A singing society keeps Turtle Hill Folk Festival alive 

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Rochester’s Golden Link Folk Singing Society first presented the Turtle Hill Folk Festival back in 1972. More than a half-century later, the festival continues on Sept. 6 and 7 at Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp, bringing professional and amateur artists together to make music.

Golden Link first came together as a club for folk musicians in 1971, after students from Mitzie Collins’s guitar class wanted to meet more.

“I finally figured out something important,” Collins said. “They didn't want to learn guitar for me, not even that good as a guitarist. What they wanted to do was sing with other people.”

So they started holding what they call 'singarounds,' informal get-togethers where people sing and play music together. That communal spirit fueled the creation of Turtle Hill Folk Festival one year later. Today, the singarounds take place following the headlining concert each night.

Allen Hopkins, one of Golden Link’s founding members, credits the festival’s endurance to the nature of folk music.

“You know, folk music is often music that you make yourself,” he said. “And people who like making their own music will have an affinity for finding other people who have the same interests — getting together, singing together, sharing songs, sharing instrumental techniques, learning from each other. And that, I think, has been the main thing.”

In addition to the 'singarounds,' the Turtle Hill Folk Festival features numerous workshops, Golden Link member showcases and headlining performances from Brendan Taaffe & Stefan Amidon, Celtic Confusion, The Rough & Tumble and Kray VanKirk.

Single-day tickets start at $18 for members / $20 for non-members; weekend passes start at $75 for members / $87 for non-members. For more information on the festival, visit here.

Daniel J. Kushner is an arts writer for CITY. He can be reached at [email protected].