Internationally Acclaimed Folksinger Comes to Oneonta

ONEONTA—Joe Jencks, international touring folksinger and songwriter, is leading a lecture and concert on March 26 and March 27, respectively, on the SUNY Oneonta campus. Both events are free and open to the community.

Described by Pete Seeger as “a fantastic singer who carries on the traditions,” Jencks blends conservatory training with a working-class upbringing and Irish ancestry. He is well-known for his songwriting, especially “Lady of the Harbor.” He has released 17 albums, with his most recent album “The Coming of the Years” (2022) inspired by his Irish heritage. 

On Tuesday, March 26 at 7 p.m., Jencks will present a lecture titled “Class Perspective on Diversity as Seen through Folk Music” in the Great Room of the Center for Racial Justice and Inclusive Excellence in SUNY Oneonta’s Lee Hall.

The next evening, Wednesday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m., Jencks will perform a concert in the Hamblin Theater in the Fine Arts building on campus. He will share songs and stories that reveal diversity in surprising contexts, emphasizing class as a unique form of diversity. Drawing inspiration from historian Howard Zinn, Jencks highlights the power of songs to capture the lived experiences of everyday people, contrasting them with the narratives of conquerors and the owning class found in history books. 

The lecture and concert are part of Jencks’ on-campus activities as a SUNY Oneonta Artist in Residence sponsored by the Office of Equity and Inclusion, the OEI Capek Family Fund for Inclusive Excellence, the University Council on Diversity’s Community Outreach and Engagement Subcommittee, the Music Department, and the Student Grant Program for Research and Creative Activity.

 For more information, contact Deb Bruce at (607) 436-3462.