Rockaway
JOURNAL Since 1883
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JANUARY 29 - FEBRUARY 4, 2026
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Irish fusion concerts, Year of the Horse St. Patrick’s Day is a little more than two months away, however you can became to feel the green with some Traditional Gaelic music mixed with sounds from around the world, as the New York Irish Center for the Crossroads Concert Series 2026 takes place over the next six months. The fun begins with Irish & Southern Italian-Sicilian Fusion on Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. On this night, Jerry O’Sullivan (uilleann pipes, tin whistle) and Colin Harte (vocals, piano, bodhrán) will share the stage with David Marker (Sicilian/Calabrian bagpipes, zampogna, chitarra battente, tamburello, vocals). General admission is $25. Supported by The Irish Institute of New York and truly back by popular demand, the second annual Crossroads Concert Series will present six all-new fusion concerts this year. Here’s the rest of the schedule. All the monthly concerts begin at 7 p.m. Feb. 26: Irish & Classical Turkish Eren Erdogan (kaval), Taulant Mehmeti (çifteli/guitar), Nzih Antakli (darbuka, riqq, bendir), Eileen Goodman (flute/tin whistle), Dylan James (banjo/fiddle/ dance), and Colin Harte (vocals, piano, bodhrán). March 26: Irish & Sene-Gambian A return to West Africa but a departure from the percussion of past concerts with Salieu Suso (kora), Ebrima Jassey (balafon), a djembe percussionist, Eilidh McRae (Celtic harp), Dylan James (banjo/fiddle/dance), and Colin Harte (vocals, piano, bodhrán). April 16: Irish & Moroccan Gnawa Atlas Phoenix (Moroccan gimbri), two qraqeb percussionists (TBD), PJ Doran (piano accordion), Dylan James (banjo/fiddle/ dance), and Colin Harte (vocals, piano, bodhrán). May 28: Irish & Puerto Rican Bomba Jorge Vazquez (congas, vocals), PJ Doran (piano accordion), Bernadette Fee (fiddle/ dance), and Colin Harte (vocals, piano, bodhrán). June 11: Irish & Albanian Fusion Taulant Mehmeti (çifteli/guitar), Nezih Antakli (darbuka, riqq, bendir), Tom Fitzgerald (fiddle/dance), Dylan James (banjo/fiddle/ dance), and Colin Harte (vocals, piano, bodhrán). The New York Irish Center is located at 10-40 Jackson Ave. in Long Island City. The storefront venue is about 300 feet from the eastern most entrance/exit to the Vernon Blvd-Jackson Av subway station on the 7-line. Next up in the Chinese calendar is the Year of the Horse. This means action, freedom, independence, optimism, and speed. Community spirit is strong. New York-based Asian artists — April Chong, Che-
Queens Tourism Council
The New York Irish Center for the Crossroads Concert Series 2026 takes place over the next six months. Above, the Shamrock Tenors who performed at last year’s series. min Hsiao, Cui Fei, Eugenie Chao, Herry Koo, Jae Hi Ahn, Lily Honglei, Natsuki Takauji, Sei Ryun Chun, Sophia Chizuco, Stephanie S. Lee, Sui Park, Weihui Lu, and Yu-Whuan Wang — reflected on the upcoming year and animal while creating installations, mixed media, paintings, and sculptures. They explored how cultural identity, memory, and modern expression intersect to create new visual languages of belonging. The result is Red Horizon: Art. Heritage. New Energy, which is at Flushing Town Hall from through March 1. And while there’s plenty of art on the walls, a few special programs are part of the experience, too. On Saturday, Feb. 21, contributing artist Stephanie S. Lee — a Godwin-Ternbach Museum employee who also teaches Korean folk art at Flushing Town Hall and runs The Garage Art Center in Bayside — will lead the Happy Neigh Year! Horse Painting Workshop at 2 p.m. Attendance is $12 (or $10 for children under at 13), and materials are provided. No prior experience necessary. Lee will present a step-by-step session that invites participants to create joyful horse paintings symbolizing vitality, drive, freedom, luck, success, and resil-
ience —qualities especially celebrated as auspicious symbols for the year ahead. Each participant will complete a ready-to-hang artwork to take home. And on March 1, Eugenie Chao will offer an Artist Talk & Musical Instrument Demonstration as part of a closing reception at Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd. at 3:30 p.m. She will discuss her work that’s on view and share the unique sounds of several handcrafted instruments she created for the exhibition — offering a glimpse into her interdisciplinary practice that merges visual art, sound, and cultural storytelling. –Jeffrey Bessen