“Rock & Reel: Monticello’s Folk Traditions” at Court Street Baptist Church

The Juneteenth performance “Rock & Reel: Monticello’s Folk Traditions,” will explore the musical and storytelling gifts and achievements of enslaved people of Monticello, primarily many members and descendants of the Hemings family.

Their music was played almost entirely by ear, and was appreciated for its liveliness and excitement. Beverly, Madison and Eston Hemings, were the three sons of Thomas Jefferson and his enslaved chambermaid, Sally Hemings, who lived to adulthood. All three were known to have been accomplished folk fiddlers who contributed to the musical life of Monticello, Jefferson’s home near Charlottesville, VA, and later in the wider world. All three sons were born enslaved — and all were living as free men by the time they were 25.