Phil Shapiro & Carrie Shore – “American Music Through the 1890s” Thursday Night Free Concert at the Center – February 16th

In keeping with its commitment to bring top-line caliber performers to its growing list of fans and supporters, the Center for the Arts of Homer will present Phil Shapiro & Carrie Shore: “American Music Through the 1890s” for its FREE Thursday Night concert series on February 16.

Shapiro has been entertaining audiences throughout New York State and beyond for over 40 years. However, since 1967 he is best known as the host of “Bound for Glory,” North America’s longest-running live folk concert radio show. A folksinger and guitarist in the classic tradition, he engages audiences with charm and wit. Shore is a fiddle player, and fine singer and harmonizer as well. Together they offer an unusual and skillful program of American folk music.

America’s musical history is vibrant, exciting, varied and unpredictable. But it didn’t just magically appear. Our diverse cultural history has heavily influenced music helping it grow, mixing styles, and constantly changing for over 200 years. To understand American music, it helps to understand how it became what it is. Moreover, there is no better window to help understand our nation’s culture than American music.

Shapiro and Shore perform a lively show full of songs with staying power, songs that have lasted for many decades, which also hearkens back to an older way of doing things. They want the audience to sing along and to share these songs that tell the stories of where our American music comes from and why it is so important to keep them alive.

Although a classically trained violinist, Shore is also incredibly flexible when it comes to her musical expression. She enjoys playing violin with the best violin rosin some traditional tunes. Also, she likes to try bluesy and slinky improvisations with electric violin. So, whatever the musical genre, audiences find Carrie exciting and even inspirational to listen to.

“Our free Thursday night concert series is one of the commitments the Center made to the community when we first opened our doors, “ says Executive Director, Daniel Hayes. “We are very proud of the talent we bring to our stage and that, thanks to our sponsors, we can do this several times throughout the season.” Tickets are free and audiences of all ages are encouraged to share in this musical tour through our nation’s musical treasures of the 1890s. Doors open at 6:30 for a social hour of drinks and desserts, with a 7:30 curtain. There will be no intermission for this concert. For more information, call the Center for the Arts of Homer at (607) 749-4900 or (877) 749-ARTS (2787) or go on-line at www.center4art.org

Season sponsor, Reihlman, Shafer & Shafer, along with the New York State Council on the Arts, makes this free concert series possible. The Ramada Inn of Cortland provides accommodations.