Press Kit
"Through their singing and their reverence for the whole context of these songs, Elizabeth and Elsa bring Appalachian ballad singing into the present day, finding new relevance and meaning in the form for 2023."
-Katy Clune, State Folklorist
Elsa Howell
Elsa Howell (they/she) is a writer and musician from Roanoke who completed their BA in English Literature at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. Elsa grew up surrounded by music and began singing at a young age, winning ribbons in the youth folk song competition at the Mount Airy Bluegrass & Old-Time Fiddlers Convention and other regional festivals. In their essay “Home is the Sound of Rivers and Crooked Roads,” Elsa writes: “My dad brought me into the world of old-time music. He taught me everything I know about guitar and he never ceased to encourage me. He has always been my biggest fan, from practice sessions in the living room to accompanying me on stage.”
At age 8, Elsa met the ballad singer Elizebeth LaPrelle at a school performance. For Elsa, Appalachian ballad singing combines two loves: poetry and music. In 2022–2023, Elsa apprenticed with Elizabeth in the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, honing her singing skills and learning a repertoire of traditional Appalachian ballads.
Practiced with reverence for the women singers and teachers before and beside them, the tradition is also a feminist practice for Elsa. “I am grateful for the way that Elizabeth holds those values while teaching,” Elsa shared. “If there is a way that I can further the understanding and the power of women in history and bring that into the present, then I am doing my job as a feminist and as a kid who’s trying to find my place.”
-Katy Clune, Virginia Humanities
Original Music Sample
Live Performance Sample
