Logo: Susquehanna Folk Music Society
Presenting fine traditional arts in Central Pennsylvania since 1985

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Sun, January 5 - Charm City Junction

Charm City Junction York
“Baltimore-based roots group Charm City Junction puts a new spin on old-timey music, carrying the torch of fast-picking bluegrass and toe-tapping Celtic music. Featuring fiddle, clawhammer banjo, the button accordion and upright bass, this quartet isn’t afraid to take roots music to new places — but always with an eye on tradition.” (The Washington Post) VENUE CHANGE: Concert on Sunday, January 5 at Unitarian Church of Harrisburg. MORE

Sat, January 25 - Winter Coffee House

Winter Coffee House Winter Coffee House Winter Coffee House Harrisburg
Susquehanna Folk Coffeehouses are intimate evenings showcasing Central Pennsylvania's fine amateur acoustic musicians, who play a wide variety of material for an attentive, music-loving audience. This edition of the coffeehouse brings us everything from blues to bluegrass, including some mighty fine acoustic guitar work, from Hank Imhof, Dave Fishel, Maria Wilson and Ray Owen. FREE Coffeehouse concert on Saturday, January 25 at Fort Hunter Barn. MORE

Sun, January 26 - Open Mic Night

Open Mic Night New Cumberland
Spend the evening at the lovely West Shore Theatre in New Cumberland, enjoying some fine local music and maybe taking center stage yourself. Your host for the evening is Kevin Neidig. Be there at 5:15 to sign up to play! Sunday, January 26 at West Shore Theatre. MORE

Fri, February 7 - San Miguel Fraser

San Miguel Fraser Harrisburg
Castilian, Celtic and original music featuring violins, vocals, cittern and pandareta: “exquisite, exhilarating, effervescent... expressing the joy, warmth, and beauty of our shared humanity.”—Culburnie Records   Concert on Friday, February 7 at Fort Hunter Barn. MORE

Sat, February 15 - Writing an Apprenticeship Grant

Writing an Apprenticeship Grant Online
Learn how to apply for a grant from the PCA’s “Apprenticeships in Folk and Traditional Arts” program. These grants support artists in teaching OR developing their artistic skills/repertoire. An informative online workshop presented by our Susquehanna Folk Arts Center. Live on Zoom on Saturday, February 15. MORE

Fri, February 21 - The Murphy Beds

The Murphy Beds Harrisburg
Eamon O’Leary and Jefferson Hamer present traditional and original folk songs with close harmonies and deft instrumental arrangements on bouzouki, guitar, and mandolin. Huffington Post describes their music as “taking what’s best of the classic Irish folk revival without falling into any of its clichés... beautiful, crystalline songs.” Concert on Friday, February 21 at Fort Hunter. MORE
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Folk music is not just about the music -- it's also the people who love it, create it, and make it possible.
...and that's you :-)

Hey folks! Peter Winter Lee here, Executive Director of the Susquehanna Folk Music Society. Thank you for being part of our vibrant music community: as a volunteer, a musician, a patron or member. We couldn’t keep the music coming without you!

Did you know? Ticket revenues and membership dues cover only about half of our operating costs. That’s why I’m humbly asking you to make a donation this year to Susquehanna Folk as part of our annual year-end appeal. Your tax-deductible holiday gift will help us continue to bring world-class performers to our area and bring people together for music, for fun, for joy and for peace.

Give to SFMS
Spring 2025 performers: San Miguel Fraser, Charm City Junction, and Tracy Grammer
Upcoming 2024 performers: San Miguel Fraser, Charm City Junction, and Tracy Grammer

2025 marks Susquehanna Folk’s 40th anniversary!

Spring 2025 performers: Solas, Altan, The Murphy Beds and JigJam
Celtic concerts this spring: Solas, Altan, The Murphy Beds and JigJam

We’re planning to celebrate SFMS’s 40-year anniversary by doing what we’ve done every year since 1985: bringing you the very best in folk music from around the world.

I’m especially excited for a month-long celebration of Irish music featuring long-running, acclaimed bands like Altan and Solas (who are observing their 40th and 30th anniversaries respectively!) as well as more contemporary outfits like JigJam and The Murphy Beds. As always, there’s something for everyone: favorite and new-favorite singer-songwriters, and instrumentalists hailing from Scandinavia to Appalachia.

Help make it happen!

I sincerely thank you for being a part of the Susquehanna Folk Music Society, and I ask that you consider a contribution to SFMS during this festive season.

Regards,

Peter Winter Lee, Executive Director
Susquehanna Folk Music Society
A tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization
 

Visiting the Smithsonian Folklife Festival

In this Folk Artist spotlight, folklorist Amy Skillman shares her visit to the 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in June. The theme for this year was “Indigenous Voices of the Americas,” celebrating the historic and contemporary folkways of native cultures across the Western hemisphere.

Read the full article

Amy especially enjoyed the Skateboarding and Skate Art area of the festival. Skateboarding is very popular among Indigenous youth, both as a sport and as a form of cultural expression: a new folk tradition in the making.

She was particularly impressed by ImillaSkate: a group of young women from Bolivia, lifelong skaters who felt excluded from the male-dominated sport. ImillaSkate distinguishes itself by adopting the traditional dress of their ancestors, including long braids and the colorful, bulky (but now shorter!) skirts associated with the women of the Andes. These young women have reclaimed the dress as a symbol of cultural pride and empowerment.

A montage of images from the festival. Top half: a handmade lacrosse stick, two young Bolivian women performing a hip-hop piece, artist Kandi McClinton, attendees watching a weaving demonstration, two baskets, and colorful knitted figures from Peru. Bottom half: a closeup of hands carving a wooden mask; an Ojibway woman holding a dress with heavy gold embroidery and rows of conical red bells; a group of Hawai’ian women dancing; a closeup of hands working a loom; a woman seated at a loom; and a dancer’s stylized eagle mask from the Pacific Northwest.
See more Folk Artist Spotlights
The board and staff of the Susquehanna Folk Music Society are committed to celebrating and affirming diverse cultures through programming which explores the music, dance, craft and stories of many people. We stand in complete solidarity with the Black community and all marginalized communities to speak out against injustice, bigotry and racial violence.
Three boys gesture dramatically, radiating excited happiness. They have their arms linked, and the boys on the outside are pointing upward with their free arms. They are wearing traditional garments of India: silk tunics and trousers, turbans, and silk slippers. The youngest boy is wearing pale blue, the eldest is wearing dark blue, and the middle boy is wearing bright medium blue. Their skin is light to dark brown.
Mônica Teles, holding a drum, sits back-to back with Chelsea Caroline who holds a guitar. Mônica is a young women of Hispanic appearance, with light brown skin and dark hair; her bandmate is a young white woman. Both have bare arms with cowrie shell armbands.
A very crowded room, with people holding hands as they dance in concentric rings. They are all wearing suits and nice dresses because they are attending a wedding reception.
Two Hispanic men with dark skin pose with large Puerto Rican drums in front of a Puerto Rican flag. They wear white shirts and trousers, and white hats with black bands. They are also holding other percussion instruments, including maracas and a basketball-sized shaker covered with colorful fishnet.
A Black man is smiling warmly, resting his hand on the upper curve of a guitar. He has short graying hair, a wide smile, and a long face. He wears a white shirt and a vest with narrow vertical ribbon-like stripes.
Reggie Harris believes in the power of music to build community. Through his singing, song-leading, storytelling, and simply living his commitment, Reggie helps people discover that they can make a difference. His new musical project with White folk singer Greg Greenway, “Deeper Than the Skin,” is an inspiring experience of shared friendship and humanity. [2024-2025 Concert Series]