The 2017 Hyde Park Farmers Market will kick off at Harper Court on Thursday, June 1, at 7 a.m., with a full schedule of live music each week through October 26. Children’s musicians, a popular feature last year, are scheduled the first Thursday of each month, with two performers in August.
Live music starts at 8 a.m., and will run until the market closes at 1 p.m. The market is located on Harper Court, just off 53rd Street, between Chipotle Mexican Grill and Valois Cafeteria.
The caliber of musicians is impressive, with notables scheduled for June such as Isaiah Collier, a tenor saxophonist who has performed at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival; Phil Passen, a hammered dulcimer player; Kat Best, cellist; JD Kostyk, guitarist; Darius Hampton, saxophonist, composer, and educator; Kielbasa & Kimchi, flute/piano duo with Carol Jaryzna and Simmon Yoon; Kolleen Blume, fiddle; Aaron Smith, banjo; and George Urgo, blues guitarist.
The Hyde Park Farmers Market added music in 2016. The experiment generated a lot of interest from shoppers and passersby, particularly children and their caregivers.
Eric Reaves, Program Manager of the South East Chicago Commission and Director of the Hyde Park Farmers Market commented, “The addition of live music has been a great asset to the farmers market – both vendors and shoppers alike have all commented favorably on the quality of the performers. We look forward to the 2017 season and invite everyone to come out and experience it for themselves!”
This year, children’s musicians will play from 9:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., and include Jeanie B! (June 1), Laura Doherty (July 6), Anne-Marie Akin (August 3), Laura Doherty(August 10), Anne-Marie Akin (September 7), and Duke Otherwise (October 5).
Jeanie B!, scheduled for June 1, prompted Time Out Chicago to write, “Jeanie B!’s music is the one of the best things to happen to children in Chicago this decade!” Her original music has won multiple awards from Parent’s Choice and Billboard Magazine. She is an artist in residence for Ravinia’s “Reach, Teach and Play” program and teaches music at several area preschools.
Laura Doherty, scheduled for July 6 and August 10, is a nationally-touring children’s recording artist with four award-winning albums. She was the director of the Old Town School of Folk Music’s Wiggleworms program for more than a decade, and she has performed at Ravinia, Lollapalooza, and many other venues and festivals across the country.
Anne-Marie Akin, scheduled for August 3 and September 7, is a singer, songwriter, musician, storyteller, and an instructor with the Old Town School of Folk Music’s Wiggleworms program. She pioneered a Chicago Public School preschool music program on Chicago’s West Side, and co-leads the Wiggleworms in Residence program in the Lawndale neighborhood.
Duke Otherwise, scheduled for October 5, is a Madison, Wisconsin-based musician who plays nearly 150 shows a year throughout the Midwest and beyond. According to his website, his “energetic live show is filled with improvisation, audience participation, dancing, and outrageous fun!”
The full June musician schedule includes:
Thursday, June 1
8-9:30 a.m. – Isiaiah Collier (saxophone)
9:45-11:15 a.m. – Jeanie B! (children’s musician)
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Phil Passen (dulcimer)
Thursday, June 8
8-9:30 a.m. – Kat Best (cello)
9:45-11:15 a.m. – JD Kostyk (guitar)
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Darius Hampton (saxophone)
Thursday, June 15
8-9:30 a.m. – Kielbasa & Kimchi (flute & piano)
9:45-11:15 a.m. – Kolleen Blume (fiddle)
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – George Urgo (blues guitar)
Thursday, June 22
8-9:30 a.m. – Aaron Smith (banjo)
9:45-11:15 a.m. – Kat Best (cello)
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Darius Hampton (saxophone)
Thursday, June 29
8-9:30 a.m. – Isiaiah Collier (saxophone)
9:45-11:15 a.m. – JD Kostyk (guitar)
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – George Urgo (blues guitar)
To learn more about the Hyde Park Farmers Market, visit the market’s Facebook page.
