SUNY ONEONTA — International touring folksinger and songwriter Joe Jencks will lead a lecture and perform next week on the SUNY Oneonta campus. Both events are free and open to the community.
According to a media release, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, Jencks will lead a lecture titled “Class Perspective on Diversity as Seen Through Folk Music” in the Great Room of CRJIE in Lee Hall at SUNY Oneonta.
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.
At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, Jencks will perform a concert in Hamblin Theater in the Fine Arts building on the SUNY Oneonta campus. At his performance Jencks 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, he 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, OEI Capek Family Fund for Inclusive Excellence, University Council on Diversity’s Community Outreach and Engagement Subcommittee, Music Department, and Student Grant Program for Research & Creative Activity.