HVFG New Season

by Linda Breithaupt

Here’s to the new Hudson Valley Folk Guild Season! We ended last season looking for necessary volunteers for a few vital positions. It appeared like we had lost the eastern Dutchess Putnam area coffeehouse BUT….. Mark Bernardini has relocated the chapter to the First Presbyterian Church in Yorktown Heights. This coffeehouse will occupy the second Saturday slot and provide an open stage opportunity for the lower end of the Hudson Valley; all volunteers are welcome!

We are blessed with the numerical talents of Bob Wright remaining as the HVFG financial guru (not that Folk Music revenues are so vast!). Bob is going to relocate back to the area and has offered to remain as the Treasurer.

The Poughkeepsie Chapter is going to provide a creative Folk Music experience building on the success of the Song Circle in Highland from the past season. The 4^th Saturday Song Circle from Highland is going to move to the 3^rd Saturday for the Poughkeepsie Coffeehouse at the Unitarian Fellowship Hall coordinated by Mike and Emmy Clarke and Blair Shepard. The format will feature the traditional sharing song circle with folks bringing a song to perform with others, folks who come to request songs and sing along and folks who just want to listen.   The evening begins at 7:30. A handy addition to the evening would be to bring your Rise Up Singing Songbook, a good source for group singing material.

H.V.F.G. Friend’s of Fiddler’s Green will be back at their home base (see the flyer for details), and Kingston will kick off the Coffeehouse on the first Saturday in September.

Be on the lookout for the official Hudson Valley Folk Guild Website, which will be up, and running shortly. You can find it at Hudson Valley Folk Guild.org, .com or .net. thanks to the interest of many and the work of Chris DePalma.

Support your local Folk Music venues.

New Chapter Location

The Hudson Valley Folk Guild is proud to announce a new location in the lower Hudson Valley region. The Yorktown Chapter will start its first season on September 10, 2005. This is a wonderful sounding room with high ceilings and a welcome addition to the folk guild.

The new location is:

First Presbyterian Church
2880 Crompond
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598

Chapter Features Calendar

Features for Kingston Chapter
September 3 - Bob Wright
October 1 - Robert deRivera

Features for Yorktown Chapter
September 10 - Ron Gluck and friends
October 8 - Bob Stanhope

Poughkeepsie Chapter
September 24 – Song Circle
October 22 - Song Circle

Friends of Fiddler’s Green
Sept. 9 - Priscilla Herdman
Sept. 23 - Rod MacDonald
Oct. 7 - Cindy Mangsen
Oct. 21 - Leslie Ritter & Scott Petito

Cuomo's Cove

Cuomo's Cove in Windham, N.Y. which is located in Greene County is planning a monthly open mic night specifically for Folk Music. Our open mic night would be free of charge and open to the general public. We would also be supplying (free of charge) soda, water, coffee, peanuts, popcorn and pretzels. We are trying to have Folk Music expand into this region by supplying a venue where it can thrive and grow. We are also planning to get together with the Hudson Valley Folk Guild to plan a future Folk Festival in our newly created amphitheater. Any musicians who would be interested in playing for the open mic night please call Nick or Terry at (518) 734-5903.

Key Folk Guild Opportunities

Calendar of Other Area Venues

Religious Music Opportunities

Living Water Coffeehouse, with a gospel twist!   Open stage with each performer to include one number of a Christian/Gospel nature as part of their set. 4th Saturday of Sept & Oct. Run by our own Red Rogers, 845-265-9299, 7:30 sign-up, 8 show, $5, children under 12 free, in the Van Cortlandt United Methodist Church, 296 Locust Ave., Cortlandt Manor, NY.

For those that might be interested in Liturgical music, Kevin Becker has composed a musical Mass for SATB and piano in honor of the 50th anniversary of the founding of Regina Coeli School in Hyde Park.
The Mass parts will be integrated into the 11:30 Mass on Sunday September 11, 2005 at Regina Coeli Church, Rt 9, Hyde Park, NY.   In addition to Kevin, other Folk Guild members participating are Carol Becker, John Becker, David Becker in the choir and Susan Bialek playing the piano accompaniment.

Kirtan (sing-a-long Hindu Chant) at Mirabai book store in Woodstock, every Monday evening 5:30 - 6:45 pm free.  Call  679-2100 for more information

Obituaries

Vassar Clements, a highly-regarded virtuoso fiddler and studio musician who played on more than 2,000 albums, has died of lung cancer at the age of 77.     Clements joined Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys at 14 and worked with artists as varied as Emmylou Harris, Sir Paul McCartney and the Grateful Dead.

John Herald passed away on July 18th, 2005. John will be greatly missed by both the music world and his many friends who appreciated his gentle manner and kind heart.
    A well-respected and regarded folk and bluegrass musician, John was at the forefront of the 60's folk movement. As leader of the bluegrass pioneers, The Greenbriar Boys, he toured with contemporaries such as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan.