On today's episode, Jason talks with Cody Ebright-Jones about The Stephen Foster Story, a musical performed outdoors during the summer months in Bardstown, Kentucky. Cody is an independent scholar with a recent PhD in Musicology from the University of Michigan and studies the intersections of music, race, and history in the United States. As we discuss, The Stephen Foster Story is a complex, evolving mosaic that reflects contemporary attitudes about race in popular culture as much as it does the history of early American popular music.

To learn more about the show and the book, visit our website at: www.StephenFosterAt200.com.

On today's episode, Jennie talks with Renee Lapp Norris, Professor of Music at Lebanon Valley College. Renee researches blackface minstrelsy and performance. She defines and challenges the form and its working-class roots in today's conversation. In this episode, we consider the split between performance and composition in the 19th century, and how the fact that Stephen Foster composed rather than performed for the blackface stage might have enhanced his reputation in the 20th century. Of course, Foster the composer was linked through financial and artistic ties to Christy the performer. Renee also introduces us to the Christy song "Happy Are We" and the musical genre of the contrafact.

To learn more about the show and the book, visit our website at: www.StephenFosterAt200.com.

On today's episode, we’ll hear from Kazuko Miyashita about Stephen Foster’s music in Japan. Kazuko is a Professor Emerita and has published extensively on the influence of Foster’s music in her native country. Due to the time difference, Kazuko recorded a brief summary of her work and shared that with me for the podcast rather than attempting a live interview. Her contribution is highly valued, though, as exploring the influence of Foster’s work outside of the United States is an important frontier in the future of Foster studies.

Continuing with the international theme of this episode, my co-host Jennie will share some of her own experiences with Foster’s music while in China, and tell us some of the context behind “Oh! Oksana,” the Russian language cover of Stephen Foster’s “Oh! Susanna” that plays at the end of each episode. We’ll end the episode by playing “Oh! Oksana” in full, adapted and performed by Dan Veksler.

To learn more about the show and the book, visit our website at: www.StephenFosterAt200.com.