FIDDLERS’ SPRING FLING 2008 FESTIVAL
April 18 and 19
at
SYRACUSE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
(former First Church of Christ Scientist)
728 East Genesee Street, Syracuse
featuring
FRIDAY EVENING JAM SESSION
SATURDAY OPEN MIC and CONCERT
SATURDAY NIGHT OLD TYME  DANCE

FRIDAY EVENING JAM SESSION
(free and open to the public as well as musicians)
By 8:00PM, Friday evening, April 18, the Syracuse Center for the Arts , 728 E. Genesee St. will be resounding with the opening of FIDDLERS' SPRING FLING 2008, sponsored by the NY State Old Tyme Fiddlers’ Association and the Cultural Resources Council of Syracuse and Onondaga County. 

The evening will be an informal fiddlers’ jam session. It is free and open to the public. All novices through accomplished old time fiddlers and backup musicians are invited to join in an evening’s acoustic music fun.  Some in the audience likely will find the music irresistable and take to the dance floor.  This will inspire the fiddlers all the more since their tunes are mostly dance tunes and the fiddlers love to see people making the most of their music.   

SATURDAY OPEN MIC and CONCERT

An open mic session for fiddlers will get the festival underway Saturday, April 19, at 1:00 pm in the Syracuse Center 4 the Arts.  This will continue all afternoon with a 45 minute break at 3:00 pm for a mini-concert by SueLynnJess.  The trio consists of fiddler Susan Barrington of Cato, President of the Oswego Valley Fiddlers and a fiddling teacher.  Susan’s playing will be twinned with the fiddling of Lynn Scoles, a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist from Oswego and member of the Oswego Valley fiddlers.  Jessie Gotham of Camden will be accompanying the fiddlers on piano in the traditional style so appropriate for this kind of music.  Jessie can almost always be found where fiddlers from the NY State Old Tyme Fiddlers Association are gathered. 

Fiddlers may bring their own back-up musicians or be accompanied by the house backup band at the open mic sessions. 

Admission (waived for performers) is $3 for the afternoon or $5 for both afternoon and evening programs.  The open mike session will end about 5:00 pm.
 

SATURDAY NIGHT OLD TYME  DANCE in FAYETTEVILLE

The festivities will resume at 8:00 pm in the United Church of Fayetteville, 310 E .Genesee St. in the village.  Musicians from the afternoon, likely augmented by others, will join forces with the Syracuse Country Dancers for a gala evening of contra, square and round dancing with open mike for musicians and callers.  The musicians should start arriving at 7:00 pm to get organized and warmed up for the dance.

The called dances will be easy ones taught before they’re done so that anyone can do them.  No prior classes, special costumes, or even prior square dance experience are needed to join in the fun.  Some slower tunes for general (“round”) dancing will be played as suitable for the crowd.