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Presenting fine traditional arts in Central Pennsylvania since 1985

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Fri, August 7 - Eileen Ivers at Mt Gretna - $5 off!

Eileen Ivers at Mt Gretna - $5 off! Mt Gretna
Use promo code 'SFMS' to get $5 off adult admission for Eileen Ivers and the Brigadeens: the bold new acoustic roots band led by Grammy-winning, Emmy-nominated, 9-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion Eileen Ivers, and featuring acclaimed vocalists and instrumentalists from the Celtic and Americana traditions. At 5:30pm, enjoy a FREE Irish music session in the Hall of Philosophy; see GretnaMusic.org for details. Open-air concert on Friday, August 7 at Mt Gretna Playhouse. MORE

Sat, August 8 - Apprenticeship Celebration

Apprenticeship Celebration Camp Hill
Join us for performances, stories and demonstrations from our biggest‑ever cohort of Traditional Arts apprentices and the master artists who mentored them. This event is part of “Bringing It Home,” SFMS’s program featuring local folk artists. Program on Saturday afternoon, August 8 at Fredricksen Library. MORE

Sat, August 15 - Folk Artists Gathering

Folk Artists Gathering Folk Artists Gathering Harrisburg
The Susquehanna Folk Arts Center is hosting a get-together for people who practice or enjoy traditional arts. That term includes playing traditional music, singing in a church choir, making quilts or rugs or wood-carvings, cooking from grandma’s recipes, learning Balkan dances — the list is endless! This is a two-part event: a Folk Artist Networking event starting at 1 pm, and a public Folk Arts Showcase starting at 3 pm. Please join us to meet and catch up with with other folk arts practitioners, or just to take a peek into the kaleidoscope of local traditional arts. Gathering on Saturday afternoon, August 15 at the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg. MORE

Sat, August 22 - Volunteer Appreciation Picnic

Volunteer Appreciation Picnic Harrisburg
All Susquehanna Folk volunteers, past and future, are invited to a cookout potluck with live musical entertainment by SFMS Board members! A fun event to celebrate our volunteers and welcome new ones. Picnic on Saturday, August 22 at Fort Hunter Park, West Pavilion. MORE

Sat, September 19 - Alla Boara

Alla Boara Middletown
Italian folk songs with a twist! In jazzed-up settings that range from playful to tender, each old song becomes a delightful journey to somewhere new. Alla Boara inspires audiences of all ethnic heritages to find contemporary relevance and joy in their musical roots. Concert on Saturday, September 19 at Kulkarni Theatre. MORE

Sun, September 20 - Folk at Fort Hunter Day

Folk at Fort Hunter Day Harrisburg
SFMS hosts an open jam session as part of the annual Fort Hunter Day festivities. Afternoon music includes Acoustic Stew, Maximum Buffalo, and Big Sky Quartet. Enjoy family-friendly activities and historical demonstrations, food, crafts, and more. All day Sunday, September 20 at Fort Hunter Park. MORE
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Susquehanna Folk Arts Center — Folk Artists Gallery

America is a nation of immigrants, all of whom brought along their domestic crafts, foods, social dances, holiday traditions, and ways of life. Perhaps you enjoyed a St. Patrick’s Day parade or Irish music event recently?

SFMS is proud to celebrate the glorious kaleidoscope of cultures here in Central PA, and to bring bits of that kaleidoscope into focus by showcasing local traditional arts masters. Forging connections through the arts makes “WE” more important than “us” and “them.”

Explore our Folk Artists Gallery!

Muskan Balampaki Narda LeCadre, African American quilter Lesl Harker Diana Meng
Muskan Balampaki  
African American Quilters Gathering
Lesl Harker Irish Flute
Diana Meng Chinese Watercolor
Pedro Antonetty Aron Rook Spiritual Messengers Ho-Thanh Nguyen
Pedro Antonetty Puerto Rican drums
Aron Rook Visual Arts
Spiritual Messengers
Ho-Thanh Nguyen Vietnamese Cooking

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Youth are the Future of Culture

In this Folk Artist spotlight, folklorist Amy Skillman is inspired to see young people experiencing and loving traditional music and dance.

Biplab Khatiwada sits cross-legged on the floor behind two drums, playing them with his hands. Each drum is about a foot high, one narrower and higher pitched than the other. Three larger, taller drums are off to the side.

I recently had a day that filled me with hope: seeing two teenagers pouring their hearts into traditional arts. I felt so lucky to be a folklorist working with SFMS! There are many ways for young people to engage with traditional arts in Central Pennsylvania, from Chinese calligraphy to Balkan music to Irish dance.

A young woman performs a classical Indian dance.She is crouching with her arms out in front of her as if she holds a box, and she looks worried. At left are four musicians sitting cross-legged on a low platform. The dancer's dress is magenta and orange, with a pleated skirt, and decorations on her head.

In the top photo, 16-year-old Biplab Khatiwada plays tablas, a pair of hand drums common in Nepali music. In the bottom photo, 14-year-old Nitya Nandakesan performs Bharatanatyam dance at her arangetram (debut recital). At a time of life when there’s strong pressure to conform, these two local teens are fine with being a little different: embracing their cultural heritage and making it part of their identity.

The full article explores other ways creative young people are both preserving and shaping traditional arts.

Continue reading...
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.
King Jester is a young Black man, leaning against a wall as he plays a metallic resonator guitar. He wears a gray T-shirt and is looking down at the guitar.
A head-and-shoulders portrait of Sug Daniels. She is a young black woman with a strong, direct gaze. She has thick arched eyebrows, a broad nose with a stud on one side, very full lips, and medium-brown skin. She is wearing a black hat with a broad brim, tilted up, so all we see is a wide black disc behind her head. The photo is cropped so the edge of the hat almost doesn’t show. She also has a red bandanna wrapped around her head, with an inch or so showing beneath the hat brim.
A Black woman on stage, singing and playing a silver resonator guitar. She has short curly hair and is wearing a red print sundress.
Closeup of a Black woman’s hands stitching small hexagons of colored calico into a flower. In her lap is a clear bag holding several finished flowers.
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.
Pedro Antonetty grew up immersed in the music of his native Puerto Rico. In addition to the bomba music of his own heritage, he channels the rhythms of Africa, the Middle East, Latin and South America, and even Japan. He is also a creative builder of his own traditional drums. [Folk Artists Gallery and 2024 Susquehanna Folk Festival]