FolkTales set to Music from Around the Globe

Nov 11 2024 12 ep. 29 mins
FolkTales set to Music from Around the Globe Podcast artwork

The WMI FolkTales podcast is an original award-winning production that features improvised re-imaginings of classic folk tales from around the world, hosted by acclaimed storyteller Bill Gordh. Each episode features a guest artist who joins Bill for a musical re-telling of a beloved story from their culture. Recommended for children of all ages.

WMI Folk Tales podcasts are supported by music lovers like you. We thank you!

Podcast producer: Kate Winn
Audio courtesy of Cliff Hahn Sound
Podcast artwork courtesy of Cody Hudson - https://www.struggleinc.com

  Kids & Family  Music
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


India - A Flowering Tree with Saraswathi Ranganathan and Bill Gordh

Nov 11 2024 36 mins  
Send us a text In a tiny village, sisters Gitika and Lalitika are on a mission to save their struggling mom by selling blossoms from Gitika, who can magically transform into a flowering tree and back to herself again - but only with very careful preparations. The blooms catch the eye of Neela, the king’s daughter, who wants to keep them all for herself, but Neela's brother, the p

West Africa - Why Sun and Moon Are Up in the Sky with Yacouba Sissoko and Bill Gordh

Apr 17 2024 31 mins  
Send us a text For this FolkTale episode, Bill plays banjo and is joined by Malian kora master, singer, and fellow storyteller Yacouba Sissoko. Yacouba was born to a well-known Djeli family in Kita, Mali. For centuries, Djelis have been the musical storytellers and keepers of the history and fables of their culture. The kora, a 21-stringed plucked instrument with a gourd resonator,

Ukraine - A Garment for the Moon with Lisa Gutkin and Bill Gordh

Dec 05 2023 28 mins  
Send us a text Grammy Award-winning fiddler and vocalist Lisa Gutkin (The Klezmatics) and Bill Gordh tell the Jewish-Ukrainian tale A Garment for the Moon. The moon loves being up in the night sky but sometimes she gets cold. The tailors of the town try to weave a garment to keep her warm but she keeps changing shape! One tailor remembers a tale from his childhood about a place whe

Persia - Parinaz and the Golden Lamp with Mehrnam Rastegari and Bill Gordh

Oct 22 2023 29 mins  
Send us a text Mehrnam Rastegari and storyteller Bill Gordh improvise this Persian folk tale which tells the story of a young woman named Parinaz who escapes being married off to a rich man she does not love by hiding in a golden lamp stand, where she is discovered by a prince who falls in love with her voice. Mehrnam is an Iranian composer, vocalist, and kamancheh player now resid

China - The Dragon's Eye with Zhou Yi and Bill Gordh

Aug 04 2023 31 mins  
Send us a text Storyteller Bill Gordh and pipa master Zhou Yi improvise the Chinese folktale The Dragon's Eye which tells the story of a tinker who meets and befriends an orphaned dragon whom he raises in his home. Zhou Yi is a pipa (a four-string Chinese lute) soloist, educator, and the Artistic Director of the Ba Ban Chinese Music Society of NY. She graduated from the Shanghai Co

Morocco - The Sultan's Horse with Samir LanGus and Bill Gordh

Jul 30 2023 28 mins  
Send us a text Storyteller Bill Gordh and gnawa artist Samir LanGus improvise the Moroccan tale of The Sultan's Horse, in which the Sultan must choose one of his three sons to be his successor, and tasks them with traveling and returning with a report of what they have seen and done. While the elder sons choose the fastest horses, the youngest son chooses his father's old horse, wh

Finland - The Enchanted Kantele with Kardemimmit and Bill Gordh

May 01 2023 26 mins  
Send us a text Storyteller Bill Gordh and Finnish ensemble Kardemimmit improvise the folktale "The Enchanted Kantele". In this magical story, a hunter saves a squirrel who transforms into a beautiful woman named Karina. They marry, but the King desires Karina and plots to eliminate the hunter by challenging him to a series of seemingly impossible tasks. However, the King has undere

Tibet - The Gathering Tree with Techung and Bill Gordh

Jan 17 2023 35 mins  
Send us a text Storyteller Bill Gordh and Tibetan artist Techung improvise the folktale "The Gathering Tree", which delves into the adventures of Paulden, a lone traveler who uncovers life-saving tips by paying heed to conversations among the animals at the Gathering Tree. As he shares his newfound knowledge with the village, they shower him with gratitude. But a sneaky fellow trav

South America - The Two Girls with Harpist Edmar Castaneda and Bill Gordh

Jun 02 2022 28 mins  
Send us a text Storyteller Bill Gordh and Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda improvise the South American folktale "The Two Girls" - a cautionary tale of two girls: one from a humble home, whose compassion earns her a well-deserved reward for helping an elderly woman in their village. The other girl who is spoiled and cruel, tries to take advantage of the same woman... but is in for

Brazil - Night Comes to the Rainforest with Cyro Baptista and Bill Gordh

Mar 21 2022 25 mins  
Send us a text Storyteller Bill Gordh and percussionist Cyro Baptista improvise the Brazilian folktale "Night Comes to the Rainforest". The story follows a farmer's wife, the daughter of the mighty Snake King, who tells her husband about night, which he has never experienced. They decide to send three friends on a mission to fetch darkness from the Snake King. He hands them a nut c