American Strings: Ruth Moody

Ruth Moody is an award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her otherworldly soprano voice and her inspired songwriting have gained the admiration of the hearts, minds, and ears of millions of listeners. As a solo artist and a founding and current member of The Wailin’ Jennys, she has garnered two JUNO Awards and performed to rapt audiences in sold-out venues around the globe.

Now in its seventh year, PRAx and the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University present American Strings, a series of conversations and intimate performances with iconic musicians from the Americas whose perspectives shape our world. Prior guests have included Keb’ Mo’, Rosanne Cash, esperanza spalding, and many more.

Hosted by ethnomusicologist and public historian Kelly Bosworth, American Strings performances offer audiences the chance to hear artists play and reflect on their practice. In conversation, artists discuss process, biography, and the themes of their work. Conversation is followed by musical performance. Guests typically perform unaccompanied, but in select cases may appear with their ensembles.

Dr. Kelly Bosworth is Mary Jones and Thomas Hart Horning Assistant Professor of Public History and Ethnomusicology at Oregon State University, where she teaches courses such as “Social Change and American Popular Music” and “Musical Worlds of the Pacific Northwest.”She works at the intersection of sound, place, and belonging. Her research on music/sound/noisein U.S. history delves into the diverse archives of musicmaking, reconstructing often-silenced histories through the songs and sounds associated with place. Her PhD dissertation (Indiana University, 2024) explored “The Music of Miracle City: Vanport, Oregon and the Sonic Imaginaries of Multiracial Democracy.”