Three of Western New York’s accomplished traditional dance musicians join together to bring the classic tunes to life and new ones for our dancing pleasure.
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Filtered by Performer Style: Contra
Good Strings Trio
Chris and Cordelia Machanoff are core members of the Rochester, NY-based bluegrass/folk group The Good Weather String Band, known for their acoustic jams, mandolin, banjo, and evolving sound, often playing local venues and featuring in other local acts. They are a prominent local string band, central to the Finger Lakes/Upstate NY folk scene. Genre: Bluegrass, folk,… Read more »
Life of Their Own
Tim Ball and Sophie Orzechowski play traditional dance music from New England, Ireland, Quebec, Sweden, and France. Switching fluidly between fiddles, guitar, and piano, their music is in turns lively, earnest, and evocative, and brings the best out of the living tradition.
Everest Witman and Grace Hendrickson-Jones
Everest Witman and Grace Hendrickson-Jones are each lovers of contra dance as well as traditional music. Each brings exciting new sounds to the dance. They have played together in Montréal’s Modern Birds. Grace has also played with Cojiro, and Everest is a member of the Irish trio, Kavaz.
Heart Throbs String Trio
Swing jazz, bluegrass, originals, and old pop tunes played on acoustic instruments for and by heart throbs.
Orleans County String Band
Laurence, Kathy & Laurie come together in a new configuration of old friends for an up tempo, foot-stomping good time.
Cruise Control
Longtime friends Eileen Kalfass and John Wobus join with Catherine Sloboda to play beloved tunes with lift and joy.
Here on the Hill
Here on the Hill is three musicians who can’t resist playing together. The Boston-based trio has been making waves back home with their high-energy twin fiddles and dynamic rhythm guitar.
Peter Stix
Peter Stix is a caller and dance organizer up in Albany NY. Stix started calling in 1989 in Minnesota (no doubt that’s where he developed his laid-back style). Clear teaching and varied dance selections are his trademarks, once you get past his PUNishing sense of humor. Undoubtedly he will have a great program for our… Read more »
Raven & Goose
Raven & Goose are a nationally touring contra duo. With fiery fiddlin’ and foot stompin’ piano, they play original compositions and breathe new life into traditional tunes, all delivered with a passion that will get you up and dancing!
Mattie Rynkiewicz
Minneapolis-based multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and dance caller Mattie Rynkiewicz [they/them/theirs] grew up steeped in traditional song and dance. They hold a Bachelor of Musical Arts in jazz, contemporary improvisation, and French from Lawrence University. An avid composer of fiddle tunes, they frequently play for contra dances and other folkie events. You can most commonly hear them at Tapestry… Read more »
Sunny Lawrence
Sunny Lawrence grew up in New York City and began dancing there in 2011. With the tools learned through Brooklyn Contra’s Caller’s Workshop series, Sunny’s goal as a caller is to bring a clear, calm, and joyful presence to the mic, to make contra accessible to new dancers, and to strengthen her beloved dance communities.
Eileen Kalfass
Hailing from Syracuse, Eileen Kalfass is a much in demand fiddler with a wide repertoire, from Quebecois, Irish, Trad New England, and English Country. She has been a member of numerous country dance ensembles including Sister Haggis, Seaglass & Montage, and has played all over the US and beyond.
Dave Wiesler
Dave is one of the nation’s premier pianists and composer of tunes for English, Scottish, and American country dance. He has published a book of waltzes and another of tunes in the folk dance tradition.
Oliver Scanlon
A soulful fiddler, mandolinist and spellbinding tunesmith, Oliver Scanlon co-founded in 2013 Pete’s Posse with Pete Sutherland and Tristan Henderson. Oliver played with Pete’s Posse for hundreds of contradances, concerts and festivals for their nine years as a trio, releasing eight recording projects along the way! Now based in Syracuse, NY, Oliver plays with Stove… Read more »
Alex Fortier
Alex Louis Fortier has been studying and playing piano in various idioms since the age of 6. His traditional accompaniment stylings range between classic New England style (Bob McQuillen, Gordon Peery), Quebecois style (Mario Loiselle, Rachel Aucoin), and Cape Breton style (Neil Pearlman, Jason Roach, Mac Morin, Troy MacGillivray). With a love of tradition and… Read more »
Rachel Ameen
Rachel Ameen has been studying dance calling with David Smukler and Bob Nicholson. She has brought delight to the Syracuse dance series.
Quicksilver
Vandalia
Vandalia is all about exploring the world of American String-band music. They’re inspired by tradition, but they’re not stuck in the past. They’ve found a special place in both the old-time community and the wider arts world. It’s a fresh take on traditional acoustic music that’s both familiar and exciting. Each of the brings something all-their-own… Read more »
Matt, Cat and Alex
Three long time dance musicians get together for a good time!
Cattail
This is a new (2024) addition to the Rochester lineup of contra dance bands. Catherine Sloboda goes deeply into the contra dance experience from her childhood playing with Glenrose, the Sloboda family band. Her passion for dance music has taken her through classical training, Quebecois traditions, English country dance and more. Clara Riedlinger brings an old-time… Read more »
Liz Nelson
Music becomes movement and moving together becomes joy, just as natural as breathing. Liz Nelson is a dance caller residing in Western Massachusetts. She is well-known for her clear, concise teaching and warm, welcoming presence. She knows that everyone can dance and firmly believes “if you’re having fun and being safe, you’re doing it right!”… Read more »
Stove Dragon
Four of New England’s finest contra musicians come together into a single kindly dance-beast: meet Stove Dragon, breathing in notes and breathing out smoldering rhythms and flickering melodies, igniting dancers’ feet and toasting listeners’ ears.Oliver Scanlon (fiddle, mandolin, feet, vocals) and Rose Jackson (fiddle, vocals) fill the room with melodic lift and tight, dynamic double-fiddle… Read more »
The Engine Room
The Engine Room is a brand new contra dance band hailing from both coasts and places in between. The Engine Room will lay down a driving, nonstop groove that is sure to get you moving. Fiddler Kelsey Wells joins The Engine Room from Nashville, where she also performs with Turnip the Beet. Alex Sturbaum has also… Read more »
Clara, Pete & Alex
Clara, Pete and Alex bring back one of our newer bands to the Rose Room stage for contras this week.
Bev Bernbaum
We have enjoyed the fine work of Canadian caller, Bev Bernbaum, for many years. We’re delighted to welcome her back to Rochester. Bev has travelled all over the world spreading the joy of contra dancing. She has embraced calling and dancing at Zoom-based events to stay connected with her beloved community during the pandemic. Get… Read more »
Kathy Sommer & Harvey Nusbaum
Syracuse guitarist Harvey Nusbaum is not a new name to the Rochester contra dances. Harvey is one of central New York’s quintessential, sought-after guitarists, competent in various genres including Irish, contra dance, folk, swing and jazz. Harvey performs and jams regularly (a lot) and his guitar playing is notable for his wide use of the… Read more »
Calico
With its unique mix of driving cello, 12-string guitar, and a hell of a lot of foot percussion, Calico brings a fiery twist to the fiddle music of Québec and New England. Whether they’re playing archival crooked tunes or new compositions, Casey Murray, Jesse Ball, and Eric Boodman create a joyous sound all their own…. Read more »
Harris Lapiroff
I organize and call contra dances in the New England area and beyond.
Tryptech
Cat and Zak, talented musicians and passionate dancers seamlessly fuse technology with the the traditional.
Ballingarry
Ballingarry, based in Rochester NY’s vibrant Irish music community, brings high-energy dance music to contra with a foot-stomping blend of improvisation and tradition. They include veterans of The Bobbens, Rós Gorm, Foxtown, and the Tom Finucane, An gCarraig, and Drumlin Ceili Bands. They’re always excited to play for dance! Performs for: Contra, Irish, Scottish
Laurel, Cat & Meg
Contraforce
Charleston-based quartet ContraForce may be deeply rooted in traditional folk music and the contra dance scene, but when it comes to composing and recording their own tunes, they certainly don’t shy away from musical experimentation. Fiddler Andrae Raffield, Percussionist/handpan/saxophonist Joey Dorwart, guitarist Jimi “Two Nails” Peirano, and Vocalist Karin Mcquade have collaborated on old standards… Read more »
Bellamira
This trio of expert Western NY dance musicians formed in 2023 to play for English Country dances and soon after for contras as well. Each has exceptional musical skills coupled with long experience playing for dancers.
Trillium
Tim Ball and Helen Kuhar
Tim Ball’s solo fiddle album Upstate Crossroads was the No. 1 album of January 2023 on the FAI Folk DJ chart. Helen Kuhar is rapidly establishing themself as an in-demand guitarist and singer in Boston’s vibrant Irish and contra dance music scenes. When the two met at an Irish session in Ithaca, NY in mid-2022,… Read more »
Annie Simpson
Catherine, Laurel & Meg
Better Weather String Band
The Better Weather String band plays hot southern old time music that gets you moving. Laura Taylor on fiddle leads the band, Lloyd Graves on banjo, Valerie Graves on guitar, and Vikki Armstrong on mandolin. The band members are also dancers themselves and they make the music exciting and really danceable. Not to be missed.
Silvia Sörensen
Meg Grindrod
River Road
River Road delivers beauty, power, and groove to contra dances with a highly revered mixture of contemporary and traditional tunes with strong influences from Quebecois, New England, & maritime traditions, featuring Sarah-Hadley Yakir on fiddle, Kristen Planeaux on piano, flute, and accordion, and Jesse Ball on mandolin, guitar, accordion, and foot percussion. While they are… Read more »
Clinton’s Folly
Clinton’s Folly is a three-piece string band from Rochester, NY, blending the sounds of the Erie Canal, Adirondacks, and Genesee Valley regions with the mountain music tradition of Appalachia. Dan Lynch is a music teacher and historian with deep roots in the New York State music tradition. Clara Riedlinger is a fiddle player and ballad… Read more »
Tailwind
Tailwind is Curt Osgood on Hammer Dulcimer, John Wobus on keyboard, and Harry Jankiewicz on fiddle. Jankiewicz, Osgood and Wobus, share nearly 100 years of performing experience between them. On fiddle, hammered dulcimer and piano, at coffeehouses, festivals, grange halls and other folk venues you can hear them presenting selections from various musical traditions including… Read more »
Curt Osgood
Curt Osgood has been playing hammered dulcimer for over 35 years; he sings, plays guitar and clawhammer style banjo as well. He performs in concert, presents workshops, facilitates festival jam sessions, gives lessons and tours with a number of contra dance ensembles. He has produced 3 ensemble CDs and can be heard on other artist… Read more »
The McKenzies
Woody and Marcia McKenzie have been making music together since they were married in 1983. Residents of Virginia since 1985, they have entertained audiences throughout the U.S. and in Canada, Denmark and Belize with their unique blend of contemporary and original folk, traditional music of southern Appalachia and the British Isles, funny songs, and even… Read more »
Catherine Sloboda
Catherine’s fiddling is energizing, sensitive, and creates music with that elusive quality of danceability. She also has long experience in playing for dancing; in the early ’90’s, Catherine was a member of the Sloboda family band, Glenrose, who played for many contra and family dances. She is a member of the ECD bands Bellamira, Quicksilver,… Read more »
Corner House
Corner House is Ethan Hawkins on Guitar, Louise Bichan on Fiddle, Ethan Setiawan on Mandolin, and Casey Murray on Cello. Originally hailing from Boston, MA, Corner House takes their name from the place where the four young band members found musical family in one another – their shared home in Brighton, as students at Berklee… Read more »
Katie Marshall
Sweet melodies and tasty harmonies are evident in Katie’s fiddling. She started playing for our English country dances in the summer of 2022. Having distinguished herself there, she has moved on to playing for contra dances.
Audrey Potter
Fiddler Audrey Potter enthusiastically plays for our contras. A former member of Ginger Majority, she is an alumna of the Kanack School of Musical Artistry before going on to study Violin Performance and Music Education at the Fredonia School of Music. She now teaches Orchestra & General Music at West Irondequoit CSD.