“Ingrained with generational storytelling, Red Thread fuses the past into the present with gorgeous harmonies and folk sensibilities. Their music harkens to the importance of ancestry, culture, and traditions still present in our lives.”
– Music in Minnesota

Red Thread plays original folk music illuminated from within by lineages of Yiddish, Balkan, Irish, and Scandinavian immigrant singers. With the tight harmonies of a family band and lush, innovative instrumentation, the ensemble shares traditional and new music with warmth and humor.

Red Thread is a collective of musicians, based in Minneapolis MN, fronted by songwriter and folklorist Sarah Larsson. Performers in Red Thread each study their own musical folk traditions, and bring arrangements to the group. Ensemble members include: Rada Kolarova, Josh Rosard, Kat Parent, Sophie Javna, Erika Lantz, Julia Hobart, Colleen Bertsch, Pat O'Keefe, Dex Wolfe, Jacqueline Ultan, and McKain Lakey. These musicians have studied with master-artists including Ethel Raim, Michael Alpert, Sam Lee, Dáithí Sproule, stringband master-artists in Transylvania, and others. Red Thread further unspools the line of folk tradition, merging rich vocal and string arrangements with the stories of real people’s lived experience that are embedded within folk songs.

“‘Immigrantke’ displays an effortless beauty through their ethereal harmonies and masterful instrumentation, and pierces the hearts and souls of those listening to the folk songs of Red Thread.”
– Music Mecca

Frontwoman Sarah Larsson (Jagoda/O’Brien/Goldstein) is a musician and cultural organizer committed to healing collective wounds using folk art & tradition. Sarah studies and sings women’s music traditions from her ancestral traditions: Eastern European and Jewish diaspora, and Irish, Scottish, and Swedish immigrant music. Sarah tours internationally with The Nightingale Trio, which has been called “a revelation” by reviewers, performing on “A Prairie Home Companion”, Irish International A Cappella festival (Dublin), Zlatne Uste Golden Festival (NY), and ArtScape (Baltimore). 

“Red Thread weave together influences from their immigrant roots to create a unique Americana tapestry. With a focus on vocal harmonies, the group paints a poignant tale with their new track, ‘Sailor’s Lullaby.’”
– Americana UK

"This definitely opened up a portal of joy and sweetness and ancestral connection."
audience member, Minneapolis

"gorgeous singers, fantastic musicians, and effortless performers"
audience member, Brooklyn