At 8:30 in the morning of Friday, December 8, Williston students weren’t in math classes or art lessons, they were sitting in the Chapel listening to four-time Grammy award winner David Holt perform a paper-bag solo.

Born in Gatesville, Texas, Holt told the crowd he has been “listening and learning” about music for as long as he can remember. “I honestly don’t know when I started, but once I did, I just couldn’t stop,” the Emmy award winning artist remarked.

Holt and his colleague Josh Goforth came to Williston via the Grum Project, funded by a Williston alumna. The two first met when Goforth was a high school student with a knack for playing the guitar, and they’ve been making music ever since.

Holt draws inspiration from the songs and stories of the Blue Ridge Mountains. According to Steven Berlanga, the Director of Choirs at Williston, Holt learned this “treasure trove of music” from famous musicians such as Doc Watson, Etta Baker, Roy Acuff, Tommy Jarrell, and Grandpa Jones.

Currently, Holt hosts the PBS series “David Holt’s State of Music.”

“I think it’s super cool how we can get to see an esteemed musician at school,” said junior Molly Solan. “When you think about it, it really is kind of amazing that we have this TV host/musician come to our school. I’m glad we have the resources to do that!”

Although the music wasn’t Molly’s taste at first, she still enjoyed the experience.

“The music was super weird, but I thought it was pretty interesting.” She continued, “By the end of his performance I was really enjoying the music!”

Some of his performance methods are odd—including the paper bag—but he wowed most students with his performance range and storytelling abilities.

Seventh grader Diana Yaseen was particularly impressed by Holt’s performance.

“The performance was amazing, the different aspects on music were interesting and new.” Diana continued, “I love how they didn’t just go with the general idea of music we have these days. Their songs had meaning and passion.”

She also thought the music was “splendid and full of rich, new ideas.”

Holt weaved stories of different musicians he has met throughout his life and travels into his performance, which gave many Williston students the chance to learn about Southern culture.

During and between different performances, Holt projected pictures of famous folk musicians he has worked with, and spoke about how they inspired him.

Sarah Markey ’22 said, “I have never really heard or learned about that kind of music, so I liked the new experience.”

PG Garrett Sullivan agreed.

“The performance really shocked me. I thought I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as I did.”

Whether they liked the performance or not, Williston students were happy that it was put on.

Garrett said, “I think Williston chose to invite musical guests since it’s an opportunity for students who might not be as familiar with certain genres or styles to experience the music and understand some of the culture behind it.”

Freshman Sara Johnson thought similar things.

“I’m really glad that Williston invites different performers and presenters. I liked David Holt’s performance because it was something I’d never seen before, and I think that’s the point of inviting him, because I’m sure that not many Williston students have seen anything like that.

Sara concluded, “I hope that Williston invites more fun speakers to come. I learned a lot!”