Water Music New york: More Voices

The expansive three-year Water Music NY: More Voices Festival (WMNY:MV) is a multi-arts creative placemaking initiative to commemorate the Bicentennial of the completion of the Erie Canal, in partnership with New York State Canal Corporation. The project fuses arts, cultural heritage, and contemporary issues to re-envision the past, present, and future of people and communities bordering the historic waterway in collaborations with composers, local artists, cultural and educational institutions, and community members. Through WMNY:MV, the Albany Symphony is creating new artistic, recreational, cultural, and economic opportunities for canal communities with the belief that music and art will spark dialogue and expand perspectives to help reimagine the Erie Canal as it begins its third century.

The project also builds upon the success of the Albany Symphony’s original 2017 Water Music NY Festival, and opens a new chapter, exploring underrepresented voices, including those of women, immigrants, people of color, indigenous peoples, and the elusive voice of nature itself, to commemorate the bicentennial of the completion of the Erie Canal.

Read more about the canal’s history and bicentennial at New York State Canals.

The 2025 Water Music New York Festival Tour

See and hear the Albany Symphony perform newly commissioned orchestral works that raise more voices from the canal’s history:

1. Troy (June 6-8)​ - In June, the American Music Festival at EMPAC kicks off the Water Music Tour with the world premiere of Bobby Ge’s Water Music and special programs with our community partners.

2. Medina (July 2)​

3. Utica (July 3)​

4. Seneca Falls (July 4)​

5. Fort Plain (July 5)​

6. Schuylerville (July 6)

Please check back for more details to be announced this spring.