AFC is happy to introduce Amanda Pascali, the 2025 Artist in Resonance. Pascali is an internationally acclaimed bilingual folksinger and singer-songwriter who blends Americana influences with Mediterranean, Balkan, and Latin rhythms. Born in New York City and raised in Texas, she has performed internationally, and was named the 2021 Houston Chronicle “Musician of the Year.” For her Artist in Resonance project, she plans to draw on several AFC collections in Italian, Sicilian, and English, emphasizing the connections between American folk music and Italian traditional songs, as well as between historical struggles and contemporary issues. In this blog, we’ll introduce this unique artist and her project, and link you to more of her music.
First, however, we’ll brag that earlier this year, Amanda performed in our very own Archive Challenge Showcase at Folk Alliance International in Montreal. Her performance there with her musical colleague Addison Freeman should give you a good idea of her approach to traditional Italian songs in an American roots music context. You can see her Archive Challenge video in the player below!
Before joining us for the Archive Challenge, Amanda had performed internationally, including to packed houses in Italy and Romania, and at the European Union Parliament in Brussels. Her song “Over the Sea” is featured in the opening scene of the 2024 Italian film Indelebile (English title: Family First). You can hear more of her songs and see more of her videos on her website.
Endorsed by the US State Department and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a Fulbright Fellow, she created “To Sing and Recount,” a project to translate and revitalize folksongs written in Sicilian— a UNESCO endangered language. She has also amassed a viral following online, and has presented her work on stages and at conferences and universities in the US and abroad. In 2024, she collaborated with the US Embassy in Italy to open the first “American Space” in Sicily, where she gave performances and masterclasses on translation and American music.
Amanda has received awards for her songwriting and poetry from the Calandra Institute in New York, the Lions Club International in Sicily, the Kerrville Folk Festival, the Houston Arts Alliance, The Mid-America Arts Alliance, and others. She is a Fulbright Ambassador and serves on the board of the music-activism non-profit, Music to Life. Amanda is currently a Harrington Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin where she conducts research in ethnomusicology and Italian Studies.
Amanda’s project, “Sing Me Home” is an archival reinterpretation and translation project, dedicated to re-recording and reimagining traditional folksongs from displaced, working-class, marginalized, and immigrant communities in the US and Italy. She envisions a collection of 10 recorded songs, including translations, reinterpretations, and original compositions inspired by folk songs from the archives; a series of live performances and educational talks; digital content to disseminate the material, leveraging her existing viral following on social media; and a published book containing her translations and lyrics alongside the historical backgrounds of each original piece.
In Amanda’s words:
“These songs—work songs, lullabies, and songs of everyday struggle—share a common thread: the concept of ‘home.’ In a time when millions of people around the world are being displaced due to war, genocide, poverty, and environmental factors, the concept of ‘home’ has never been more relevant. This project will bring Italian folk songs into conversation with their American counterparts by translating and adapting traditional songs, composing original bilingual pieces, and referencing American folk traditions in both musical style and lyrical themes. Through this fusion, ‘Sing Me Home’ will highlight the deep connections between these traditions and explore universal themes of migration, belonging, and the human desire to find—and hold onto—a place of refuge.”
Amanda is passionate about her project, partly because of her own upbringing. As she notes in her application:
“As the daughter of immigrants, one of whom is a refugee, my entire existence is rooted in resistance. Though I am the first in my family to pursue music, I was drawn to folk traditions because they have long served as a voice for displaced and marginalized people seeking belonging. I have dedicated the past two years to pioneering the first comprehensive project to translate folk songs written in Sicilian, a UNESCO endangered language. When my translations went viral on social media, I took this project to stages around the globe, performing at the EU Parliament, the Library of Congress American Folklife Archive Challenge at Folk Alliance International in Montreal, the U.S. Embassy in Italy, and at universities, concert halls, and conferences on an international scale. Now, with ‘Sing Me Home,’ I aim to further emphasize the connection between American folk music and Italian traditional songs.”
The American Folklife Center congratulates Amanda Pascali and welcomes her as the 2025 Artist in Resonance. We can’t wait to help her with her important and timely project!