Institute of Musical Traditions

Institute of Musical Traditions IMT presents folk music events at various venues in Montgomery County, Md. 1. This includes school educational outreach through music videos and lesson plans.

Mission - The Institute of Musical Traditions (IMT) is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization which preserves and promotes folk music traditions, and nurtures new music styles evolving from these cultural roots, by presenting concerts, workshops, and educational programs.

2. Cause - Founded in 1981 by David Eisner, IMT provides the Washington DC regional community with a venue where trad

itional music from the United States and around the world can be showcased and explained, with audience participation encouraged. Through in-person concerts, professional videos of live performances, and hands-on instrumental workshops, traditional music is preserved and passed on to younger generations.

3. Goals -
1) To present public performances featuring a broad range of music genres, dance, and storytelling, with special emphasis on American folk and International cultural traditions, in order to foster a greater awareness and appreciation of folk music and the arts in general. IMT presented 25-30 in-person concerts each year and 2-5 instrumental workshops before COVID-19. After in-person concerts were cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, IMT hosted streaming concerts starting in April 2020 and continuing into 2021.
2) To record and disseminate high quality and ethnically diverse cultural musical performances, workshops, and instructional videos to a broad range of audiences. Our concert performance videos are available online for national and international viewing.
3) To preserve and promote traditional music as a tool to serve as educational and community building resources. In 2018 and 2019, IMT partnered with Melodic Planet to produce and record traditional music videos with lesson plans for grade school students.
4) To financially support touring, national, and international artists in traditional music. All our artists, whether performing at in-person or online concerts, are paid.

06/23/2026

Tonight at 7pm ET in Takoma Park, MD - the SPARK presents The Raven and The Remedy at tonight's open mic! Signup til the music starts at 7pm. The evening is free, but if we have a featured artist we hope that you can support them by tipping or purchasing merch, and we solicit donations for food and snacks! This week w featured artist The Raven and The Remedy: Award-winning songwriters Leah Kaufman & Janet Buehler mix equal parts silly and sublime with a twist of kickass harmony. Their songs tug at your heart, catch your ear, and make you laugh aloud, often in a single song. Whether it's the story of Dorothy after Oz, or being seduced by a pumpkin spice latte, The Raven & The Remedy sing you from laughter to sorrow and back again.

https://www.facebook.com/events/991461696820733

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06/20/2026

Tickets are still available online for Karen Ashbrook's new album release till 2pm!!! After that you've got to get them at the door!
Join Karen Ashbrook on hammered dulcimer with Sophie Chang on cello and Paul Oorts on harp guitar, cittern, and 10-string classical guitar for an IMT concert including music from Karen's new recording "Hands of the Healer–Gentle Music for the Spirit." The music represents her 50-year journey of travels with the dulcimer, with music from 5 continents and also lush contemporary compositions. It will be will be live streamed as well.
Tickets and info at www.imtfolk.org

06/18/2026

TOMORROW in Silver Spring - tickets are still available for Karen Ashbrook's new album release!!!
Join Karen Ashbrook on hammered dulcimer with Sophie Chang on cello and Paul Oorts on harp guitar, cittern, and 10-string classical guitar for an IMT concert including music from Karen's new recording "Hands of the Healer–Gentle Music for the Spirit." The music represents her 50-year journey of travels with the dulcimer, with music from 5 continents and also lush contemporary compositions. It will be will be live streamed as well.
Tickets and info at www.imtfolk.org

06/17/2026

Friday night in Silver Spring:
Join Karen Ashbrook on hammered dulcimer with Sophie Chang on cello and Paul Oorts on harp guitar, cittern, and 10-string classical guitar for an IMT concert including music from Karen's new recording "Hands of the Healer–Gentle Music for the Spirit." The music represents her 50-year journey of travels with the dulcimer, with music from 5 continents and also lush contemporary compositions. It will be will be live streamed as well.

Seven Days (and 7 hours) till Karen Ashbrook's album release in Silver Spring, MD!Join Karen Ashbrook on hammered dulcim...
06/12/2026

Seven Days (and 7 hours) till Karen Ashbrook's album release in Silver Spring, MD!
Join Karen Ashbrook on hammered dulcimer with Sophie Chang on cello and Paul Oorts on harp guitar, cittern, and 10-string classical guitar for an IMT concert including music from Karen's new recording "Hands of the Healer–Gentle Music for the Spirit." The music represents her 50-year journey of travels with the dulcimer, with music from 5 continents and also lush contemporary compositions. It will be will be live streamed as well.
Tickets are still available at imtfolk.org

06/10/2026

Fri 6/19 in Silver Spring MD : Join Karen Ashbrook on hammered dulcimer with Sophie Chang on cello and Paul Oorts on harp guitar, cittern, and 10-string classical guitar for an IMT concert including music from Karen's new recording "Hands of the Healer–Gentle Music for the Spirit." The music represents her 50-year journey of travels with the dulcimer, with music from 5 continents and also lush contemporary compositions. It will be will be live streamed as well.
Tickets and info at imtfolk.org

06/09/2026

Tuesday night open mics at Takoma Spark.
School of Musical Traditions | 7112 Willow Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912 | signup before the music starts at 7pm – list is drawn randomly throughout the night (but please talk to the host with scheduling constraints – we’ll try to be fair and understanding to everyone but know this is generally a well-attended evening running to 10.30pm or beyond!). The evening is free, but if we have a featured artist we hope that you can support them by tipping or purchasing merch, and we solicit donations for food and snacks!

This week w featured artist Russ Mason: Russ is both a songwriter and a song collector who's been performing for over fifty years, first at colleges in Illinois, then on stage at many of Nashville's well known music venues, including The Bluebird Cafe, Douglas Corner, and the Exit/In, and more recently in the Portland, ME area.

Upcoming Featured Artists include: 6/16 w Greg Svitl, 6/30 w Jeff Miller, 7/14 w Quiet the Mountain, 7/21 w guest host Joey Campfire…

Sponsored in conjunction with Institute of Musical Traditions AT School of Musical Traditions, down the street from HOUSE of Musical Traditions, this is a rare thing : a small LISTENING ROOM open mic. Parking is free but limited in our lot, watch the signs for street parking!

This is NOT a restaurant so bring your own food or NON-ALCOHOLIC drink if you want to eat or drink! We have some snacks and drinks available for a reasonable donation. We have a house keyboard, but it’s a small space, unable to support acts larger than a quartet, no drumkits please. 2 songs, 10 minutes, 1 pun – whichever’s shorter. Ostensibly family-friendly.

Address

10332 Parkman Road
Takoma Park, MD
20903

Telephone

+13019603655

Website

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