This was a fascinating hour of conversation and music facilitated by Dr. Gibb Schreffler at Pomona College between Alex Meixner (accordion) and Sandra Wong (nyckelharpa). All three participants were undergraduate students together at Ithaca College in the mid-1990s and have been out of touch for over 20 years. Finding familiar grounds between our different folk music traditions, academic experiences, and travels in the music business made for an interesting session.
Meixner and Wong trade stories from their unique journeys to becoming multi-instrumental recording artists, touring performers, educators, and cultural ambassadors. Throughout the event, they “trade tunes,” sharing favorite pieces on the instruments through whose traditions they have made their mark on the American musical landscape.