Santa is Real: A Holiday Concert Benefiting the Louisville Folk School

Louisville Folk School is a grassroots nonprofit with a mission to engage the folk music traditions of Kentuckians through education and performance and to build on the rich cultural history of the bluegrass state, while creating community through the arts.

Their annual holiday fundraising concert, Santa is Real, brings together the joy of folk music, community, and celebration. The night includes a bourbon raffle, concert, and libations. LFS is proud to announce a lineup of locally and nationally renowned artists who showcase the diversity of folk music in our community. Performers this year include:

Scott T Smith & Ben Sollee:
Ben Sollee is a Kentucky native who blends the lines between music, tech, and activism in his creative practice. He’s known for his unique cello sound that bounces between genres and for his mission to inspire togetherness and environmental reverence through his music. He’ll be joined by Scott T. Smith, a folk and Americana singer-songwriter with roots in bluegrass and gospel choral music. This year at Santa is Real, Scott and Ben will create a duo set that will show just how beautifully their voices and genre-bending approaches fuse together. 

Maggie Halfman featuring Ellie Ruth:
Maggie Halfman is a Louisville-based singer/songwriter who uses everyday experiences as inspiration for her vulnerable music. She strives for a mix of modernity and timelessness, nostalgia and yearning. She will be joined by Ellie Ruth, an award-winning violinist/violist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer/songwriter also based in Louisville.

Turtle Mountain String Band:
A new generation of old-time talent, Turtle Mountain is Levon, Maple, and Avett Harvey. These three siblings from Winchester, KY, started playing music together after attending Cowan Creek Mountain Music School for the first time in 2023. Since that summer, theyve grown roots in the Cowan community, won first place in the youth traditional band contest at the 2025 Clifftop Appalachian Stringband Festival, and shared their love of old time fiddle music and bluegrass whenever and wherever they can.

Three French Hens:
Dane Waters, Stephanie Nilles, and Jannell Canerday are Three French Hens, Louisvilles own low-decibel, divine-feminine, avant-garde holiday trio, specializing in interpretations of the yuletide season. These hens bring a fusion of jazz, folk, and chamber music sure to surprise and delight.

Louisville Folk School Teachers & Special Guests

The night will also feature surprise performances from their collection of talented teachers!

Santa is Real also includes a bourbon raffle that supports Louisville Folk School's mission to preserve and share Kentucky's folk music traditions. Louisville Folk Schools' KY charitable gaming exemption number is EXE0002851.