimore, the pair explores the space at the intersection of these musical styles. The music they create together is first and foremost about groove, and plays with the balance of lightness, sensitivity, and grounding.
Sarah Collins & Jonathan Vocke
Kate Gregory, Sarah Collins, Summer McCall and Brendan Hearn co-founded Ministry of Folk (with tech help from Jackson Clawson) in April 2020. Photo by Louise Bichan.
When the world shut down in March 2020, we were devastated to see so many friends lose months of income as tours were canceled, tickets refunded, hotel rooms and plane tickets rendered unnecessary. The cost was not just financial: with these cancellations, our community lost many opportunities to gather to share music, to derive inspiration and joy from one another through concerts and workshops and jam sessions.
In April of 2020, we set out to create an online environment that could provide teaching and performance opportunities for the folk music community during the COVID-19 pandemic. We came to love attending virtual concerts and playing along with weekly virtual sessions, and we tried to keep our community strong.
We built the Ministry of Folk platform to stay connected—to build relationships, share ideas and tunes, and support music that feeds our souls—despite the physical distance. Since 2020, we’ve maintained a community of 125+ folk musicians and hundreds of patrons who support their success.
Every fall, we take the virtual to the personal and gather as a group in Mohnton, PA for an artist retreat we lovingly call Ministry of Folk Outdoors. Get in touch if you’re interested in joining us!
Ministry of Folk
Baltimore is home to a thriving arts and music scene, and also happens to be my new home! In September 2023, Richard Osban and I launched the Baltimore Folk Club, a monthly concert series focused on bringing traditional and folk musicians to play for Baltimore audiences. The shows we produce have the intimate vibe of a house concert, but are located in small venues around Baltimore. We are working with St. Luke’s Church on the Avenue in Hampden, the Four Hour Day Lutherie in Lauraville, and hope to host a show at the Amaranthine Museum in the new year.