Ethno USA

JM International (JMI), Folk Alliance International (FAI) and the North Carolina Folk Festival announce their third year of partnership to bring the global international musical exchange program, Ethno USA, to the North Carolina Folk Festival in Greensboro in September 2025. Ethno has been established in the U.S. since 2019 via a partnership between JM International and Folk Alliance International (FAI).

Ethno USA 2025 will welcome 30 musicians from around the world (between the ages of 18-30 years old) along with 4 artistic mentors for an 11-day residency where the group will create a repertoire of traditional songs from around the world played by a unique ‘Ethnorchestra’, comprising musicians and instrumentation that change each year based on recruitment.

Participating musicians will get to experience a vast diversity of musical traditions both from the U.S. and other parts of the world. Together they will arrange 10-12 songs from as many different countries and cultures. At Ethno, participants bring with them a song or a piece of music which they teach to the group through a series of workshops during the 11-day residency creating an exciting repertoire that will be performed at the NC Folk Festival. All teaching at Ethno is peer-led and collaborative. There will also be plenty of opportunities to share music, cultural traditions and jam all night long. 

The residency culminates in 2 mainstage performances at the NC Folk Festival on Friday, September 12th and Saturday, September 13th. These performances will be recorded live by veteran recording engineer and L.A.-based producer Barry Goldberg. On Sunday, September 14th, Ethno USA will present a country delegation-led performance that will showcase traditional, original and newly-arranged songs created during the residency.