Bio
Jon Sundell is a bilingual, multicultural edu-tainer who has been has been performing folk songs and tales for over fifty years across the United States, as well as several countries of Europe and Latin America. He has performed for children and adults of all ages and backgrounds, in Spanish as well as English. Accompanying himself on guitar, 5-string banjo, autoharp, mountain dulcimer and ukulele, he sings and leads songs of all kinds - generally traditional, but sometimes by recent songwriters, particularly in the case of children's songs. He interweaves his songs with a wide variety of folktales, creating an exciting program this is both varied and interconnected. His warm, personal style and engaging use of singalongs quickly puts an audience at ease and draws them in to participate in a sense of shared adventure.
Jon communicates a deep respect for the cultures he represents, many of which he knows from first hand experience or in depth study. He has lived in France and traveled through Europe. He minored in Asian Studies and lived in Japan. He has traveled throughout Latin America and has worked intensively with local Hispanic populations for twenty years. He has collected traditional tales and songs first hand from Appalachian tradition bearers. He is the grandson of Russian Jewish immigrants, whose stories he often compares to those of their Islamic neighbors. All this background experience greatly enriches his performances and workshops and reinforces the spirit of multicultural understanding that Jon passionately promotes.
One more dimension to Jon Sundell's storytelling is his background in public and school libraries, where he spent 32 years. Drawing on those experiences he is able to gear programs to match the school curriculum and bring it to life. Where it is desired and appropriate, he can include booktalks, history and slides, and he can work with teachers and librarians to develop follow-up projects. This broad spectrum of factors comes together in Jon's programs to create a "perfect storm" of edutainment for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
