Join us for a special children’s music concert on Saturday, July 9th at 5:30 p.m. on the World Stage in the Peace Corps Festival program area on the National Mall!

Each year, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival holds a special evening concert in honor of the Festival’s co-founder, Ralph Rinzler (1934-1994) and a key person with whom he collaborated.  The Rinzler Memorial Concert this year pays tribute to his wife, Kate Rinzler (1937-2010), and her involvement in children’s education, using art and folklore to teach about social issues. We celebrate Mrs. Rinzler’s legacy with a program dedicated to children’s music and games, featuring children’s songwriters Elizabeth Mitchell, Suni Paz, Chip Taylor and the Grandkids, and others.

Elizabeth Mitchell will be making her Festival debut, and has recorded two albums for Smithsonian Folkways, Sunny Day, and You Are My Little Bird.

Suni Paz is a returning Festival performer, and she has recorded many albums for Smithsonian Folkways, including From the Sky of My Childhood; Earth and Ocean songs: Canciones del Mar y de la Tierra; Canciones Para el Recreo: Children’s Songs for the Playground;  and Bandera Mia: Songs of Argentina.

Chip Taylor and the Grandkids will also be making their debut on the National Mall, performing songs from their upcoming Smithsonian Folkways album, Golden Kids Rules.

Van Luong is the festival blogger for the 2011 Folklife Festival.