Tom Jolin plays traditional American music, mixing vocals with the hammer dulcimer, banjo, button accordion, harmonica and more. He has produced eight recordings.

BRADY TWP — Slippery Rock University’s Old Stone House will present Civil War Era Music, an evening of historical stories and song with award-winning performer Thomas Jolin at 4 p.m. June 7.

Jolin will perform on hammered dulcimer, button accordion, harmonica and banjo, playing Civil War-era songs like “Lincoln and Liberty,” “Battle Cry of Freedom” and “No More Auction Block.” He will discuss the origins of the songs and instruments.

The trauma of the Civil War produced a tremendous amount of music as the nation mourned and sought relief from the death of more than 600,000 Americans. Songs about soldiers’ lives, domestic scenes, minstrel traditions and the fight to end slavery will offer insight into what it was like to live during that time.

“The Old Stone House sounds like my type of venue to play. I’m grateful.” Jolin said. “It’s a great setting for this type of performance.”

The event is made possible by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council’s Commonwealth Speakers program, which offers humanities-based presentations to nonprofit organizations across the state. This Commonwealth Speakers program is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Jolin has been performing traditional American songs since 1978. In 2007, he was the Arts for a Lifetime speaker for the Adams County Arts Council and is a founding member of the West Ortanna String Band, a six-man ensemble specializing in old-time string band music from Southern Appalachia. He is a rostered artist for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and has served as an artist-in-residence at more than 70 school programs. For more about Jolin, visit his website: www.thomasjolin.com/home.

Admission is free. Seating is limited. Reservations are recommended; call 724-738-4964, or e-mail at oldstonehouse@sru.edu.

The Old Stone House, a reconstructed 1822 stagecoach tavern and history museum, is owned and managed by Slippery Rock University. 

The house is located in Brady Township at the intersection of Routes 8, 173 and 528, 12 miles north of Butler.