Wandering storytellers and musicians have been a part of the human experience for more than 2,000 years. Singer-songwriters, folk musicians, and poets remain popular across the world, and while language and musical taste has changed since the time when minstrels wandered around Europe with lutes, the spirit of this tradition is still as present as ever. The ballads in this program offer an enormous range of interpretational possibilities. Many of these songs have come to us by way of an oral tradition that has been passed down through the centuries. This bardic tradition includes arranging and adapting the music to suit one's voice, instrument, artistic sensibilities, and of course his or her audience. I explored the range of possibilities, spanning from historical performance practice to modern interpretations, resulting in a program that truly represents my artistic vision. Brian Kay is a modern-day troubadour. As an acclaimed singer and multi-instrumentalist, Brian has performed throughout the United States and beyond. He is a songwriter and an arranger of ancient songs, he specializes in plucked instruments and percussion, and he is a poet and visual artist. During the 2014 season, Brian appeared in major US cities such as Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Tulsa, Washington DC, and New York. Brian's concerts have been described as "Far-ranging", "Brilliant", and "Exciting"Cleveland Classical. His singing was praised "Emotional and Heart-felt"Boston Musical Intelligencer and "Sinister and tragic-the most affecting vocal performance" The Cleveland Plain Dealer. His lute and oud playing have been called "Masterful"Nuvo and "Phenomenal"Early Music America. He is the only two time winner of The LSA national lute competition and the 2013 recipient of Peabody Conservatory's "Excellence in Early Music Award."