As members of the group Too Cheap For Instruments, an all-female a cappella group focused on folk music, Chaya Bender '11 and Becky Sniderman '10 are authorities on the folk genre. Thanks to a grant from the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Arts, the pair have led their a cappella group in curating a folk festival to take place on May 2. The festival, to be emceed by folk artist and Berklee School of Music professor Livingston Taylor, will feature performances by Grammy nominee Sarah Jarosz and influential Cambridge musician Geoff Bartley, among others.JustArts: How did you decide to do this project?

Chaya Bender: The folk stage has been a dream of mine for a couple of years now. Since I was young, I have been going to various folk festivals, such as Falcon Ridge and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. I could really "dig" the atmosphere and artsy feel of the entire experience. Folk music, in its many forms, is a pure form of music that really speaks to a wide variety of people. A folk festival is not just about the music, but encapsulates the whole folk way of life. I thought that Brandeis would really benefit from and appreciate something like that.

I first presented the idea to Becky in the fall of 2008 while recording TCFI's second album, Syllabolical. We both loved the idea, but didn't think that it would be wise to plan something as time consuming as a folk festival while we were recording. So, one year later, Becky and I sat down together for a couple of nights and filled out the Festival of the Arts Grant. We figured that if we could get the funding and professional support from fantastic people like Shawna Kelley it would only benefit the project. When we received the grant I am pretty sure we both cried a little bit, or at least laughed for joy. It is really a wonderful feeling to have a dream come true! We will be working directly with Shawna Kelley in planning the Folk Stage, and I am really excited for how things will turn out.

Becky Sniderman: As a folk a cappella group, we are very interested in exploring exactly what constitutes the genre of folk, how different people experience and perform folk art and music, and what the folk culture consists of. We would love to use the Folk Stage as both an exploration of the genre and culture of folk as well as a showcase and celebration of both local and Brandeis folk artists.

JA: How are you and the other singers in the group dividing up the responsibilities? Who is performing at the Folk Stage?

CB: Becky and I are taking on primary responsibility, but the other members of the group, past and present, have been major players as well. Becky and I receive constant emails from TCFI members, as well as other friends and family members, regarding suggestions for artists to perform at the Folk Stage. As of right now, the group is excited about potentially having an idol of ours perform. This group is called The David Wax Museum, and they are a Boston-based Mexo-Americano group.

BS: We are very fortunate to have the support and guidance of the Office of the Arts at Brandeis, particularly Shawna Kelley of the Music department, who has already been emailing Chaya and myself with some great advice and suggestions on possible artists to invite to the Folk Stage. We would not be able to put together this program without the help and support of these amazing individuals and departments on campus. As the Concert Program Manager at Brandeis University, Shawna is very knowledgeable in planning, organizing, and arranging concerts and I am confident that we can put together a program that will live up to our original vision for the Folk Stage from over a year ago.

AF: When is TCFI performing this semester, and are you performing off campus as well?

BS: We will hopefully be performing for the assisted living community at Sunrise Assisted Living in Natick, where one of our prior members volunteers regularly.

CB: We do not have any scheduled performances as of yet, since Coffee House dates have not been decided and Coffee Houses make up the majority of our performances. For the past two years we have had a "Carnival" during the second semester, which includes juggling acts by the Brandeis Juggling Society, carnival games and activities, and the support and attendance of adorable Lemberg children (as well as adorable Brandeis students). We will most likely hold our Carnival this year in March due to breaks in the academic schedule.