About

Saro Lynch-Thomason is an award-winning singer, song leader, folklorist, documentarian, and illustrator from Asheville, North Carolina. She has studied and taught traditional song and balladry from Appalachia, the American South, the British Isles and Ireland for over a decade. Saro believes that old songs can help us understand the beliefs and struggles that shape human history, and that in turn, these songs enable us to build a more compassionate and just future. She uses teaching, documentary, illustration and more to explore the amazing people and history behind songs ranging from Appalachian lullabies to American labor anthems, Southern work songs and Scottish ballads. Her projects include the Songs that Speak YouTube series, the CD and multimedia project Blair Mountain: A Musical Exploration of America’s Largest Labor Uprising, and several albums. Saro’s song “There Are More Waters Rising” has gained international attention, becoming an anthem in the movement to end global warming and garnering praise in the Huffington Post. Saro holds an M.A. in Appalachian Studies from East Tennessee State University and a Certificate in Documentary Studies from Duke University.

“During the course of my more than 50 years as a civil rights, labor and community organizer and musician in Appalachia and the South, I have had the privilege of working with and getting to know some truly amazing artists, activists and scholars. As extraordinary as so many of them are, few are as impressive in all three areas as Saro Lynch-Thomason. She is simply one of the most gifted, creative, committed, conscientious, self-starting, hard-working people I’ve gotten to know over these years.” — Si Kahn, musician and activist
“Having been a singer of traditional Appalachian ballads for over 50 years, it’s hard for this old warhorse to get chills when I hear someone sing. But, Saro Lynch-Thomason is the exception. Saro sings with an intensity and intonation that belies her age. There’s something ancient that lives inside Saro’s voice. She sings with heart and soul and people listen. I consider her the singer among singers of her generation.”
— Sheila Kay Adams, NEA National Heritage Fellow, 7th generation ballad singer
“I found [Saro] to be a highly accomplished singer of traditional songs/ballads, and an inspirational teacher and workshop leader…For someone who is comparatively young, she has an impressive knowledge and understanding of Appalachian and other related singing traditions, styles and repertoire. There is no doubting her drive and determination to extend this critical appreciation.”  — Ian Russell, Professor Emeritus, University of Aberdeen