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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
The resident folk musicians at Genesee Country Village, who 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...
  • February — the shortest month, but not short on music, and if you'd like to keep au courant with what I'm doing and where I'm playing, I offer weekly e-mail calendar updates, and periodic USPS schedule postcards; you can click on the Booking Page and sign up...
  • 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...
  • A really nice concert January 24, kicking off a bicentennial performance series for the First Presbyterian Church of East Avon, with four other members of the Flint Hill Folk; we did a variety of late 18th-century and early 19th-century songs and tunes, with a emphasis on local composers and songwriters like William Bradbury (Angel Band, Jesus Loves Me) and John Hugh McNaughton (Love At Home, Faded Coat of Blue), plus minstrel songs, a War of 1812 ballad, hymns and dance tunes...
  • A full house for the Civil War songs program at the Big Springs Museum in Caledonia January 31; next up on the historical-music front, Songs of Early Rochester for the Scottsville Historical Society February 18...
  • On the Road Again (just a little bit): thanx to Ace Chanteyman Chris Koldewey, I'll be featured at the Cranberry Coffeehouse in Binghamton February 20; played there a few years ago, and it's a great little room in the Unitarian Church, with a wonderful tradition of a "floor singer" set that gets local performers into the act...
  • A little "climatic incongruity" at my gig at Baywinde Senior Living January 28: it was a "South Pacific Party, so I performed in shorts, sunglasses, and a Hawaiian shirt — only to step out the door into a 10-degree "white-out" of blowing snow, typical of a western New York January...
  • One of the interesting recurrent gigs I've accumulated in the recent past, is being part of the "house band" at Temple B'rith Kodesh here in Rochester, along with my Love and Knishes fiddling partner Glenna Chance; our next gig for Cantor Keri Berger will be a Purim service February 28...
  • I'll going back (for the 18th year!) to the New England Folk Festival (NEFFA) next April 23-25, thanx to the forbearance of the festival committee, who added me to the program even after I missed the deadline for applications; I'll be leading the closing sing-around and giving a Civil War music workshop, as well as sitting in with Ace Autoharpist Drew Smith at his Razzle-Dazzle Autoharp workshop...
  • Another season of school programs for Music Through the Ages started up at #19 School on Seward Street in Rochester's "inner city"; after an introductory assembly on October 29, I've done programs on Colonial and Canal-Era Songs on November 4 and November 9, and will join my long-time friend and partner Shirlyn Washington for a program honoring colonial African-American poet Phillis Wheatley on March 8...
  • Jim Clare, with whom I play frequently, has released a new CD, Old Empty Hall; I joined him for "Acoustic Desserts" at the Gridley Inn in Waterloo January 21, and, along with Cathy McGrath, we'll host our usual Tunes By the Tracks night at the Clifton Springs Library February 17...
  • Leaving my job as Community Activities Chair of Golden Link, Rochester's folk music club, in January, turning it over to ace dulcimerist Janice Hanson, and taking a sabbatical from the GL board, where I've served for a majority of the club's 38 years; you'll still find me at their concerts and sing-arounds...
  • Though the bad economy has left the Flint Hill Folk with a slim pickins' at Genesee Country Village, we should be at their annual Fiddlers' Fair (tentatively scheduled for August 14-15), and we'll give a concert at Hamlin Beach State Park August 19...
  • 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 Fbruary 6, 2010
 
Saturday, February 6*
Heather Heights
160 W. Jefferson Rd., Pittsford, 6:45 P.M., seniors' program
 
Thuerday, February 11
Sisters of Mercy Living Center
1437 Blossom Rd., 3 P.M., seniors' program
 
Friday, February 12*
Sweden Senior Center
133 State St., Brockport, 11 A.M., seniors' Valentine party
 
Friday, February 12*
Perinton Park Manor
7 Chardonnay Dr., Fairport, 2:30 P.M., seniors' program
 
Wednesday, February 17
Tunes By the Tracks
Public Library, 4 Railroad Ave., Clifton Springs, 7 P.M., North Hollow String Band featured, w/Jim Clare, Cathy McGrath
 
Thursday, February 18
Scottsville Historical Society
Union Presbyterian Ch., 1 Brown's Ave., Scottsville, 7 P.M., Music of Early Rochester program
 
Saturday, February 20
Cranberry Coffeehouse
183 Riverside Dr., Binghamton, 7:30 P.M.
 
Wednesday, February 24*
Hurlbut Nursing Home
1177 East Henrietta Rd., 2:30 P.M., seniors' program
 
Sunday, February 28
Temple B'rith Kodesh
2131 Elmwood Ave., 11 A.M., Purim service
 
Sunday, February 28*
St. Ann's Home
1500 Portland Ave., 2 P.M., resident/family concert in lobby
 
Tuesday, March 2*
Unity St. Mary's Campus
79 Genesee St., 2 P.M., residents' social hour
 
Tuesday, March 2*
St. Ann's Home
1500 Portland Ave., 7:15 P.M., seniors' program in Bishop Kearney Auditorium
 
Friday, March 5*
Ashton Place
190 Ashton Ct., Clifton Springs, 2 P.M., seniors' program
 
Monday, March 8
Music Through the Ages Program
#19 School, 465 Seward St., time TBA, Phillis Wheatley program w/Shirlyn Washington
 
Friday, March 12*
Highlands at Pittsford
400 Hahnemann Tr., Pittsford, 2:30 P.M., seniors' program in Laurelwood gallery
 
Saturday, March 13
Wolcott Historical Society
Studebaker's Grille, 1 Clyde Rd., Lyons, 6 P.M., annual meeting & dinner, w/Innisfree
 
Sunday, March 14*
Seabury Woods
110 Dalaker Dr., 2:30 P.M., seniors' St. Pat's program
 
Wednesday, March 17*
Hurlbut Nursing Home
1177 East Henrietta Rd., 2:30 P.M., seniors' St. Pat's program
 
Wednesday, March 17*
Brentland Woods
3831 E. Henrietta Rd., Henrietta, 2:30 P.M., seniors' St. Pat's program
 
Wednesday, March 17
American Hotel
7304 E. Main St., Lima, 7 P.M., St. Pat's celebration w/Innisfree
 
Thursday, March 18
Pinnacle Place
919 S. Clinton Ave., 7:30 P.M., residents' birthday party
 
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