On October 3, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason joined the Delaware & Hudson Canal Historical Society for Music of the Waters: Canals, Rivers & the Sea, an evening celebrating the waterways that have shaped New York’s history, culture, and communities.
Held at Wiltwyck in Kingston, the event brought together food, wine, history, and music in support of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Historical Society and its work preserving and interpreting the history of the D&H Canal.
The evening featured a five-course dinner highlighting New York State ingredients, paired with New York wines. The menu was designed by internationally acclaimed wine educator Kevin Zraly, whose work celebrated the agricultural and culinary traditions of the regions connected by New York’s waterways.
A Musical Journey Through New York
Jay and Molly helped curate the evening’s musical program, bringing together acclaimed musicians Aldo Lavaggi and Clara Constance for a performance inspired by the canals, rivers, and sea.
The program reflected the deep connection between music, place, and community—an idea that has been central to Jay and Molly’s work at the Ashokan Center for decades.
As founders of Ashokan’s Music & Dance Camps, Jay and Molly have spent their careers creating spaces where people can explore American musical traditions, learn from one another, and build community through shared experiences.
That connection to place is perhaps most famously captured in Ashokan Farewell, the haunting waltz Jay wrote at Ashokan in the early 1980s. The piece went on to become widely known through Ken Burns’s The Civil War, introducing generations of listeners to Jay and Molly’s music and the spirit of the place that inspired it.
Celebrating History, Culture, and Community
The Music of the Waters gala was more than a celebration of food and music. It was an opportunity to recognize the important role New York’s waterways have played in shaping the region—and to support the continued preservation of that history.
The D&H Canal Historical Society works to preserve and interpret the history of the Delaware & Hudson Canal while serving as a cultural center for the Hudson Valley. Its work connects the region’s past with its ongoing artistic and cultural life.
For Jay and Molly, participating in an evening centered on waterways, history, music, and community was a natural fit.
Their presence also highlighted the many connections between the work of the D&H Canal Historical Society and the Ashokan Center: both organizations celebrate the Hudson Valley as a place where history, culture, nature, and community continue to shape one another.
It was a wonderful evening celebrating the stories and traditions that make this region special—and the people working to carry those stories forward.