Special Events
odd: label: Introduction
content: Each year the Festival holds a special evening concert to honor both its co-founder Ralph Rinzler (1934–1994) and a key person with whom he collaborated. The 2011 Ralph Rinzler Memorial Concert paid tribute to his wife, Kate. For many years during Ralph's tenure as director of the Festival, Kate was his confidante and worked closely by his side.

A dancer, choreographer, and artist, Kate used art to teach children about social issues. And children's folklore - their art and their games - became a major theme in her life. In 1974, she created a section of the Festival dedicated to children's folklore. Kate invited storytellers, musicians, and other tradition bearers such as Bessie Jones from the Georgia Sea Islands, Alison McMorland from Scotland, Paul Ofori-Ansah with his African games, and Stu Jamieson with Appalachian traditions to work with children on the National Mall. A series of films was produced on children's games and distributed through the Smithsonian Office of Museum Programs. While Kate directed the children's section of the Festival from 1974 to 1979, she solidified the concept of children's activities as a core theme for the Festival. In the years since then, children's programming has always been part of the Festival, and we have Kate to thank for that.

After Ralph's passing, Kate coordinated the annual Ralph Rinzler Memorial Concert for a number of years until she sold their long-time Washington home and moved west to Prescott, Arizona. During her final years she worked as an artist, mainly in the medium of batik, and found a wonderful new community of friends. She lost a long battle with cancer on Christmas Day 2010. In her memory, the 2011 Rinzler Concert featured artists who shared her commitment to children: Elizabeth Mitchell and Suni Paz. Mitchell, who has recorded two albums for Smithsonian Folkways, made her Festival debut, while renowned Argentinean songwriter-singer Suni Paz, who recorded several albums for Smithsonian Folkways, returned to the Festival after many years.
label: Participants
content: RALPH RINZLER MEMORIAL CONCERT: REMEMBERING KATE RINZLER

Elizabeth Mitchell  -- Elizabeth MitchellNancy ChusidDaniel Littleton, 1969-, Woodstock, New YorkElizabeth Mitchell, 1968-, Woodstock, New YorkStorey Littleton, 2001-, Woodstock, New York

Suni Paz, 1935-, Henderson, Nevada

Chip Taylor and the Grandkids  -- Chip Taylor and the GrandkidsKate Ennis, 2000-, Riverside, ConnecticutRiley Ennis, 1998-, Riverside, ConnecticutSamantha Ennis, 2003-, Riverside, ConnecticutAnthony Leone, 1969-, Brooklyn, New YorkAnthony Mercadante, 1946-, White Plains, New YorkJohn PlataniaJames Voight [Chip Taylor]
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
setName: label: See more items in
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
identifier: label: Identifier
content: CFCH.SFF.2011, Series 5
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials