Saturdays at 8:00 pm
Put yourself in the room where live folk music thrives
Folkstage is a one-hour concert series featuring the finest traditional and singer-songwriter talent in folk music. Each year, some two dozen concerts come to you live from local venues or WFMT's studio. Previous live performers include Dom Flemons, Connie Kaldor, Bonnie Koloc, Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards, Jim & Susie Malcolm, Abby Posner, and many more. Additional episodes feature selections from 45 years of archival performances, including from the Old Town School of Folk Music. Become a Folkstage supporter today.
You might also like The Midnight Special, a thematic mix of folk music and more every Saturday night from 9 pm to midnight after Folkstage.
Folkstage is available for free streaming in two different ways – live during the broadcast and on demand via the rights-compliant 5-hour, non-interactive player below within two weeks of the broadcast.
Ariane Lydon From the Archives
June 6, 2026, 8:00 pm
Music wafts like a summer breeze through a greening garden in a 2005 performance by Ariane Lydon.
Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem – From the Archives
May 30, 2026
Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem kept listeners on their toes in a 2001 performance that ranged from Appalachian traditional tunes to Tin Pan Alley gems to their own finely crafted original songs, all played with skill and verve.
Bob Dylan’s Birthday
May 23, 2026
To celebrate Bob Dylan’s 85th birthday this weekend, we’ll sample artists’ covers of his songs – and other songs – performed over the years on Folkstage.
Sky Smeed Live on WFMT
May 16, 2026
Raised in a one-room schoolhouse in Kansas, Sky Smeed balances humor, heart, and honesty in highly original songs delivered with a sweet voice and deft guitar work. He makes his Folkstage debut.
“Weavermania” From the Archives
May 9, 2026
Torchbearers for a unique collaboration, a look back at “Weavermania” from a 2001 concert with Mark Dvorak alongside Michael Smith, Barbara Barrow, and Tom Dundee of treasured memory.
Susan Werner Live from Acoustic Renaissance
May 2, 2026
Chicago’s renowned Susan Werner plays Acoustic Renaissance Concerts in Hinsdale. The concert is sold out, but Folkstage brings it to you live. Need we say more?
Tom Paxton & Janis Ian From the Archives
April 25, 2026
One night in 2015 at Old Town School of Folk Music, Tom Paxton and Janis Ian performed as a trio with guitarist Robin Bullock. All the hilarity and tenderness was captured for WFMT’s Folkstage.
Emma’s Revolution Live from Acoustic Renaissance
April 18, 2026
Pat Humphries & Sandy Opatow are Emma’s Revolution, the award-winning activist duo known for fearless, truth-telling lyrics and infectious, singable melodies. Fun fact: Pete Seeger sang at their wedding! Open to the public at Acoustic Renaissance Concerts (Hinsdale). Music begins at 7PM. Broadcast at 8.
James Lee Stanley Live from St. Tim’s
April 11, 2026
California song man James Lee Stanley’s Chicago connections go back to the 1970s with close ties to Corky Siegel and Michael Smith and lifelong collaborations with the crème de la crème of singers, writers, and players such as Mike Lindauer who joins him tonight on Folkstage live from St. Tim’s at Ascension Church in Northfield. Open to the public. Concert ...
The Maxwell St. Klezmer Band on Folkstage from the Archives
April 4, 2026
In 2024, The Maxwell Street Klezmer band played a rare Passover music concert with special guest vocalist, Cantor Pavel Roytman before a live studio audience at WFMT.
Tracy Schwarz & Ginny Hawker on Folkstage from the Archives
March 28, 2026
The renowned traditionalist Ginny Hawker, her late husband Tracy Schwarz of New Lost City Ramblers fame, and the late Debra Clifford filled the air with ancient tones in this 2004 concert.
Abigail Washburn on Folkstage from the Archives
March 21, 2026
An adventurous evening of music with banjo phenom Abigail Washburn accompanied by famed fiddler Rayna Gellert and their ensemble recorded in 2011.
Folkstage Highlights from the Archives
March 14, 2026
Folkstage highlights of 2025 including performances from the members-only pre-concert sets by artists such as Miles & Mafale, Bobcat Opossum, Jason Wilber, Howard Levy, Anne Harris, Dan Boling, Sam Robbins and more during our Spring Membership Drive.
James Keelaghan LIVE from Acoustic Renaissance
March 7, 2026
Elite Canadian songwriter James Keelaghan, famed for ballads like “Cold Missouri Water,” goes live on the air from Acoustic Renaissance in Hinsdale. With David Woodhead. Open to the public. Concert at 7PM, broadcast at 8PM.
Delmark Records All-Stars from the Archives
February 28, 2026
Jimmy Burns & The Delmark Records Allstars with Tony Palmer and Jon McDonald played a memorable set in 2023 to mark the 70th anniversary of Chicago’s longest-lived jazz and blues label.
John McCutcheon from the Archives
February 21, 2026
On the eve of George Washington’s birthday, we reprise a John McCutcheon performance from February 2003. He fills the hour with masterful playing, slyly engaging storytelling, and a distinctively American voice.
Naomi Ashley & Jon Williams LIVE from St. Tim’s new venue
February 14, 2026
“Love Bugs” Naomi Ashley and Jon Williams play live on Valentine’s Day at St. Tim’s Coffeehouse new location, Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Northfield. Music starts at 7PM, live broadcast at 8PM. Come be part of the show!
Walter Parks LIVE at WFMT
February 7, 2026
St. Louis-based songwriter Walter Parks serves up music with grit. His songs are the main course, seasoned with his famed guitar playing and spiced up with his southern roots.
Jim Bizer LIVE at WFMT
January 31, 2026
Jim Bizer travels from the shores of Lake Saint Clare near Detroit, Michigan, to the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago to play his witty, winsome, and wise songs on Folkstage.
Donna Herula from the Archives
January 24, 2026
In 2023, award-winning Chicago acoustic blues artist Donna Herula brought her trio to perform live in the Fay and Daniel Levin Performance Studio. Tony Wittrock and Marc Edelstein added their joy to the blues.
Rev. Robert B. Jones & Matt Watroba from the Archives
January 17, 2026
On a wintry night in 2021, Rev. Robert B. Jones and Matt Watroba traveled from Detroit to Hinsdale, Illinois, to perform on Folkstage live from Acoustic Renaissance Concerts. Feel the warmth on this rebroadcast.
