Seamus Kennedy

General Admission $15
($13 Opera House Members)
Folk in Fredonia Music Series

Seamus Kennedy is an Irish singer, songwriter, musician, comedian, author and all-around entertainer.  He has a huge repertoire that includes traditional Irish music, classic Country & Western, American standards, Scottish ballads, and kids' shows (entertainment for "the wee ones").

Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, has been entertaining audiences all over the United States for almost four decades.  An accomplished guitarist with a ready wit and a vast store of songs, he travels from Alaska to Florida, Maryland to California, performing for audiences that range from popes and presidents to bartenders and bricklayers, from college students to kindergarteners.

In concert or at a festival, in pub or club, in colleges or high schools, Kennedy has the repertoire and the ability to make folks forget their cares for a while, to relax and enjoy themselves.  He encourages the crowd to sing along to silly lyrics and daft ditties or act out the choruses of children's songs.  When he plays a lively Irish jig or reel, Kennedy often will coax someone to jump up and dance to the music, much to the delight - and often amazement - of their friends.  His audience participation songs and tongue-twisters have amused the ablest of participants and the nimblest of tongues.

His endless supply of rib-tickling jokes, stories and one-liners can leave an audience breathless from laughing so hard.  Many a crowd has gone home from one of his shows giggling to one another, "do you remember the one about ...?"

But the Irish have their serious side too, and when Kennedy performs one of the more somber ballads such as Tommy Sands'  "There Were Roses" or Pete St. John's "Dublin in the Rare Old Times," you can hear a pin drop as the words sink in.  That moment of silence before the applause can raise goosebumps. 

Kennedy's greatest musical influences have been the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, the Dubliners' Luke Kelly and the Irish Rovers, so it is no surprise to find many of the songs they made famous, such as "The Wild Colonial Boy," "The Wild Rover," or "The Black Velvet Band," in his performance.

His strong interactive entertainment skills and his relationship with his audiences have helped him create an exceptionally loyal fan base everywhere he goes.  He truly is one of Ireland's most popular exports!

Joining Kennedy will be Opera House favorites, Clann Na Cara Irish Dance.  Clann Na Cara was established as a western New York Irish dance school in 2006 by four National and World Champion medalists.  Prior to receiving their dance teacher certifications, all four founders were regular performers at the Opera House during St. Patrick's Day celebration events.  In addition, each has led dancers in performances with such notable artists as The Chieftans, Cherish the Ladies and Natalie MacMaster.  The students at Clann Na Cara range in age from 4 to 21 and include numerous Preliminary and Championship dancers. 

General Admission $15 ($13 Opera House members)

The Rolling Roots Revue is a troupe of musicians and recording artists for the Wepecket Island Records label.  All are musicians in their own right and tour independently; but once a year, several come together to tour the nation, performing in concert halls, churches, houses, libraries, taverns and coffeehouses for three weeks or so.

Members of the Rolling Roots troupe hop on and off the "train," but the company maintains a corps of at least four and as many as nine performers who gleefully spread the word and song of America's history.  They have toured extensively in the Midwest, the Atlantic Seaboard and the Deep South, and soon will be expanding their reach into the Pacific Northwest.

Artists included in this year's tour who may be performing at the Opera House include: singer/songwriter Andru Bemis; multi-instrumentalist/blues musician Sherman Lee Dillon; singer/dulcimer player (& SUNY Fredonia Alum) Dale Robin Goodman; banjoist/singer Hilary Hawke; Piedmont blues guitarist Mike Higgins; stride pianist "Ragtime" Jack Radcliffe; and the Red Hen String Band.

Rolling Roots Revue concerts conclude with an invitation to join in an onstage jam session and sing-around. So those who attend the shows don't just see a good concert, they participate in one!

"As you return home ... (after a) Rolling Roots Revue, you cannot help but feel as though you have kept a small treasure that will stay with you always: a genuine appreciation of the truly unique and expansive roots of the music that has helped to forge our country and an awe toward those who have been the creators of such timeless traditions."  – Ed Dugan, Steve's Backstage Pass (Taunton, MA)

Featuring Dan Berggren, Dan Duggan and Peggy Lynn

General Admission $15 ($13 Opera House members)

Dan, Dan & Peggy, three award-winning solo musicians (and Opera House favorites), have joined forces to create the dynamic trio Jamcrackers, named in honor of the Adirondack river drivers who broke up log jams.  "These loggers worked hard to find solutions and to get things rolling on a job that couldn't be done alone," says Peggy, speaking on behalf of the group.  "Dan, Dan and I feel the same way about our music."

These good friends and accomplished musicians bring a rare blend of humor, history and musical spirit to their performances.  Award-winning educator and songwriter Dan Berggren has deep roots in the Adirondacks.  His music, which reflects the spirit and the hard-working people of that region, has traveled around the world from Central Africa to Transylvania.  Author and environmental activist Bill McKibben says Dan's music "is the sound of the Adirondacks, as much as the water lapping against the granite shore of the lake or the loon echoing in the sunset or the wind tossing the spruce tops."

Berggren is the recipient of both the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the New York State Outdoor Education Association Art & Literature Award.   His own record label, Sleeping Giant Records, has released 14 recordings featuring his music, including one Jamcrackers album, Ten Miles to Saturday Night.

National Hammered Dulcimer Champion Dan Duggan is known from Maine to California for his wizardry on the hammered dulcimer, flat-picking guitar and keyboards.  His dulcimer talent is spotlighted on Paul Simon's Grammy-nominated album "You're the One."  Duggan has recorded four collections of original compositions as well as three albums of traditional holiday music.  His CD of original songs for children, "The Pieces of Our Life," received a Parent's Choice Approval Award.

Peggy Lynn, better known as the "First Lady of Adirondack Music," writes and performs songs about the women and natural beauty of the North Country; and her bluesy alto voice melts every audience that hears it.  Named 1996 Adirondack Woman of the Year, she coauthored, with Sandra Weber, the book Breaking Trail: Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks.  In 2005, she and Dan Berggren both received the Adirondack Mountain Club's Education Award.  Recognized nationwide for her soulful songwriting and extraordinary vocal versatility, her work has been featured at the famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.

"A Jamcrackers performance is genuine and contagious," noted one recent reviewer.  "The trio's diverse blend of folk and blues, ballads and gospel and dance tunes sparks a rare chemistry and guarantees a good time."