A keynote presentation by internationally renowned musician and activist Pete Seeger and Wesleyan professor Rob Rosenthal will open the festival on Tuesday, September 11, at 7 p.m. Professor of Sociology Rob Rosenthal, in a talk entitled Playing for Change: Music in the Service of Social Movements, will introduce the festival, and pose a central question: Some say music is the soul of social movements, while others see it as--at best--entertainment between the speeches. Where does the truth lie, and how can we know?

Pete Seeger, the Man and his Music will follow Rosenthal's talk. In 60 years of singing in schools, camps, and colleges, and for unions, peace rallies, and civil rights marches, Seeger has become a national treasure and a beacon of hope for millions of people around the world. Once jailed for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1955, he was awarded the nation's highest artistic honors in 1996 when he received the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors for lifelong accomplishment. Following the presentation, Seeger will sign copies of his books, including Everybody Says Freedom, which will be available for purchase.

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At 2:15 p.m., Toshi Reagon will perform. Reagon's strong, silky alto, sexy growls, and infectious wails seduce and embrace audiences and set them off on a rapturous, hand-raising, foot-stomping delight. With a mix of rock, soul, funk, blues, and folk, Reagon creates a sound unlike any other.

The trio RIG will perform at 3:30 p.m. Youthful energy infuses the performances of this trio of musicians with deep roots in folk music. Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, grandson of Pete Seeger, Johnny Irion, great-nephew of John Steinbeck, and Sarah Lee Guthrie, granddaughter of Woody Guthrie, create a unique sound that stems from the music of the Appalachians, and the Caribbean, twanging country-western, and a pinch of rock and roll.

Singer Holly Near will perform at 4:45 p.m. One of the leaders in the cultural social- change movement, Near is an entertainer, teacher, and activist. With an unwillingness to separate her passion for music from her passion for human dignity, Near combines grace, humor, freedom, and relentless hope in her music.

Can Music Change the
World?

Pete Seeger and Thomas Mapfumo will be in
residence at Wesleyan University for Music at
Critical Junctures.

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