Porchfest, the community-bridging event that transforms homes into live music stages, will be making its debut in Schenectady on Saturday, Sept. 23. Similar to other cities and towns in New York, the U.S., and Canada, such as recently in Saratoga Springs, the Electric City will feature local and regional musicians performing on residents’ front porches.
The concept originated over 15 years ago in Ithaca, with the city’s annual Porchfest taking place the following day on Sept. 24.
One aspect that sets this Porchfest apart, according to Steve Weisse, the secretary-treasurer of Local 85-133 of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, the local musicians union in Schenectady, is the funding. “We actually wrote grants to actually get the musicians paid,” he explains.
This was made possible through the musicians union’s 501C3, the Mohawk Valley Society for Live Music. Weisse, who was trying to recruit local musicians to join the union, was approached by a singer-songwriter who suggested organizing a Porchfest in Schenectady. Being familiar with the concept from his time in Somerville, MA, Weisse, along with a committee of four, took on the challenge.
He notes that these types of connected concert series were typically informal gatherings where musicians played on their front porches without compensation, solely for exposure.
If you go
Where: Schenectady’s GE Realty Plot (1204 Rugby Road, 1183 Stratford Road, 7 Douglas Road, 1095 Ardsley Road)
When: Noon-7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23
Information: facebook.com/search/top?q=schenectady%20porchfest
The inaugural Schenectady Porchfest will take place from noon until 7 p.m. at the GE Realty Plot, a historic area just east of Union College. This section of land was sold to General Electric in the late 19th century by the college to settle a debt. GE then developed a grid of streets and constructed over one hundred houses, many of which were occupied by their research scientists and some of the first fully electric houses in the country.
Now, the current owners of 1204 Rugby Road, 1183 Stratford Road, 7 Douglas Road, and 1095 Ardsley Road will open their porches to music-loving crowds.
The schedule includes musical performances on two porches every hour, offering a wide range of genres including classical, jazz, pop, rock, brass band, and Oktoberfest-style music.
Thirteen bands were selected for Porchfest, chosen from a call Weisse made to union members. The lineup features the Ben O’Shea Quintet, Brass Abbey, Cliff Brucker’s New Circle, the Dylan Canterbury Quintet, Epilogue Trio, the Evidence, the Grudecki/Hearn/Johnson Trio, the Hansbrough-Quigley Duo, the Kaitlyn Fay Quintet, the Linda Brown Jazz Project, Signature Brass (an oompah band featuring Weisse himself), the Tim Olsen Quartet, and Nice Hockey.
For Paul Quigley, a classical guitarist performing as part of the Hansbrough-Quigley Duo, the city of Schenectady holds special significance. “My musical training started right at SUNY Schenectady in their music program,” he explains. He continues to be involved with the college as an adjunct professor, as well as holding faculty positions at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the College of Saint Rose.
At Porchfest, his duo will pay tribute to Latin American composers in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15), featuring works by Piazzolla, Machado, and Pujol.
The Hungry Traveler Food Truck, operating out of Delmar for the past decade, will be providing refreshments, and public bathrooms will be available at two of the music locations with street parking nearby.
Porchfest received funding from organizations such as the Arts Center of the Capital Region, the Schenectady Foundation, and the Schenectady County Initiative Program.
The hope, according to Weisse, is to establish Porchfest as an annual event, rotating to different neighborhoods in Schenectady each year. The GE Realty Plot was chosen as the initial location because it’s where Weisse resides.
“We’re testing the waters to see if it’s something that is sustainable and can be held every year,” Weisse states. “Ultimately, I would love it to be a city-wide event, not limited to just one neighborhood.”
