About Us

The University of Alberta, in collaboration with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, is developing a major initiative with folkwaysAlive! by creating a national centre of musical and cultural excellence — a centre that invites distinguished local and visiting musicians and artists to present lectures and workshops; a centre that attracts scholarly interest from accross the continent and around the world.

This new initiative builds on the Moses and Frances Asch Collection of Folkways Recordings, one of the greatest record collections of world and folk music ever assembled. The complete collection is held only by the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Alberta.

Home to folkwaysAlive!, the University of Alberta’s Canadian Centre for Ethnomusicology is a major centre for research into the music and folk traditions of the diverse cultures of Alberta and western Canada, as well as cultures around the world. The Centre collaborates with music communities, brings together scholars, students, musicians and others in performances, workshops, and recordings.