This thread (thanks again Don) just reminded me of a very interesting "melding" of the two extremes of training, if you will. A hundred years ago, when I was in my freshman year of College as a music major, I was totally submerged in music classes: theory, piano, voice, composing, etc. My "voice" teacher was also the head of the music dept. His wife was also the piano and theory proffessor. At my daily private voice lessons, I studied it all: breathing, posture, diction, languages, elocution, voice placement, German art songs, on and on. And, as my voice teacher was a "Basso Profondo" (sp?) he naturally decided that I should be also. To this day I can still do a full three octave slide from my upper regester to my lowest possible note with a "break." But, and here's the point of my story, I was chosen to sing the lead in a 25 voice Cantata for the Spring concert. And what was the piece? My voice teacher chose "The White Pilgrim," by James Pullen Johnson. It's a folk cantata based on several white spirituals, and tales, from the Southern Mountains. Part of the reason I was chosen was because I could play guitar and we wove the instrument into the performance. Quite wonderful, as I recall. ("Oh, Brother, Will You Meet Me, On Cannans Happy Shore"). So, just because one takes "formal studies" and "classical studies" in music does NOT mean that you can't maintain the feel and warmth of 'folk music.' CHEERS, Bob