Folk Art Events

These short videos document our region’s rich cultural heritage, presented from the perspectives of the people that carry on these traditions themselves.

A Q&A will follow the screening. Light refreshments will be provided.

This event is free to the public. Registration is required!

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More info here.

José Gomez aka Jogo is a singer/songwriter/pianist based in NY. His songs, “IF I LET MYSELF GO” and “SI ME DEJO LLEVAR” were recorded by Dionne Warwick and Chuck Jackson and also Evelyn “Champagne.” Jogo is a member of The Grammy’s (NARAS) and ASCAP. As an entertainer, he has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Bitter End, and the Clemens Center, and has toured extensively throughout North America. He composed the score for the musical “Prime-Time,” which premiered Off-Broadway at The 78th Street Theater. José has written and donated many of his songs for “The Songs of Love Foundation” and he is writing a children’s book, with music, dealing with tolerance and acceptance! Jogo graduated from the Berklee College of Music, in Boston, Magna cum laude, and his solo, debut CD, “Light in the Window,” is available on Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, cdbaby.com/jogo, and at all his live performances. José performs regularly throughout the Twin Tiers NY & PA, on piano & vocals!

Culture, Community, and the Classroom applies in any subject area K-12. The workshop explores culturally responsive, engaged learning through local traditional arts.

Free for New York Teachers and Traditional Artists and earn 12 hours of CTLE credits.

Local favorite band, Top Shelf is a multigenerational group from the Finger Lakes Region that brings the old school dance floor funk, the Uptown hits of today, and timeless, irresistible soul everywhere they go. Founded in 1983 by pianist Jim DePaul, its current lineup features vocalist Anita Lewis, drummer Joel Carberry, bassist Steve Webb, guitarist John Manfredi and, the newest edition, pianist Zach Hamilton.

Pat Kane is a seasoned showman, being a singer, dancer, actor, and instrumentalist since childhood. On his farm in the hill country of the Canisteo River, he was raised in the traditions of the Grange and of his Irish family. Pat’s cousins still run the family farm in West Clare, Ireland, which Pat visits often. Hence, the name, West o’Clare. The band includes Rob Spence on vocals and percussion, Kathy Snedeker on piano and keyboards, Ken VanEtten on banjos, mandolin, harmonicas, trumpet, third vocals, and arcane wisdom.

Jankiewicz, Osgood, and Wobus, share nearly 100 years of performing experience between them. On fiddle, hammered dulcimer, and piano, at coffeehouses, festivals, grange halls, and other folk venues you can hear them presenting selections from various musical traditions including Old Timey, French-Canadian, Celtic, Americana, and more.

Delta bluesman Gerard Burke has entertained listeners across New York’s Southern Tier and Central New York regions with his unique brand of acoustic blues played in the style of the old masters, such as Son House, Charley Patton, and Robert Johnson. Burke recalls his mother encouraging him and his siblings to take music lessons. His first instruments were clarinet and saxophone before making his way to the guitar. Over the past 15 years, Burke has developed an approach to his music that pays homage to its originators while still leaving room for his own personal touch. Feeling free to substitute lyrics or chord changes in these early blues compositions, he’s an interpreter looking to adapt Delta blues stylings to modern-day offerings. Performing on both resonator and standard acoustic guitars in open and standard tunings, Burke’s playing features both slide and finger-picking styles.

Toivo is a dance band from Trumansburg, NY playing the traditional music of the Finnish community of the south-central Finger Lakes region. Much of this music was learned from Richard Koski and his father who both played for Finnish dances in the area from Spencer to Trumansburg. Besides the Finnish polkas, waltzes, and schottisches, the band also plays music from Cajun country and the Tex-Mex borderlands. Added to the mix are tangos, foxtrots, classic country tunes, and plenty of Toivo originals.

Isaiah is a son, a proud husband, a brother, a leader, and more.  While he considers himself a student still, most of his peers call him an artist. As a musician, he learned he could sing at a young age while driving his family crazy with the many sounds that came from his mouth. He started taking singing seriously at the young age of 8 and has not looked back since. Growing up, he was involved in many church choirs, and worship teams attended every chorus class while in school, and even began pursuing music at the collegiate level. He has a very deep love for all types of music but is particularly drawn to R&B, Gospel, and Soul. He invites you to come to this show with an open heart, listening to the art that comes from his.

Doolin’ O’Dey is an exciting mix of traditional and original Gaelic-inspired music. Instrumentation of violin, guitar, Celtic whistles, octave mandolin, uilleann pipes, and/or keyboard combine to make your listening experience unforgettable. Jig, aire, or waltz you’ll be drawn into the captivating arrangements of this band. Nora Star, organized festivals and concerts prior to picking up her own instruments. She plays in several groups in the Ithaca area. Her motto: “Foot Stompin Fun.” Susan Murphy comes from a cabaret and Celtic background playing in bands from New York City prior to moving to the Ithaca area.

These short videos document our region’s rich cultural heritage, presented from the perspectives of the people that carry on these traditions themselves.

A Q&A will follow the screening.

This event is free to the public.

More info here.

This conversation will feature Christa Heyward, Executive Director of the Elmira Center for Cultural Advancement, Susan Knox, local restaurateur, and Will Wickham, Musical Director of the Cantata Singers. Listen to panelists share about their work documenting and preserving African American foodways, work, and oral history in Elmira, NY.

This program focuses on the ongoing work of Native American communities in Western New York to document, remember and heal from the atrocities of the Thomas Indian School, a boarding school for Native youth on the Cattaraugus Territory near Irving, NY run by Presbyterian missionaries. This evening will be led by artists, scholars, and tradition bearers of the Onödowa’ga:’ (Seneca) Nation, including artists Jocelyn Jones and Hayden Haynes, Dr. Alyssa Mt. Pleasant, Dr. Joe Stahlman (Seneca-Iroquois National Museum-Onöhsagwë:de‘ Culture Center), Aedzaniyo Seneca, and Lucy Ramirez (President of the Thomas Indian School Alumni).

This conversation will feature members of the Islamic Association of the Finger Lakes (IAFL). IAFL serves the Muslim community of the greater Finger Lakes region within the Southern Tier in NY state, including, but not limited to, Horseheads, Big Flats, Corning, Elmira, and other areas. IAFL seeks to provide an amiable atmosphere to the Muslims of the area for regular prayers, and other activities associated with the Muslim calendar. IAFL also seeks to build relationships with communities of other faiths in the Finger Lakes region.