Voices from the Mountain' descend on the Hill

    The Hill may not rival the peaks of Appalachia, but Tufts' campus will get a taste of traditional Appalachian folk music when Revels Repertory Company presents "Voices from the Mountain" this Saturday night in Cohen Auditorium.
    "Voices from the Mountain" tells the story of Olive Dame Campbell, a notable and influential collector of folk music who was born in Medford, Mass. in 1882 and graduated from Tufts University in 1903. The Boston area premiere of the musical theater performance is thus appropriately brought to the Aidekman Arts Center on campus by the Tufts University Office of Alumni Relations.
    Campbell was originally inspired to explore folk music after she journeyed to Appalachia with her husband, missionary John C. Campbell. After hearing a young girl sing "Barbara Allen" in the mountainside landscape, Campbell was immediately captivated and began conducting interviews with Appalachian residents to study folk culture. Olive Campbell's collection of songs, entitled "English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians," was published in 1917 with the help of colleague Cecil Sharp, and played an essential role in the American folk song revival of the 1960s. The Campbells eventually established the John C. Campbell School of Folk Arts, located today in Brasstown, N.C.
    The production of "Voices from the Mountain" is family-friendly and interactive, a mixture of ballads, stories, dances and games that celebrate folk culture and sound. The cast — made up of Revels Repertory Company's 40-member ensemble — includes both adults and children.
    "Voices from the Mountain" begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and will be prefaced at 7 p.m. by a free pre-performance talk by Kay Dunlap, the director of Revels Repertory Company. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for Tufts students and can be purchased online through www.revels.org.