Penn State Altoona professor emeritus to be honored as musician of the year

ALTOONA, Pa. - Jerry Zolten, professor emeritus of communication arts and sciences and integrative arts at Penn State Altoona, will be honored as the 2025 Pennsylvania Heritage Musician of the Year at the annual Pennsylvania Folk Gathering on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 1:15 p.m. at Camp Blue Diamond in Huntingdon County.

Zolten will talk about the experiences that influenced him as a writer and musician, as well as play music from his vast repertoire. The ceremony is free and open to the public.

The Folk Gathering brings folk musicians from throughout the mid-Atlantic region to Huntingdon County for a series of workshops, concerts, and jam sessions.

Zolten will launch the 2025-26 season of the Penn State Emeritus Academy Lecture Series on Sept. 17 at 2:30 p.m. with the presentation "The Cultural Roots of Rock 'n' Roll: Blues and Jazz to Gospel and Soul."

Zolten describes the lecture as a "highly visual performance-oriented excursion into the early 20th century origins of rock 'n' roll in the music of Black America."

The lecture can be attended in person at the Penn State Outreach Building, Rooms 121 G&H or via Zoom.

Through this lecture series, retired faculty members share their groundbreaking research, creative projects, and unique perspectives with the wider Penn State community and beyond.