05/22/2026
Legendary acts from Billy Joel to Earth, Wind and Fire made musical memories across a golden age of campus concerts at SUNY Cortland.
Soon, that rich history will be on display June 5 as part of Cortland Arts Connect’s First Friday event.
The Musical Legacy Sculpture and Memorabilia Display will reveal more about the concerts on campus between 1960 and 1990. Those acts include 33 Grammy Award winners and 23 future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees.
Hosted by SUNY Cortland’s Musical Legacy Committee, the free event takes place on the first floor of Corey Union on campus. Parking is free on Neubig Road and in the Prospect Terrace Parking Lot. Refreshments will be offered.
Community members can see the university’s Musical Legacy Project — and share their own Cortland concert memories — before it’s placed in temporary storage for a 2 ½-year renovation of Corey Union.
Highlights for the June 5 event include:
- 5 to 8 p.m.: The Musical Legacy Commemorative Project Committee hosts a reception open to all guests. Committee members will share their roles in producing many of the concerts.
- 5 to 8 p.m.: Scott Oldfield, director of SUNY Cortland’s Dowd Gallery and the artist who created the interactive musical legacy sculpture “Unlimited Improv,” will share his artwork.
- 5:45 and 6:45 p.m.: SUNY Cortland’s Billy Joel piano, a historic Steinway grand piano, will be displayed on the stage of the Corey Union Function Room. Joel played the instrument during campus concerts in 1972 and 1974.
- 6 p.m.: Oldfield and Kevin Pristash, committee member and director of Corey Union, will speak. Guests can view memorabilia and other concert items.
Oldfield said the sculpture, which debuted in 2019, continues to evolve and includes items modeled from actual performances at Cortland, including Ronnie James Dio’s microphone and Judy Collins’ guitar.
“There are some areas (of the sculpture) where there’s actual sheet music from some of the performances,” Oldfield said. “There are parts and pieces of memorabilia from different artists that have been here.”
A special website highlighting the committee’s work and a concert history timeline can be viewed at sites.cortland.edu/musiclegacy.
July 16, 2024: Images from the Musical Legacy Activities from this past Alumni Reunion Weekend:
2024 Alumni Reunion Articles
June 26, 2024:
June 12, 2024: What do the classes of ‘64, ‘69, ‘74, ‘79, ‘83, ‘84, and ‘85 have in common?
They were the concert-going student bodies who saw some of the biggest names in music that are now in THE ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME!!! Did you know that twenty-three artists that performed on campus have been inducted? And you were probably there!!!
Simon & Garfunkel, The Temptations, The Four Seasons, Little Anthony and the Imperials, The Hollies, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, The Shirelles, Neil Diamond, Alice Kooper, The Beach Boys, The Grateful Dead, The Byrds, Billy Joel, Earth, Wind and Fire, Aerosmith, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Brown, The Eagles, John Sebastian (Lovin’ Spoonful), The Kinks and James Taylor, all visited our campus as they were climbing their way to the top of the charts on their journey to THE ROCK and ROLL HALLOF FAME. Check out the latest updates to these honors and awards by clicking here!
Other amazing artists performed on campus too. We had the Big Band sounds of Woody Herman (1960), Tommy Dorsey (1961), Duke Ellington (1961) and Gene Krupa (1962). Singer/Songwriters like Don McLean (1969), Townes van Zandt (1969), Gordon Lightfoot (1971) and Billy Joel (1972) were Coffee House artists and performed in Corey Union lounges.
As artists careers grew, larger concerts took place in Corey Function Room and Moffett Gymnasium. These included Harry and Tom Chapin (1973), NRBQ (1973) Orleans (1976), King Harvest (1973) and Billy Joel (1974). Also in May 1974, the Eagles played the first concert in our Ice Arena. And at the incredible price of just $2.50 a ticket for students, you got to see some of the biggest names in music history!
In 2019 the college commissioned and dedicated a Musical Legacy Sculpture in Corey Union. It commemorates the many musical performers who came to campus between 1960 and 1990. Connected to the sculpture is an iPad where you can relive the soundtrack of your lives through the incredible music, and important cultural events that shaped your time on campus at Cortland! Join us on Alumni Weekend to see all of this along with the shadow boxes and memorabilia tables.
These featured items were made possible by the work and fundraising efforts of alumni on the Musical Legacy Committee (former concert committee chairs, volunteers and advisors and current staff).
If you want to hear more about how these iconic artists chose to perform at SUNY Cortland on their way to musical superstardom, meet us at the Corey Union Function Room during Alumni Weekend on Friday evening, July 12 and Saturday morning, July 13th.
On display will be the recently dedicated Billy Joel Steinway piano he played on campus during shows in 1972 and 1974! Were you at those shows? If so, we want to hear your memories!
Join us Friday evening for wine, beer, and appetizers. Come see the the Ipad and sculpture in action on Saturday morning. Share your stories and memories of the greatest music ever performed…and it was right here at SUNY Cortland!!!
-The Musical Legacy Committee