May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

"A revered figure in folk and soft rock"

For Livingston Taylor, music is what grounds him and creates a "pathway home after an adventurous thought." This connection to music has allowed Taylor to bring a distinct warmth to many stages and audiences for the past 50 years.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Newberry and Verch, a pair brought together by a shared connection to their individual traditions of home, fuse their musical roots from the Missouri Ozarks and the Ottawa Valley of Canada to create a signature sound, and in doing so, they bring a bit of home with them wherever they go.

Joe Newberry (guitar/vocals) has never been a stranger to the joys of music. Surrounded by a musical family and guidance from great Missouri fiddlers, he was strumming on the guitar and banjo at a young age. He is now a "powerful guitarist and singer-songwriter" with International Bluegrass Music Awards and features with Transatlantic Sessions.

April Verch's (fiddle/vocals) early exposure to music is no different. She grew up in a musical environment, listening to country music played by her father and his gigging band. By age three, she was already dancing, and at six years old, her fiddling journey began. She went on to become the first woman to win major fiddling competitions in Canada and also formed The April Verch Band, which toured and performed for audiences around the world.

Together, Newberry & Verch travel the world to perform on tour and at festivals, such as The Celtic Colours International Festival in Nova Scotia, where they have left crowds with warm hearts and high spirits.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

"An assortment of whirling polskas, groovy reels, passionate love songs, breathtaking hymns, and original compositions"

The members of Skye Consort and Emma Björling met in Montreal for a La Nef project in 2017, when a severe storm canceled Emma's flight home to Sweden, leading to the formation of a musical bond like no other. This group offers a perfect blend of music from various parts of the world, creating trans-Atlantic arrangements in multiple languages. As a collective, these musicians delight audiences with performances of their own original songs, which draw from Scandinavian, Irish, British, and French-Canadian influences. Their powerful arrangements and mastered musicianship can be heard on their albums Skye Consort & Emma Björling (2019) and Ode & Ballade (2024).

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Warm vocals, string wizardry, and heartfelt original songs...

Multi-Grammy award winner Tim O'Brien and Jan Fabricius have performed nationally and internationally as a duo or as part of the Tim O'Brien Band since 2015. In a duet setting with a guitar, a mandolin, and their two voices, they bring an intimate and warm acoustic music roots repertoire that's at once both original and traditional.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

"Their music comes from wild landscapes and wild places of the spirit."

Just like the Old Scots definition of their band name, Scottish band Cantrip leaves audiences spellbound when they take on any stage.

After forming in Edinburgh 20 years ago, this group came together to create music that is not shy of its Celtic origins or influences from the folk, metal, bluegrass, swing, and klezmer genres.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Since joining their talents in the late 1970s, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason have become one of the most celebrated duos on the American acoustic music scene. They are masters of music and storytelling who generously share their lives and their music with audiences. There are so many moments and strands to savor during an evening of their music.

Jay's fiddling is brimming with playfulness, drama, soulfulness, and technical verve, as he explores the many musical styles and idioms that he has internalized and made his own. Molly's total mastery and inventiveness on piano and guitar is always spot-on, as she supports the tunes and follows the flow of the melody. Her rich and expressive vocals along with the resonant strains of Jay's violin, reveal the deep emotions that flow in the duo's veins.

Millions were entranced by the music they did for Ken Burns' PBS documentary The Civil War. Their performance of the series' signature tune, Jay's haunting composition, "Ashokan Farewell," earned the couple international acclaim. The soundtrack won a Grammy, and "Ashokan Farewell" was nominated for an Emmy.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Two extraordinary musicians and storytellers with a mutual love of the history, stories, and significance of the music they play...

Jerron Paxton and Dennis Lichtman are world-renowned multi-instrumentalists and vocalists whose formal musical partnership began with a video shoot at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in 2017. Since 2019, the duo has toured across the United States and internationally, and they served as artists-in-residence at New York City's Symphony Space for the 2024-25 season. They released their first duo album in 2021.

Paxton and Lichtman share a mutual love of the history, stories, and significance behind the music they play. Their energetic sets feature acoustic blues, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley pop songs, 1920s jazz, twin fiddle hoe-downs, and original songs and compositions. This is roots music in the true sense of the word, performed by two extraordinary musicians and storytellers.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Elegant and precise vocals with emotional resonance.

Grammy award-nominated artist, Leslie Mendelson (vocals, guitar, harmonica), has won the hearts of both an adoring fan base and fellow artists alike. Mendelson crafts a distinctive vintage rock, folk-pop flavor, evoking the sounds of Laurel Canyon, but with the grit and sharp wit of Brooklyn, the city she calls home. There are realness and musicality that's both nostalgic and new within her music and especially her new album, After The Party, co-produced by Peter Asher, Tyler Chester, and longtime songwriting partner, Steve McEwan.

Steve McEwan (guitar and vocals) shares the stage with her, playing songs and telling stories through lyrics that they have written together. He is a London-born, three-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter. McEwan has written music for artists like Chris Stapleton, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, and many more.

Together, these two blend their talents, pleasing crowds with enchanted vocals and evocative songwriting.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Garnet Rogers has established himself as "one of the major talents of our time." Hailed by the Boston Globe as a "charismatic performer and singer," Garnet is a man with a powerful physical presence — close to six and a half feet tall — with a voice to match. With his "smooth, dark baritone" (Washington Post), his incredible range, and thoughtful, dramatic phrasing, Garnet is widely considered by fans and critics alike to be one of the finest singers anywhere. His music, like the man himself, is literate, passionate, highly sensitive, and deeply purposeful. Cinematic in detail, his songs "give expression to the unspoken vocabulary of the heart" (Kitchener Waterloo Record). An optimist at heart, Garnet sings extraordinary songs about people who are not obvious heroes and the small victories of everyday life. As memorable as his songs, his over-the-top humor and lightning-quick wit move his audience from tears to laughter and back again.