IM Alum John Salicco

John holds two certificates in Theatre Arts from the Banff School of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Calgary. Recently retired from the corporate world, he makes and plays replica 19th century banjos. John has been active in many historic reenactment programs over the years including Sutter's Fort, Fort Ross, and Columbia SHP in California. He currently sits as a director on the board of the Fort Nisqually Foundation and is a regular story teller and living history performer at the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, in Tacoma, WA. John strives to infuse local content and relevance in all of his presentations.

John Quincy Adams: An American Citizen - 2008-2009
Mr. Salicco portrays John Quincy Adams (JQA) in 1842 as he reminisces on a life of public service. A privileged witness to the birth of our nation, from the annexation of Florida to the Convention of 1818 allowing for joint occupation and settlement of the Oregon Country, John Quincy Adams remains one of America's greatest unsung heroes. JQA grew up knowing most of Americas founding fathers. He had an unremarkable one-term presidency, but stands unequaled to this day as America's most influential and effective Secretary of State. As a Congressman to the day he died, JQA was a dedicated public servant who championed the cause of freedom for all.

Mart Taylor and his Original Company - 2008-2009
This is a portrayal of a 19th Century performer using period instruments and 19th Century material. From the gold camps of California, the stages of the best theaters in San Francisco up the coast to Olympia, Washington Territory, Mr. Taylor's "Original Company" entertained throughout the 1850s & '60s. There is a favorable review of "Taylor's Minstrels" in the Olympia newspaper the Pioneer Democrat of September, 1859. In the personage of Mart Taylor, John Salicco both entertains and shares anecdotes of his travels up and down the west coast of America in the 1850s.

The Banjo: An American Gypsy - 2008-2009
A present day banjo maker, John Salicco, in 19th century attire, demonstrates the construction and history of the gourd banjo as it traveled across America from plantation to minstrel stage to the Great Plains and the Gold Rush. This presentation is a combination of story and song on replica 19th Century banjos. John covers the earliest forms of the banjo and its antecedents through to its dominance of the minstrel stage in the 1860s.

Jacques Portier: Old Nor'Wester - 2006-2008
Mr. Salicco does a first person early 19th century portrayal of an old French voyageur named Jacques Portier in his later life. John has created a composite character from the early 19th century, who reminisces about his time as a voyageur and a partner in the old Northwest Company. From the founding of Astoria, Spokane and Vancouver, Portier in story and in song can provide first hand accounts of the exploits and adventures of his contemporaries - the first explorers and traders of the old northwest.

From Banjos to Blues: An American Musical Experience - 2006-2008
In 19th century attire, Mr. Salicco performs early American spiritual, minstrel and popular music on a self-made replica minstrel banjo. This presentation does not deal with music theory, but rather illustrates and explains the history and development of the songs and of the instruments. It is impossible to tell the story of American musical development without addressing the contribution of the banjo, that amazing creative expression of a people living in the depredations of slavery. John demonstrates how the fretless banjo of the slaves evolved into an ever more sophisticated instrument for urban white audiences. Taking the open banjo tunings of the 19th century, John illustrates how they were adapted to the guitar in the 20th century. He demonstrates on a Dobro guitar, the transition of this music to the folk and blues music of the 1920s and 30s, finishing with a brief sample of how this music influenced the development of the pop styles of today.