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FREDONIA – The Folk-in-Fredonia Music Series at the 1891 Fredonia Opera House will kick off the fall season with its annual “Free-for-All” on Sunday, Sept. 20. The concert will begin at 3 p.m.; and admission is FREE.
The Free-For-All was started 14 years ago by local folk group the Newton Street Irregulars as a way to help promote the Folk-in-Fredonia Music Series at the Opera House. Although half of the Newton Street Irregulars have since left the area, founding members Dick & Carmen Gilman still invite their musician friends from across the state to join them for this Opera House tradition. From fiddles, banjos and guitars to step dancing, sing-alongs and tall tales, the Free-For-All is an afternoon filled with music, laughter and fun.
In addition to the Gilmans, the list of performers for this year’s event includes: guitarists/fiddlers/singers Cheryl Ritch and Jim Cunningham; Scottish fiddler Sue Tillotson; singers/songwriters Dr. Rich Milazzo & Joanne Harper; humorist Elmer Cotten; tenor Gerald Gray; pianist Shinobu Takagi; and Irish storyteller Doug Manly.
Also performing will be fiddlers/singers Kathy and Hannah Petersen; guitarists/singers Elliott Hall and Pete Calanni; guitarist Bill Moran; and banjo player Lawrence Sugarman with bassist Laurie Hunt. In addition, the Michigan-based duo of David Tamulevich and Michael Hough, better known as Mustard’s Retreat, will perform.
During the concert there will be raffles and giveaways of Folk-in-Fredonia T-shirts, CDs and tickets to 2009-10 Opera House folk events.
Admission is free, but tickets are required and should be reserved in advance to ensure a seat. Visit the Opera House Box Office or call 679-1891, Tuesday-Friday, 1-5 p.m. and Saturday, 2-5 p.m.
Chautauqua County’s only year-round performing arts center, the 1891 Fredonia Opera House is a member-supported not-for-profit organization located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. A complete schedule of Opera House events is available at www.fredopera.org.
