Finger Lakes Music Festivals 2012

Spring is making short appearances with rainy days, in between the regular menu of blinding snowstorms. Its time to dream about summer — and buy your tickets for all the awesome music festivals in the Finger Lakes area — before they sell out.

I am going to feature 4 major festivals in this blog, but there are many more.

Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival
June  22-30, 2012

In its 11^th year, the Jazz Festival, is produced by John Nugent and Marc Iacona, and is sponsored by Xerox and M&T Bank. It has brought hundreds of jazz, blues, roots and americana performers from all over the world, and for one very long week it transforms Rochester into the coolest city in the world (my humble opinion).

Stage view for the Grassroots Music Festival

Grassroots Music Festival, Trumansburg, NY
July 19-22, 2012

The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival is one of the Northeast’s most established world music festivals. It takes place annually on the second-to-last weekend of July in Trumansburg, New York (10 Mi. North of Ithaca). GrassRoots presents over 60 bands on four stages for four days, in just about every genre you could think of, with the emphasis being on world, folk and ethnic music.

Best seats in the house on the lawn at Brook Farm

Summer Chamber Music at Brooks Farm is a 30 year tradition

The Skaneateles Festival
August 8 thru September 1, 2012

The Skaneateles Festival is celebrating its 32nd season in 2012. I have been aware of the festival since 1980 because our Finger Lakes neighbor, Lindsay Groves, was the music director in its first summer. My parents used to enjoy providing hospitality at their lakefront cottage for the musicians that came to perform. Lindsay is a cellist, and I enjoy listening to her practice.

I have fond memories of summer evenings on the lawn at Brook Farm, just one of the many concert venues. Listening to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, or Debussey’s Clair de Lune under the stars is unforgettable.

This one is a little remote — Lodi New York

The 14th Annual Pickin’ In The Pasture
Aug 23-26, 2012

Come and experience four days of fun and world-class bluegrass music in the heart of the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York State. Pickin’ In The Pasture hosts some of the finest professional bluegrass entertainment in the country.

Some other music festivals can be found here.

http://www.ilovethefingerlakes.com/entertainment/fairs-music.htm

Photo credit goes to other photographers as I have borrowed from the websites of these festivals.

I hope this summer that you can find time to explore the Finger Lakes with a musical ear.