✨Psst! Skip the Ticketmaster fees ✨ Get your seats directly through the UPAC Box Office—more details below.
A Life in Song: A Tribute to the Life & Legacy of Bill Vanaver in Song & Dance
📅Sunday, September 14, 2025
🕓4:00–7:00 PM
Doors Open at 3:00 PM
📌UPAC – Ulster Performing Arts Center | Kingston, NY
With full hearts and deep gratitude, we invite you to join us for a joyful and moving tribute concert to the life, music, and legacy of William “Bill” Vanaver—visionary musician, folklorist, beloved teacher, and co-founder of The Vanaver Caravan.
This memorial concert brings and fundraising together a remarkable gathering of artists, friends, and family to honor Bill’s life through the art forms he lived for—story, song, dance, and memory.
Natalie Merchant • Tom Chapin • Guy Davis • David Amram • Tony Trischka • Cole Quest & The City Pickers • Brenda Bufalino • Professor Louie & Miss Marie • Joel Hanna • Ramona Staffeld • Rabbi Jonathan Kligler • Matoaka Little Eagle • Julia Howl Haines • The Vanaver Caravan’s Company Dancers & Musicians, Youth Company & Caravan Kids!
🎻 The Bill Vanaver Memorial Fund
Bill carried within him an unimaginable wealth of musical knowledge—a global archive housed not in libraries, but in the strings of his instruments, the cadence of his voice, and the sparkle of his spirit. With his passing, we lost a singular musical soul—but through this Fund, his legacy lives on.
It was Bill’s dying wish that the many cultures and peoples of this world be given the chance to fall in love with music the way he did: deeply, curiously, joyfully. The Bill Vanaver Memorial Fund will ensure that his songs—and the songs of future keepers of tradition—continue to be heard.
All proceeds from this event will support the Fund, helping carry forward the work Bill held most dear:
Creating new works and world-class touring performances
(including America in Motion and The Nine Muses)Preserving and sharing Bill’s vast archive of original and traditional music
Bringing world music and folk traditions into schools and community programs
Supporting international collaborations and cultural exchange
Providing scholarships for young musicians and dancers
Fostering intergenerational mentorship in the performing arts
🎟 Ticketing
✨ Skip those pesky Ticketmaster fees. Get your seats directly through the UPAC Box Office—just call (845) 339-6088 or stop by in person at 601 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401
🎟️ Ticket Prices
$45 — Standard
$75 — Priority
$110 — Premium
$150 — Front & Center
Tiered ticket pricing is available to ensure this event remains accessible to all who wish to grieve, celebrate, and connect. If cost is a barrier, please reach out to our office so we can work with you to find a solution.
Whether you knew Bill personally, were moved by his music, or simply wish to honor a life lived in service of song, this evening is for you. Let’s gather to sing, to dance, and to celebrate a legacy that continues to resonate across generations and cultures.
Get your seats directly through the UPAC Box Office—just call (845) 339-6088 or stop by in person at 601 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401