Nest of Singing Birds Ballad Swap Concert

Join us on Saturday, May 17 at 7 p.m. for a Nest of Singing Birds Ballad Swap concert gathering. The Nest of Singing Birds Ballad Swap, hosted by eighth-generation ballad singer Donna Ray Norton, celebrates Appalachian heritage. This informal gathering offers a glimpse into an age-old practice, bringing together singers from across the region to share stories and songs passed down through generations.

Madison County’s rich ballad legacy led English folk song collector Cecil Sharp to describe it as a “nest of singing birds” in 1916. This unique custom, spanning more than nine generations, represents one of the oldest unbroken oral traditions in the U.S. Following Hurricane Helene’s devastation of their hometown, the Nest of Singing Birds has been traveling their regular ballad swap at the Old Marshall Jail to raise awareness of the practice’s fragility and the region it depends on.

Rolling Stone Feature on Nest of Singing Birds (March 2025): “The North Carolina collective Nest of Singing Birds have been performing centuries-old mountain songs to raise climate crisis awareness and preserve a cultural tradition.”

Donna Ray Norton in Oxford American (Dec 2023): “If Adams is the reigning queen of the Sodom Laurel ballad scene, then Donna Ray Norton is its emboldened lady-in-waiting.”