What is Common Chords? Over 15 years and diplomatic ventures spanning 25+ countries, the Henhouse Prowlers, a bluegrass quartet from Chicago, have exemplified an unwavering belief: the exchange of music stands as the most potent means of nurturing connection and empathy among diverse communities. The Common Chords series, overseen and presented by their nonprofit Bluegrass Ambassadors, celebrates this idea as a diplomatic mission in itself.

At the heart of this program is the desire to learn and then document the history of these meaningful musical connections around the world. Along the way, the Prowlers will learn to sing and perform this music, giving the band a deeper understanding of the music and culture itself, all while reflecting back to the originators the timelessness and importance of their creations. Ultimately, the group will bring these experiences back home to the U.S. in the form of accessible educational programs and mixed media to be showcased at schools and gatherings across the country – and around the world.

The outcome? A deep mutual respect and natural evidence of the powers of unity and understanding that exist in all of us – common chords and collective humanity.

Why Czech Republic and Slovakia? The people of Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic and Slovakia, are a resilient and ferociously talented people. Their complicated and fascinating history involves oppressive governments, social uprisings… and embracing bluegrass and then expanding upon the music, making it fundamentally their own.

Along the way there are tales of Armed Forces Radio broadcasts inspiring the “sound of freedom,” banjos built simply from referencing photographs, and an all-female bluegrass group performing with Johnny Cash, among many others. This history is widely unknown here in the U.S. and elsewhere, and we’re determined to hear the stories directly from the people who lived them and to amplify them. It’s a tale of “cultural diplomacy” before those words ever became a pair.

Bluegrass Ambassadors presents the Inaugural Common Chords Benefit

For cultural diplomacy program "How the Czechs and Slovaks Claimed Country Music"