Historic Asheville Sessions Symposium & Panels

This event is free. No ticket needed—just show up!

Explore the enduring impact of Appalachian music with another day of free panels. Following up on the historic 1925 Asheville Sessions—the first commercial recordings ever made in the region—this symposium delves into the continuing influence of this music. The day includes discussions on "Using Music to Recover From Disasters," the "Continuing Legacy of Live in AVL," and a fascinating look at "Eastern Band of the Cherokee Influence on the Traditional Music and Dance of Western Carolina."

This event will be held off-site at The Venue, 21 N. Market Street, Asheville.

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Asheville wrote the first chapter of America’s country music story by producing the earliest commercial recordings of Appalachian music two years before any other city. A century ago, in the heart of downtown Asheville, a mobile recording studio was set up at the George Vanderbilt Hotel to capture the voices of a region rarely heard beyond its mountain borders. Known as “The Asheville Sessions,” the 1925 recordings brought together fiddlers, banjo players, guitarists, ballad singers, and family groups. The recordings became one of the first commercial projects to preserve the musical traditions of Appalachia and helped lay the foundation for what would become American roots and country music.

That legacy didn’t fade. Today, Asheville produces stars like country giant Luke Combs and guitar legend Warren Haynes, alongside a burgeoning generation redefining music for the next century.

Explore Asheville is the presenting sponsor of “The Asheville Sessions: Celebrating 100 years of Americana & Appalachia,” a November weekend filled with concerts and events linking the groundbreaking work of 1925 to the city’s thriving modern music scene. Find more information here about events taking place as part of this program throughout Asheville.