John McCutcheon will be live in concert on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Fredonia Opera House.
The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center presents singer/songwriter John McCutcheon live in concert on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
In celebration of 30 years of the Folk in Fredonia Gilman Family Music Series, the Opera House in 2024 is bringing back some of the artists who performed in the earlier years of the series. McCutcheon first appeared here in 2003, and we’re thrilled that he is returning!
McCutcheon has emerged as one of our most respected and loved folksingers. As an instrumentalist, he is master of a dozen different traditional instruments, most notably the hammer dulcimer. His songwriting has been hailed by critics and singers around the globe. His 30 recordings have garnered every imaginable honor, including seven Grammy nominations. He has produced more than 20 albums of other artists, from traditional fiddlers to contemporary singer-songwriters to educational and documentary works. His books and instructional materials have introduced budding players to the joys of their own musicality. And his commitment to grassroots political organizations has put him on the front lines of many of the issues important to communities and workers.
The Washington Post described McCutcheon as folk music’s “Rustic Renaissance Man,” a moniker flawed only by its understatement. “Calling John McCutcheon a ‘folksinger’ is like saying Deion Sanders is just a football player…” (Dallas Morning News).
Besides his usual circuit of major concert halls and theaters, McCutcheon is equally at home in an elementary school auditorium, on a festival stage or at a farm rally. In the past few years alone he has headlined more than a dozen different festivals in North America, recorded an original composition for Virginia Public Television involving 500+ musicians, toured Australia for the sixth time, toured Chile in support of a women’s health initiative, appeared in a Woody Guthrie tribute concert in New York City, gave a featured concert at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, taught performance art skills at a North Carolina college, gave symphony pops concerts across America, served as president of the fastest-growing local in the Musicians Union, and performed a special concert at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
But it is in live performance that McCutcheon feels most at home. It is what has brought his music into the lives and homes of one of the broadest audiences any folk musician has ever enjoyed. People of every generation and background seem to feel at home in a concert hall when he takes the stage, with what critics describe as “little feats of magic,” “breathtaking in their ease and grace…,” and “like a conversation with an illuminating old friend.”
Tickets to the show are $22 (Adults), $20 (Opera House Members), and $10 (Students) and can be purchased in person at the Opera House Box Office or by phone at 716-679-1891, Tuesday-Friday, 12-4:30 p.m. They can be purchased online anytime at www.fredopera.org. For the past 30 years, the Folk in Fredonia Music Series has been generously sponsored by The Gilman Family.
In addition, Opera House programming is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and the United Arts Appeal of Chautauqua County.
The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center is a member-supported not-for-profit performing arts center with a mission to “present the performing arts for the benefit of our community and region … providing access to artistic diversity … and high-quality programming at an affordable price.” It is located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.fredopera.org.