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What's a long-time folkie, a "pre-boomer" more at home with a century-old mandolin than an iMac, doing on the web? Well, I hope to give you an introduction to my music, a current performance calendar, a few bits of bio, an opportunity to write me or even book me, plus the odd morsel of miscellany. Oddly enough, one of the things I've always loved about folk music, in the 40-plus years I've been playing it, is its intimacy — the lack of distance between performer and audience. Here, in the paradoxical one-on-one closeness of our impersonal electronic community, we can talk directly.

I play folk music — American traditional, Celtic instrumental, a bit of Yiddish, blues, bluegrass, old timey, and contemporary. With varying degrees of expertise, I handle guitar, banjo, mandolins of all sizes, Autoharp, English concertina, harmonica, bass (acoustic and electric), Dobro, Appalachian dulcimer, ukulele, and other odd instruments from tiple to kalimba. I perform in a variety of groups, and coordinate performances by many of my musical friends. I've participated in over a dozen recordings, played many a concert, coffeehouse and regional festival. I put together theme programs, historical and contemporary, and work frequently with special audiences — kids, seniors, etc. I work mostly out of Rochester NY, occasionally elsewhere in the Northeast. I love choruses, sing-arounds, swapping songs, backing up singers, and late-night jams.

Here are some of the specific things I can offer:

Love and Knishes
A trio with award-winning singer-songwriter Bonnie Abrams and Eastman-trained violinist Glenna Chance, presenting music from the Jewish tradition in Yiddish and English, as well as Bonnie's original material. MP3's of the group's music included!
 
Innisfree
A quartet specializing in Celtic instrumental music on mandolin, accordian, hammered dulcimer, guitar, and concertina. MP3's of the group's music included!
 
Barbara Jablonski & Allen Hopkins
Performing programs of American traditional music in schools, libraries, museums and historical societies.
 
Special Programs
Musical programs from our past and our present; songs for special audiences — kids, seniors, et al.
 
Flint Hill Folk
Organized to provide folk music for Genesee Country Village, FHF perform 19th century music in period costume on restored instruments. MP3's of the group's music included!

For info, updates, and booking call (585) 482-6062 or e-mail allen@allenhopkins.org.

  • WEB SITE FEATURES include MP3 samples of Love & Knishes, Innisfree, and Flint Hill Folk on their pages; also there's a Booking Form if you'd like to set up a gig — thanx as always to Webmeister Pete Hopkins for his expertise...
  • "Fullest green summer we've seen in years," as Greg Brown wrote in his classic song Early, and between spates of lawn-mowing, I've been traveling around the state playing music hither and yon; should you desire to keep up with my comings and goings, you can always visit the Booking Page, and sign up for weekly schedule e-mails, and/or periodic calendar postcards...
  • Thanx to Jackie Kaspersin of Dynamic Recordings here in Rochester, I'm off to Cape Vincent NY on July 24, playing one of the Cape Vincent Arts Council's Concerts On the Green; I'll be joined by Jim Clare for this free community concert...
  • Had a great day on July 7, playing Erie Canal Songs for Dawn Lamphere of the Margaret Reaney Memorial Library in St. Johnsville, and Laura Flynn of the Fort Plain Free Library; now they're inviting me back on August 3 to serenade the canal schooner Lois McClure when she docks in Fort Plain, plus a Songs of Irish Immigration program in St. Johnsville — thanx, Dawn & Laura!,...
  • I'm talking with Bradford PA musician and impresario Howard Blumenthal about a slot at the Crook Farm Old-Time Country Festival August 28-29, and with the Rivers Organization about doing Erie Canal songs at the World Canals Conference September 19, along with my storyteller friend Fran Carlisi-Paxson — more details to follow...
  • Also booked is a September 12 Love and Knishes concert at the Brighton Memorial Library — just a few days after we play for Bonnie's daughter Laura's bat mitzvah...
  • I joined Jim Clare and ex-Pozo-Seco-singer Taylor Pie at Ten West Espresso in Mansfield PA June 11; "Pie," as she likes to be called now, was known as Susan Taylor in her Pozo-Seco days, and is a salty Texas lady with a big voice and great stage presence...
  • Continuing to add new instruments to my already-over-the-top collection, I just picked up a square-neck resonator guitar ("Dobro" is the common usage) built by Syracuse-area builder Dick DeNeve, from my long-time friends at Stutzman's Guitar Center...
  • Things are lookin' up for the Flint Hill Folk: we played the Genesee Country Village Civil War Ball July 17, and are giving an Enjoy July concert at the First Unitarian Church July 29, returning to Genesee Country Village for their Fiddlers' Fair August 14-15, performing at Hamlin Beach State Park August 19, and playing the Conesus Fiddlers' Picnic August 21...
  • My thanx to Leslie Lee & Steve Gretz, songwriters, performers, and all-round good folk, for bringing me back to their Old-Time Music Night at Greece Baptist Church on May 2; these monthly events include a "feature" set, a sing-around, some tasty baked goods, and a very appreciative audience...
  • Was given a much-appreciated honor by my friends in Golden Link, Rochester's folk music club, who put on a party and sing-around in my honor on March 21; next club-related activity is working on plans for the Turtle Hill Festival September 10-12...
  • The debut of Cotton Fields to Canada, a musical and historical look at slavery, the Underground Railroad, and emancipation, which I performed with Shirlyn Washington at the Swan Library in Albion April 15, went very well; hope to give this "first person" program at other venues, showing the dichotomy between the images of slavery and African-Americans in 19th-century popular song, and the reality of "black folks'" lives...
  • Showed up on YouTube recently, a short video of a little jam at the Springwater Fiddlers' Fair last September 19; fiddler Bernadette Serrano and I were joined by a kid from Buffalo's Suzuki Strings to play a bit of Westphalia Waltz — you can view it here...
  • Another season of school programs for Music Through the Ages at #19 School on Seward Street in Rochester's "inner city" has concluded; after an introductory assembly on October 29, I've done programs on Colonial and Canal-Era Songs on November 4 and November 9, and my long-time friend and partner Shirlyn Washington and I gave a program honoring colonial African-American poet Phillis Wheatley on March 8...
  • Still available in the wondrous world of cyberspace are some neat pictures of my June 28, 2008 performance for Historic Brighton, the town's historical society; you can click here to see me explaining the wonders of the Autoharp to a junior member of the audience at the reconstructed Fort Tryon trading post in Ellison Park...
  • My friend and frequent singing partner Jim Clare brought his friend Mark Teachey from North Carolina around to visit recently, and Mark shot a little video of me playing the old country song 'Way Down Town in my basement; click here if you'd like to see it...
  • I've listed several of my Special Programs at Performers And Programs, a website used by libraries in New York State to identify and schedule programs; 2009 featured performances at libraries in Wayland, Lockport, Canisteo, Ballston, Hornell, and Howard NY...
  • I'm also listing my programs with the Rochester Music Coalition and Kids Out And About, as well as on this site; hope to be doing some more kids' programming in the near future...
Calendar
Updated July 19, 2010
 
Wednesday, July 21
Tunes By the Tracks
Clifton Springs Library, 4 Railroad Ave., Clifton Springs, 7-9 P.M., Steve Piper featured, hosted w/Jim Clare & Cathy McGrath
 
Thursday, July 22
South Wedge Farmers' Market
100 Alexander St., 4-8 P.M.
 
Saturday, July 24
Concerts On the Green
Village Green, Cape Vincent NY, 5-7 P.M., w/Jim Clare
 
Tuesday, July 27
Westside Farmers' Market
St. Monica's Ch., 831 Genesee St., 4-7:30 P.M.
 
Wednesday, July 28*
Jewish Home
2021 S, Winton Rd., 7 P.M., two 3rd floor seniors' programs
 
Thursday, July 29
Enjoy July Concert
Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd., 7 P.M., w/Flint Hill Folk
 
Tuesday, August 3
Margaret Reaney Memorial Library
19 Kingsbury Ave., St. Johnsville NY, 1:30 P.M., Songs of Irish Immigration program
 
Tuesday, August 3
Fort Plain Free Library
19 Willett St., Fort Plain NY, 4 P.M., Erie Canal Songs for canal schooner Lois McClure at Lock E-15
 
Saturday, August 7*
St. John's Meadows
4 Johnsarbor Dr. W., 10 A.M., seniors' program at Briarwood
 
Tuesday, August 10*
Unity St. Mary's Campus
79 Genesee St., 2 P.M., residents' social hour
 
Wednesday, August 11
Monroe Village Farmers' Market
730 Monroe Ave., 4-7 P.M.
 
Thursday, August 12*
Alpine Manor
2714 Poplar Hill Rd., Lima, 6:30 P.M., seniors' program
 
Saturday-Sunday, August 14-15
Genesee Country Village Fiddlers' Fair
1310 Flint Hill Rd., Mumford, 10 A.M.-5 P.M., w/Flint Hill Folk, many others
 
Wednesday, August 18
Tunes By the Tracks
Clifton Springs Library, 4 Railroad Ave., Clifton Springs, 7-9 P.M., JAVA featured, hosted w/Jim Clare & Cathy McGrath
 
Thursday, August 19
Hamlin Beach State Park
1 Camp Rd., off Lake Ontario Pkwy., Hamlin, 7 P.M., 19th-century music concert w/Flint Hill Folk
 
Addresses are Rochester, NY unless otherwise indicated.
* denotes a private function.
 
 
Also on AllenHopkins.org:
Musical Resume
Where I've been and what I've done
 
Comments & Clippings
A scrapbook of snapshots and snap judgments, views and reviews
 
Recordings
Albums I'm on, and where to get 'em
 
Booking Form
If you're interested in booking me, go here