Carnegie Hall's United in Sound: America at 250
Carnegie Hall's United in Sound: America at 250
We are excited to partner with Folk Music Society of NY and be a part of Carnegie Hall’s “United in Sound: America at 250” festival! This citywide celebration highlights the extraordinary musical riches that have flourished in the US, exploring the endlessly diverse voices and influences that have shaped—and continue to shape—American identity.
Saturday, Feb 11: Contra for all with Larry Unger and Tory Horner
Calling by Maia McCormick
Larry Unger has been a full time musician since 1984, and has presented a diverse range of musical performances at contra dances, Scottish dances, waltzes, dance weekends, dance camps, festivals, and concerts all across the United States and in Canada, France, Scotland, Denmark, and Sweden. He's one of the busiest musicians around, playing for more than 150 dances every year.
Tory Horner is a fiddler based in Cambridge, MA. She got her start playing for dances in the Asheville music scene in 2023 and in 2024 moved to Boston and formed Here on the Hill. A graduate of Vassar College with a music degree focused on violin performance, Tory's playing balances her technical skill with her sensitivity to the groove. She draws from her deep knowledge of contra dance to enthrall dancers and listeners alike with fiddling ranging from rhythmic and driving to groovy and flowing.
Saturday, May 9: Double Contra Dance with The Pegasus Collective
Calling by Julian Blechner
3:15-6:00 Advanced Contra
7:00-7:30 Contra Dance Lesson
7:30-10:30 Contra for all
The Pegasus Collective is a Boston-based quartet that plays for Contra and English Country Dancing. Named after the Great Square of Pegasus, these four young musicians are breathing new life into this traditional style of dance music. The Pegasus Collective is Sam Zakon-Anderson on piano, Peter Subramanian on Fiddle, Cecily Mills on Cello, and Steven Bluestein on woodwinds. Coming from a variety of musical backgrounds, this quartet's playing is packed with a rich variety of flavors, influences, and sensibilities.
Julian Blechner has a passion for contra dance, and is excited to share it with you! He is a seasoned contra and set dance caller based in Western Massachusetts. Since 2011, he’s called dances of all sized, from big festival and camp stages, to dances of all sizes from Maine to the Mid-Atlantic. He has called for many years at the New England Folk Festival, was a headliner at Flurry Festival 2018, Old Songs Festival 2019, and performed at other dance festivals, special events, and weekends. His home dances are in Amherst and Greenfield, Massachusetts.
Julian enjoys calling for all skill levels of dancers. He brings a cheerful, friendly attitude with clear, concise teaching and prompting. Julian has written dozens of dances, and combines this expertise with his love of dancing to provide a joyful flair to dances!
All events are held at the Church of the Village at 201 West 13th street unless otherwise noted.