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WESTFIELD -- In the fall of 2024, Westfield's Lake Shore Center for the Arts (LSCFTA), on the heels of their hugely successful Juicebox International One Act Competition, turned to music for a new venture called the Songwriters Circle Series.
For those unfamiliar with the term, a songwriters' circle is simply several songwriters taking turns sharing their songs along with the stories and inspiration behind them. And they do all this in front of an audience that not only gets to experience original music in LSCFTA's incredibly intimate Jacqueline Phillips Theater, but they also get a look behind the curtain, if you will, at the songwriters and the songwriting process. The series ran through August of 2025 with great success featuring some of the most accomplished singer/songwriters in western New York.
With sponsorship from Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, LSCFTA kicked off their second season of the Songwriters Circle Series in September of 2025 featuring three singer/songwriters on the third Thursday of each month; to date, the artists had been predominantly, from WNY, but they extended their outreach to include talented artists from outside the region. They've enjoyed singer/songwriters from Pennsylvania (Erie and beyond), Texas, Vermont, Ohio, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Delaware. One of LSCFTA's wonderful neighbors, the Westfield YWCA Airbnb has graciously hosted our touring artists.
The program director of Jamestown's own WRFA 107.9, Anthony Merchant, was a first-time attendee in the fall of 2025. After discussion with Tim Wright, the series producer, they agreed on a monthly highlight program on WRFA. Anthony records every show and then puts together a one-hour highlight program that is broadcast and streamed on WRFA at 8PM on the last Saturday of each month.
In December of 2025, LSCFTA began offering their audiences the opportunity to ask the artists questions about their songs, their writing process and their musical influences. This has been so well received that it's now a regular part of each performance, again providing insight into songwriting that most audiences never get to experience.
On Wednesday, Sept. 16, the center begins its third season of the series, but with a new name, Songwriters in Concert, which is to be funded by a grant from Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation. In addition to the amazing talent found in Western New York and western Pennsylvania, they've expanded their outreach in New York to include Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and beyond. This year's schedule also includes singer/songwriters from Ohio, Michigan, Maryland, Virginia, and Massachusetts.
Tickets for the monthly series are only $10 and there's not a bad seat in the house. For more information, visit lakeshorecenterforthearts.com