Last month Pete Wernick and his wife Joan headed to Russia to be part of the Russia-America Bluegrass Jamboree. Having returned from the trip, Dr. Banjo’s August newsletter highlights the trip and points to a full report on his website.
The trip took them into St. Petersburg where they boarded an train for an overnight trip into the heart of Russia. The main events of the trip took place in the cities of Vologda and Semenkovo.
The U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission sponsored the trip, on a hunch that bluegrass music might be a good way to connect people from the two cultures (American and Russian).
Our trip was arranged expressly for the purpose of bridging the gap between Americans and Russians. Thanks to all the positive attention we got, from concertgoers, from the media, and from the various officials in the Consulate world, both American and Russian, it seems it was a successful effort. I felt a serious responsibility, representing America to such a large number of Russians, and representing bluegrass music as well.
It looks like the trip was not only successful, but also fun filled. Be sure to visit Pete’s website, read his full report, and check out the 20 photos he has of the trip.
Also of interest might be this gallery of photos taken by Robert Palomo, an American musician living in Russia who played bass with the Wernicks on this trip.
And finally, the U.S. Consulate has published a number of videos of the trip to youtube. Be sure to visit their site for a brief report, links to 10 videos and 2 Flickr photo galleries. Here’s one of the videos we liked. A bluegrass jam on a train heading into the heart of Russia!
