Simple Gifts Folk Trio to Perform at W&L The Nov. 14 performance will showcase the ensemble’s repertoire of folk music from around the world.

The Lenfest Center for the Arts
November 2, 2026

The Department of Music at Washington and Lee University presents the Pickens World Music Concert, featuring the folk trio Simple Gifts, at 8 p.m. on Nov. 14 in Wilson Concert Hall in the Lenfest Center for the Arts.

The Pickens World Music series is supported by the Pauline B. and Paul D. Pickens Fund for the Performing Arts, which brings artists specializing in non-Western folk music to campus each year. Tickets are required and are available online or in person at the Lenfest Center box office.

Founded in 1989 and based in central Pennsylvania, Simple Gifts is known for combining tradition with innovation and often blends the sounds of Appalachia with music from Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The trio is known for their outgoing stage presence, which is warm, personal and accented with humor, and they deliver their music with a rare intensity and contagious enthusiasm.

The women of Simple Gifts play a wide range of instruments, adding to their ability to pay tribute to musical styles from around the world. Founder Linda Littleton’s primary instrument is the violin, and she also plays the hammered dulcimer, banjo, mandolin and percussion. She is joined by Karen Hirshon on guitar, banjo, mandolin and percussion, and Rachel Hall on the concertina.

Order your tickets online today or call the Lenfest Center box office at 540-458-8000 for ticket information. Box office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The cost is $18 for adults, $16 for seniors and $14 for W&L faculty and staff; W&L students receive free tickets by showing their student identification.

For a full list of events, visit the Department of Music’s website.