Katherine Rhoda

Katherine Rhoda has a passion and a gift for engaging and connecting with her listeners. Whether sharing a traditional ballad, a rollicking instrumental, or a piece of humorous social satire, she brings a lucid and refreshing quality of intelligent, respectful, openhearted presence to her work. In the face of so many forces that separate and isolate us, her goal is to be joyfully subversive, drawing her listeners into an experience of contact, ease, mutuality, gusto and Big Fun.

She sings in a sensitive and rousing voice, and plays a variety of fascinating instruments. She shares joyful tunes and songs of freedom, struggle, spirit, and humor, drawing upon both traditional and contemporary sources, and often encouraging audience participation.

Her instruments include the Marxophone, ukelin, and violin-guitar, unique American play-by-number instruments sold door-to-door beginning in the early 1900s. She also plays 6- and 12-string guitars, hammered dulcimer, accordion, the Lithuanian kanklės, ukulele, Autoharp, and more.

Reviewers have called her self-titled album “full of effort and feeling, conviction and devotion and lots of joy! Recommended.” (Don St. Clair, Heartsong Review) and “a totally delightful album that easily ranks right up there with any national release!” (Lucky Clark, Disc Chat).

Katherine is a versatile musician, with the repertoire and resources to tailor her performance to the needs and interests of her audience. Her professional experience is wide-ranging and includes: film sound track work; street performing; weddings; song leading; church accompanist and music director; Lithuanian folk music (as a member and soloist with Sodauto, the Lithuanian Ethnographic Ensemble of Boston); musical activities in nursing homes; performances tailored to seniors; roving minstrelsy; and demonstrations, rallies, and benefits.

A native of Milo, Maine, Katherine studied piano as a child, and was very active in music at school, church, and Girl Scouts. She was graduated from Penquis Valley High and attended Oberlin College. A professional performer since 1975, she has appeared at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY; the Peoples Voice Café in NYC; the Champlain Valley Folk Festival in Ferrisburgh, VT; and elsewhere, including street performing. She has been a folk DJ, most recently on WMPG-FM in Portland, ME. Since 1988 she has been doing musical activities in nursing homes and is especially skilled in connecting with people with dementia through music. She was music director at the Franconia Community Church in Franconia, NH from 1991-2003. Currently she migrates seasonally, and is a music leader at both the Brownfield Community Church in Brownfield, ME and the Monhegan Community Church on Monhegan Island, ME.