Irish Arts Center

09/04/2026

Irish Traditional Music Archive / Taisce Cheol Dúchais Éireann and IAC present two evenings of world-class live performance inspired by ITMA's archival collections, demonstrating how historical holdings continue to inspire today’s musicians and cultural life on both sides of the Atlantic. Drawing on ITMA’s "Across the States: An Irish Cultural Atlas of America" project documenting 250 years of Irish music, song, and dance in the U.S., these events will primarily celebrate New York—its extraordinary musical heritage and archival legacy, its communities, and the ongoing dialogue between Ireland and Irish America—and feature NYC-based artists alongside a visiting Irish ensemble.

October 13 & 14. Find tickets and more information: irishartscenter.org/event/itma-drawing-from-the-well

Photo: © 2024 Colm Keating. All rights reserved.

09/04/2026

Singer-songwriter Jo Kroger headlines this month's Big City Folk show at Irish Arts Center on Thursday, September 10.

Make your reservation for a night of free music: https://irishartscenter.org/event/big-city-folk-song-club-fall-2026-spring-2027

Niall Connolly's free concert series BigCity Folk returns to IAC this fall with special guests Jo Kroger on Thursday, September 10; Robert Bock (The Locksmiths) on Thursday, October 22; and Sean Kiely on Thursday, December 3.

Read more and join us: irishartscenter.org/event/big-city-folk-song-club-fall-2026-spring-2027

09/04/2026

09/03/2026

The Irish Arts Center family is heartbroken at the passing of our dear friend and colleague, the legendary musician Cassandra Wilson.

An icon of American music, Cassandra infused jazz with influences from blues, folk, pop, and country music—and with her beautifully textured, one-of-a-kind voice, phrasing, musicianship, and improvisational talent, expressed in dozens upon dozens of recordings and countless live performances, enlivened America's native art form and left a legacy that is enduring.

Cassandra's eclecticism and musical curiosity extended to Irish music, and she was proud of her Irish heritage. She joined us at a turning point in the life of our organization, as we launched our capital project with a landmark concert in April 2016 at Symphony Space featuring a house band led by Henry Hey and a lineup of guest artists curated by Bill Whelan and Paul Muldoon.

Few will forget the transporting and moving duet that night between Cassandra and Liam Ó Maonlaí on Van Morrison’s "Tupelo Honey." As they entered the musical interlude after Liam’s second verse, sung in Irish, the two artists came together in a warm slow dance that melted the audience and continues to remind us what art and Irish Arts Center are all about. Cassandra and Liam later joined us for a Masters in Collaboration residency and tour to Dublin, Chicago, and L.A. with the brilliant David O’Rourke and a host of top musicians from Irish and American jazz traditions. We also fondly remember her guest appearance in one of our many Martin Hayes residencies when she led a stunning take on Neil Young’s "Harvest Moon."

Shine on, dear Cassandra. You will be missed and remembered.

09/02/2026

In his October 1 workshop, Bow Like a Pro, Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion Tom Fitzgerald shows students how to explore a simple melody and then, phrase by phrase, how to build a bowing scheme in real time.

Learn more and register: https://irishartscenter.org/event/bow-like-a-pro-master-class

08/31/2026

Don't miss Rakish, the "explorative and versatile" (STRINGS MAGAZINE) duo featuring fiddler Maura Shawn Scanlin and guitarist Conor Hearn, when they perform in the Devlin Café Thursday, September 17: irishartscenter.org/event/cafe-concert-series-rakish

08/31/2026

Wondering what is considered a "protest song" ahead of our Array Collective Protest Karaoke on Saturday, September 19? It could be anything from Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" and Cher's "Believe" to Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" or Public Enemy's "Fight the Power."

Request an anthem that makes you belt away your inhibitions or scream in rage: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0y0YfknbVqsksUn9i5ZeoiCILrQ5i6vGEGK1_wMJC7W8BIA/viewform?usp=header

Book now: https://tickets.irishartscenter.org/3189/3466

08/28/2026

From our friends at Le Chéile Productions:

A MASK & A WHISPER is a double-bill of two one-act comedies by Alice Gerstenberg—OVERTONES (1913) and HE SAID AND SHE SAID (1922)—exploring themes of identity, the masks we wear in public, and the destructive power of words, and asking questions as urgent now as they were a century ago.

September 1–6 at Chain Theatre. Find tickets below.

Come and join us as we pull the mask off polite society and unveil the real, raw human experience that lies beneath the surface.

08/27/2026

Journalist and nonfiction crime author T.J. English joins us September 30 to discuss both BLOOD IN THE DESERT: THE T. J. ENGLISH READER, his latest collection of essays, and the anniversary of one of his most notable publications, THE WESTIES.

Tickets: irishartscenter.org/event/tj-english-in-conversation

08/26/2026

"A wide-ranging story about connections between the two civil rights movements"—IRISH TIMES on Forest Issac Jones' GOOD TROUBLE.

Hear Jones discuss his book with Professor John P. Waters of NYU on September 17: irishartscenter.org/event/forest-issac-jones https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/review/2025/05/02/good-trouble-the-selma-alabama-and-derry-northern-ireland-connection-1963-1972-by-forest-issac-jones/