Music

Examines both the continuity and the changes that have affected Irish traditional music since the turn of the century. Using New York City as the focus, this video mixes historical photographs and film footage with contemporary interviews and performances.

Tells the story of Joe Hill (1879-1915), a Swedish immigrant to America who became a songwriter, cartoonist and labor organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and whose 1915 execution by the state of Utah for a crime he probably did not commit transformed him into a martyr for the labor movement and an international folk hero.

Features the musical traditions and verbal recollections of eight retired African-American railroad track laborers, whose occupational folk songs were once heard along the railroad lines that crisscross the South.

Examines the dangers of hearing loss from listening to or performing loud music, featuring interviews with American and European rock musicians as well as rock music fans, sound engineers and audiologists.

This feature-length video features Harold Hayslett, a retired pipefitter and master builder of violins and cellos, and documents in fascinating detail, from start to finish, the entire process of his construction of a cello.

This biographial profile of a woman whose career has successfully combined gospel and popular music moves from smoky clubs to a Sweet Inspirations reunion concert, from nostalgic gospel singing with The Drinkard Singers to a sold-out concert with Cissy's daughter Whitney.

Examines the cultural and political history of plena, a Puerto Rican musical blend of African and Spanish rhythms, featuring great performers of the past and contemporary attempts to preserve plena.

Portrays a summer bagpipe school in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where piping enthusiasts from all over North America gather to learn the craft and music of the traditional instrument of the Scottish highlands.

Captures the spirit and charm of the legacy of Elvis Presley by accompanying a fan through Elvis country, from Tupelo, Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee. The video visits his birthplace and other shrines of Presleydom, meets people who were associated with Elvis, plus his adoring fans and impersonators.

This music and dance spectacular, sung and danced by members of the award-winning Beija Flor Samba School and photographed during the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, dramatizes the legend of genesis according to Yoruba mythology.

Profiles Roy Smeck, a former vaudeville star known as "The Wizard of the Strings" because of his virtuoso talents on the guitar, banjo, ukelele and Hawaiian guitar, and who is shown to be still active, in his mid-80s, teaching students and giving occasional public performances.

A colorful and entertaining survey of protest music in Central America, from Mexico City to Managua, where popular music has become a forum for social commentary and political protest.

A documentary portrait of Andrew F. Boarman, a 78-year-old West Virginia instrument maker and musician, featuring a number of lively musical performances and an illustration of Boarman's skills as a master craftsman of banjos, guitars, fiddles, and dulcimers.

This cinema-verite documentary explores the realities of life as a classical musician through the story of Hexagon, a newly-formed chamber ensemble. The documentary chronicles their challenging first year and a half, from the group's seemingly casual first rehearsal to its high-pressure launching into the mainstream of the classical music scene.

Chronicles the 1987 U.S. tour by the National Symphony Orchestra of the People's Republic of China, including interviews with conductor Zuohuang Chen, a survivor of the Cultural Revolution who studied music in the U.S., Chen's mentor, Seiji Ozawa, director of the Boston Symphony, plus stirring performances of both Western and Chinese music.

Hosted and narrated by singer Linda Ronstadt, this entertaining and informative look at ethnic music in America offers a rich sampling of the nation's culturally diverse musical styles, featuring performances of Irish, Greek, African-American, Jewish, Central Asian, Chinese and Puerto Rican music.

Takes us to the heart of the Andes to capture the atmosphere of the annual music festivals, showing ceremonies of the Aymara Indians who dress as devils, bears and sacred spirits that come to life at carnival time.

This behind-the-scenes documentary chronicles the collaborative efforts of young composer Peter Lieberson, pianist Peter Serkin, and conductor Seiji Ozawa as they shape Lieberson's first orchestral piece for debut by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

This contemporary portrait of folkloric traditions in Cuba, focusing on the everyday life of musicians and dancers.

This concert, performed at the elegant 18th-century Dublin residence of the American Ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith, features tenor James W. Flannery, accompanied by pianist William Ransom and harpist Cormac DeBarra, who perform a wide range of Irish favorites, including traditional melodies.