For over thirty years, Charlotte Blake Alston has been committed to preserving and sharing stories from African and African American oral traditions. She has shared stories in a wide range of venues including the John F. Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institute, and the Museum of Women in the Arts. She has made appearances at festivals at home and abroad including the National Storytelling Festival, the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, and festivals in Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, and Brazil. Charlotte also appears as a narrator for orchestras around the country. In the summer of 2021, she was named the Official Storyteller, Narrator, and Host of the Philadelphia Orchestra. For this program, Charlotte will select from the repertoire of stories and songs – traditional and contemporary – that have become the hallmark of her storytelling performances.