Old Town School Of Folk Music To Debut World Music TV Series

By Katie Karpowicz in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 14, 2013 9:00PM

Photo courtesy of The Old Town School of Folk Music

On April 19, the Old Town School of Folk Music will debut its new world music-focused television program "Musicology: Live From The Old Town School Of Folk Music" on Chicago PBS affiliate WYCC (Channel 20).

Part televised concert series, part documentary, "Musicology" will feature performances filmed at the Old Town School by renowned international artists handpicked by the school’s community projects director Mateo Mulcahy. The hour-long episodes will also feature a 10-minute interview-based backstory on each artist.

Though none of the artists selected for the inaugural season are locally based, Mulcahy is sure the series will have a lasting effect on Chicago’s music scene.

“This show is incredibly important for Chicago,” Mulcahy told Chicagoist. “It’s a great thing because we’re putting the city on the map as a hot spot for world music and culture”

Now three years in the making, the 13-part series has a strong possibility of airing beyond Chicago in the foreseeable future. Mulcahy recounted being approached by WYCC producers after the success of Old Town’s “World Music Wednesdays” concert series began to take hold.

“The intention has been to create something to put on the national platform to air across all of the PBS stations,” Mulcahy said of "Musicology." With a stacked lineup from Creole choirs to soulful Cajuns, the program certainly has the potential draw for such a large audience. That’s no coincidence though.

"I picked artists in the series that have an extraordinary backstory,” explained Mulcahy. “There are no duds. These are all artists with a really rich history.”

Filming is already underway, but tickets are still available for many of the concerts that will be filmed in the future. A full schedule of the filming dates can be found on the OTSFM’s website.