As part of the Folger’s First Folio celebration (the 400th anniversary), the Folger Consort returns to its home repertoire of music from Shakespeare’s time with the uniquely English broken consort, an “orchestra” of three plucked stringed instruments, flute, fiddle, and bass viol. Folger Consort’s co-Artistic Directors have often noted the similarities between this engaging style, featuring some fancy pickin’, to the music of the Appalachian descendants of British settlers – bluegrass. In this program, they explore that connection as well as songs from Shakespeare and the shared stories of ballads from both traditions.