CAP REGION NY FEATURED

The Pedigreed Couple Bringing World Class Performance and Education to Saratoga Springs, New York

July 8, 2025 By Corey Aldrich

My good friends over at Saratoga Arts were kind enough to provide tickets to the Sunday (06.15) performance of the Mostly Modern Festival at the Arthur Zankel Music Center on the Skidmore Campus, so I decided to drop by and check it out. In the past I have worked on projects with the Albany Symphony, Musicians of Malwyck and the Friends of Chamber Music to name a few so I have had a reasonable exposure to quality classical performance work. That said, I was not prepared for the resplendent beauty that I was privy to that day! The highlight being the world premier of Journey of a Dragonfly by Composer and MMF Co-Director Robert Paterson. It was a tour de force that felt like I had witnessed a new and unfamiliar format that left me hungry for more. (That and a great after party at the Surrey Williamson Inn!) I caught up with Victoria and Robert to better understand their organization and to ask how they are able to make this ambitious level of annual programming possible, with its attendant challenges, not only in Saratoga but with a sister festival in the Netherlands as well.

Robert and Victoria Paterson : Founders and Co-Directors at Mostly Modern Festival | Image: Lisa Marie Mazzucco — Robert and Victoria Paterson : Founders and Co-Directors at Mostly Modern Festival
Image: Lisa Marie Mazzucco

Please state your individual name(s), titles and give me a little bit about your background.

Victoria Paterson, General Director, Violinist and Co-Founder of Mostly Modern Projects. I am a violinist who is equally comfortable with classical, pop, and the healing arts. I have performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall, Birdland, and Madison Square Garden to Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Today Show. I am the General Director of Mostly Modern Projects where I hire musicians year-round, delivering vital programs to the community via senior centers, hospitals, and Alzheimer’s patients, as well as ‘rush hour’ & ‘lunchtime’ programs in public spaces and parks all over New York State. I lead the ever-popular FAB5 with a great line-up of live shows. My career spans a 20-years on Broadway, including full-time 1st violin positions for Lincoln Center’s My Fair Lady, The Palace Theater’s Sunset Boulevard and West Side Story, Lunt-Fontanne’s The Addams Family, and Off-Broadway : Heathers and The Thing about Men. I love collaborating with my husband and award-winning American composer, Robert Paterson. We celebrate his music with life-long projects, including the Mostly Modern Festival in Saratoga Springs, New York as well as the European edition, Mostly Modern The Netherlands.

Robert Paterson, Artistic Director, Composer and Co-Founder of Mostly Modern Projects. As an American composer, I strive to embody the diversity and breadth of New York State. Born in Buffalo, NY, I spent over a decade in Rochester and Ithaca, more than twenty years in New York City, and now live in Saratoga Springs, near the Adirondacks. My goal is to create colorful music that embraces everything from the environment to goddesses, online dating to mathematics. I had the privilege of being named Composer of The Year by the Classical Recording Foundation at Carnegie Hall. I was the winner of the Alfred I. DuPont Award, and my opera Three Way won the Grammy® under Best Classical Producer of the Year. I am honored to often get recognized as Best of the Year pick on National Public Radio where my orchestral tone poems, Dark Mountains and Triple Concerto, regularly air on NPR’s Performance Today. Three Way premiered with the Nashville Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and across the United States. The Oratorio Society of New York, Minnesota Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Albany Pro Musica, Albany Symphony Dogs of Desire, Musica Sacra, Austin Symphony, Vermont Symphony, and ensembles worldwide also perform my music. I am a lifelong vegan and an advocate for animals and the environment, celebrating the natural world with seminal works such as Triple Concerto, A New Eaarth, Listen, and I Go Among Trees.

Mostly Modern Ensemble | Image: Lindsey Fish

Can you share the history of the project? What was the genesis of the Mostly Modern Music Festival? How about the mission? Is this an annual event based at the Zankel only?

ROBERT: From the outset, our goal has been to continually reassess the world of classical music, to reinvent it as a vibrant art form for the 21st century and beyond. Mostly Modern Projects (MMP) is dedicated to shining a spotlight on music by (mostly) living composers. We founded MMP in 2005, initially as a new music ensemble in New York City, with the critically acclaimed American Modern Ensemble (AME). AME’s mission is to “turn classical music programming on its head,” programming mostly and usually entirely by living composers. To this day, AME showcases and celebrates living composers, featuring world premieres in engaging and fun-filled concerts. Around the same time, we launched Lumiere Records, a classical label featuring string quartet music with broad market appeal, and then American Modern Recordings, a house boutique label focusing on music by living composers.

Mostly Modern Festival | Image: Provided

In 2018, Mostly Modern Festival (MMF) was founded in Saratoga Springs, New York. Each June, it takes place on the campus of Skidmore College at the Arthur Zankel Music Center. Quickly becoming the “Aspen of the East“, MMF hosts the MMF Institute, an educational experience for 200 instrumentalists, singers, composers, and conductors. Each year, people from all over the world descend on Saratoga Springs for the unique MMF experience. MMF’s international reputation began in 2021 when MMF The Netherlands was launched. MMF NL is held every April in historic Holland in Middelburg, Zeeland.

Mostly Modern Festival 2023 in the Netherlands | Image: Provided

Putting on a multiday, symphonic classical festival is a challenging endeavor on many fronts. How are you paying the bills? Is this mostly grant funded?

VICTORIA: The Mostly Modern Festival was founded in 2018 in Saratoga Springs, NY and takes place at the Arthur Zankel Music Center. It is an expensive endeavor indeed- I had an audience member say at the last MM Orchestra concert that she saw about $1,000,000 on that stage: 80 world class musicians, their instruments, especially the Steinways, the harp, all those precious violins and stringed instruments which can run about $10,000- $100,000 +, all the winds and the brass, all the percussion instruments. We pay top conductor fees and principal fees in our field to lead the orchestra with side-by-side learning with students who are all in their 20’s on average. It is a magnificent site and sound to behold, and yes, it is expensive. The hall and facilities at Skidmore College are world-class and top-of-the line in acoustics, sound and overall aesthetics and beauty. The price tag to rent the Arthur Zankel Music Center for 3 weeks is expensive. As of 2025, Mostly Modern is not affiliated with Skidmore. Mostly Modern is not presented by Skidmore College: it is a straight rental agreement, just as the New York City Ballet and Philadelphia Orchestra rent their facilities for the summer for housing, meals etc.

We pay the bills with tuition income, generous patrons, our board, local and national partners, as well as private foundations and public grants. Historically we receive funding from the NEA and NYSCA. Mostly Modern did not get those two grants in the 2025 current cycle. This was a loss of about $75,000. 2025 also brought on students who had far less money to cover tuition, so Mostly Modern awarded more tuition-free scholarships than ever before. Our goal is to have an endowed student education fund to ensure tuition-free scholarships for our 110 students (based on need, as well as merit) which will also help ensure 40 faculty salaries every summer. Student education fund goal: $2,000,000 by 2027.

Good news in 2025: local support really stepped in and shout out to local partners: Adirondack Trust Company, Stewart’s-Dake Foundation and Phinney Design Group.

Good news in 2025: We have a new collaboration with Yaddo. Mostly Modern performs and celebrates one Yaddo composer every summer, culminating with a performance at the Arthur Zankel Music Center. Big thanks to President of Yaddo, Elaina Richardson!

Mostly Modern Festival 2025 Audience | Image: Provided

I was excited to be there for the debut of your piece JOURNEY OF A DRAGONFLY and was really excited about the format and the story-based narrative style. Can you tell us more about this piece…the process, how long where you working on this one? What was your motivation? What was it like to hear that performed in front of an audience for the first time?

ROBERT: I first started conceiving, outlining, and composing Journey of a Dragonfly twenty years ago, while I was in-residence at Aaron Copland‘s house. (Each season, the Copland House offers residencies at his house for a few select composers from around the world.) Knowing that I didn’t have a premiere lined up, or even the right orchestra conductor, I put that piece aside, and worked on a handful of commissions I had at the time. The conductor I wanted for the premiere of this piece was JoAnn Falletta. Since I love her conducting, and aspects of the piece are inspired by an area near Niagara Falls near Buffalo, I felt like I really needed to wait until I had a chance to work with her in order to finish the piece. Fast-forward twenty years later, we now have JoAnn as a guest conductor at Mostly Modern Festival, and I felt the time was right to complete this work. This piece is dedicated to JoAnn and MMF’s fifth season, and to the Mostly Modern Orchestra in-residence at MMF.

The format of the work is highly-programmatic, meaning, it has a story and a narrative ‘program‘ woven throughout the work, about a dragonfly that explores the world above, finds a portal to hell, sneaks into the Devil family’s house, is captured by the Devil child, and finally escapes back to the world above. The story is so descriptive that we decided to show each scene as super-titles above the stage so the audience could follow along. Although the piece is meant as a concert piece, it is also designed to be animated, so kind of the reverse process to how it’s usually done in the world of film. Usually, a film comes first, and the music is added at the end. With this piece, the music already exists, so the animation can be designed around the music. It took me one month to complete the first ten minutes at the Copland House, and another two to three months to complete the remaining twenty-five minutes.

Hearing this work for the first time was certainly cathartic! I feel like I’ve literally waited twenty years to hear it realized for the first time. It was definitely a little scary: with a piece that large, you want to make sure the audience is captivated the entire time, and fortunately, I received a lot of wonderful comments after the premiere, so I think I succeeded!

Mostly Modern Orchestra with Andrew Crust | Image: Provided

I noticed that your web address is MOSTLYMODERNPROJECTS…what else do you have going on we should know about?

VICTORIA: Mostly Modern Projects is a 501c3 non-profit music organization that runs and brings music to everyone year round. This summer brings more community and parks concerts than ever: here is our lineup

Special shout out…3 Yaddo events entitled Wine & Roses featuring Mostly Modern’s FAB5, July 17, July 31 and August 14.

Left to Right: *Victoria, Corey, Danielle and Amara yuck it up at the 2025 Mostly Modern Festival*
*after party at the Surrey Williamson Inn in Saratoga Springs. |* Image: Provided

Extra Credit: Anything else you would like to share or plug while you have the talking stick?

VICTORIA: Seeking new board members for Mostly Modern Projects who live in Saratoga Springs and/or the upstate New York region – the lift is light and the benefits are robust!

Mostly Modern delivers vital and incredible music through concerts, festivals, outreach and community engagement all year round. Help us continue to provide this valuable platform for an ecosystem of classical performance artists, students and those who love the craft!

WEB: mostlymodernfestival.org | IG: @mostlymodernfestival | FB: @facebook

Michael C. Clarke Leaves an Established Law Career to Promote Irish American Heritage

June 3, 2025 By Corey Aldrich

I met Michael C. Clarke, Executive Director at the Irish American Heritage Museum, recently at an event and was bowled over by not only his enthusiasm but his career story and how he came to be where he is today. Having decided to leave corporate real estate several years ago to pursue a career in arts and culture, I am always fascinated to find those kindred souls who make the plunge. But I guess for Michael, it is no surprise he ended up where he is…he has music in his soul and a strong connection to his immigrant heritage. Side note, ask him about a recent trip to Ireland where he helped deliver over 60 lambs on his brothers farm, it’s a good one but to long for this piece!

Micheal C Clarke : Performing Musician and Executive Director at the Irish American Heritage Museum
Image: Corey Aldrich

Could you please state your name, organization, position and give us a little bit about your history including educational, experiential and career background.

My name is Michael C. Clarke. I’m the Executive Director of the Irish American Heritage Museum (IAHM) at Quackenbush Square in Albany. I’ve been here for about six months. I’m a recovered lawyer. I left the law after about 30 plus years of practice and was reasonably successful. When I did, I had the intention of landing somewhere in the Irish cultural space. For a little background, I started playing Irish music when I was six years old and loved it. I was raised in a household of two Irish immigrants and had been very involved and aware of Irish culture and history growing up. I paid for college in law school, not by student loans, but by being a full-time musician playing music in New York City in the 1980s.

Micheal gets his first serious instrument at 13 years old | Image: Provided

IAHM is in the former Albany Planetarium location. In addition to a permanent exhibit including objects and artifacts of historical note, including a actual life sized cottage, there is a beautifully intimate 60 seat venue with a dome ceiling set up like a living room performance space. People come in and they sit down as if they’re at a friends home with the main difference being that there are stars shining up above while they listen to traditional and folk Irish music. We have an intensive program of music here and it’s filling up with internationally recognized artists. Additionally, we have a gallery space that currently has an amazing collection of canvases by painter Kevin McKrells, who is mainly known for his musical pursuits, first as a founding member of Celtic Folk band Donnybrook Fair and his current band, the Celtic Bluegrass band The McKrells.

Current Exhibit ‘Old Men in Hats’ at the Irish American Heritage Museum : Paintings by Kevin McKrell
Image: Corey Aldrich

What is the mission of the organization?

The mission of the organization is to educate. It’s to raise awareness in folks of the richness of Irish culture and art. My job is to curate shows, lectures, performances and exhibits that teach and expose our community to the impact of the Irish on America.

Irish American Heritage Museum Performance Space | Image: Provided

What artists have you had come through? Maybe you could elaborate a bit about that part of the program.

So we’ve had the Irish duo Ivan Goff and Katie Linane, who are internationally known for performing the Uilleann pipes, which is the Irish bagpipes in addition to the elbow pipes and fiddle. Last week we had Gerry O’Connor, who tours the EU and the United States constantly as an international recording artist. He has written books and he teaches at Celtic and traditional Irish music festivals around the globe. We had a band called Open the Door for Three. They are famous in the traditional Irish music and folk scene. They were performing in Buffalo and Maine and reached out to me and asked if they could perform in Albany on the way back through. So many people want to come because of the intimate nature of the venue which is perfect for this style of music. Albany is kind of a strategic stopover for them. I’ve been blessed in the six months that I’ve been here to be able to have this great pool of talent to choose from and only see that expanding over time. Oh one more…I am really excited to announce that later this year we have Kevin Burke who is one of the early members of the world-renowned Bothy Band and later the founder of Irish super-group Patrick Street, who will be performing on September 8th.

Irish Immigrant Objects at the Irish American Heritage Museum | Image: Corey Aldrich

Beyond the music, you said you had a connection with some genealogical research as well?

We have an in house genealogist! Lisa Walsh Dougherty has nearly 20 years experience helping people discover the specifics about their Irish roots. She is fantastic as far as sitting down with folks and is available on a regular basis. One of the scheduled times she comes in is before an open Irish jam style music event we sponsor called the ‘Traditional Music Sessions.’ These are held on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month at the museum. They start at 7:00 PM and we typically will have anywhere from 8 to 12 musicians from the community, who are very good at what they do, sitting around a table jamming out / performing together. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. Lisa comes in an hour before so anybody who wants to come early to do some family history research are able to do so.

Irish American Heritage Museum : Traditional Music Sessions Series | Image: Provided

Anything you can tell us about your midterm or long-term plans that you’d like to share?

I’m a very visual person. The reason why I am where I am today is because three years ago I was like, “What does a photograph of me look like three years from now?” I saw myself exactly where I am. Involved in Irish Cultural and Arts promotion and being a proponent for that.

To fast forward, the photograph of the museum and me three years from now is one where we are encouraging a new generation to embrace their heritage of Irish music, culture, dance and in general creating an overall appreciation of Irish immigration’s impact on America in the community at large. I am focused on activities involving children. Two areas I am actively looking at right now involve Irish music and dance programming, integrating schools and / or education. We’ve got the perfect space for a teacher to come in and organize recitals for kids and their families…

I recently hired a new Assistant Director, Hayden-Grace Francis, and am looking to integrate her more deeply into the various aspects of running the organizational mission. In addition to having a History Degree from Siena College, Heyden is a Certified Irish Dance Instructor through An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha which adds a nice dimension to some of my aforementioned forward planning. Ultimately, I want this to be family oriented. It’s really about the mission, about getting the message out regarding the impact of Irish traditions, art and culture on American life while keeping them alive in a new generation.

HIstoric Cottage at the Irish American Heritage Museum | Image: Corey Aldrich

If people want to get involved, what’s the best way to do that?

Visit our website at irish-us.org or contact me at 518 . 427 . 1916.

Also, check out some of the events we have coming up later this month!

FIRST FRIDAY ALBANY Event – feat. Live Music with CURRAGH
Jun 6, 2025 | 6:00 PM | FREE SHOW! In collaboration with Metroland NOW!

THE EAST COASTERS – Trad / Folk Series
June 10, 2025 | 7:00 PM | Ticketed Event. Three renowned Irish performers from the eastern US weave together their regional styles in a memorable evening of tunes and songs

2025 Celtic Influences Performance Series: SEA SHANTIES W/SEÁN DAGHER
Jun 19, 2025 | 7:00 PM | Ticketed Event. The Sea Shanty resurgence is real! Join world renowned sea shanty expert and performer Seán Dagher in this full-throated, big fun IAHM evening of singing and learning about the genre!

Upstate Cold Brew Works on Expanding Their Eye Opening Mission

June 3, 2025 By Corey Aldrich

Local roasters Upstate’s Cold Brew is on the rise, expanding their distribution and product offerings. A combination of community building, creativity and a drive for a well balanced, eye popping brew are the driving factors behind this dynamic duo’s move to supply your morning routine with a bump of flavorful exuberance and maybe a whole lot more.

Jamel Mosely and Khalid Miller : Co-Owners at Upstate Cold Brew | Image: Provided

Please state your name(s). What is your position in the company? Can you share a little about your educational or experiential background?

My name is Khalid Miller — most folks just call me Kha. I am a Co-Owner of Upstate Cold Brew alongside my brother-in-coffee, Jamel Mosely. Day to day I steer operations and recipe development as the Head Brewmaster in addition to and other cool stuff. Jamel drives brand and community outreach (he’s the people magnet). We both do everything of course – but we tend to lean in those respective directions. I received a Master’s in Education from the College of Saint Rose. I was a School Councilor / Behavior Intervention Team Leader at the Brighter Choice School for Boys in Albany, New York for just over 8 years when I left in spring of 2023. Since 2019 my focus and passion has been on deepening my knowledge of the coffee industry and different brewing techniques – such as cold brew!

Upstate Cold Brew Product Offerings | Image: Provided

Cold Brew is a crowded space. What made you decide to start up the company? Can you tell us about your mission? When did you start?

The seed was planted more than a decade ago: we dreamt of a coffee shop that doubled as a creative studio where aspiring entrepreneurs could hatch ideas and find the tools to build them. But we ended up slamming the brakes on the brick-and-mortar plan, because life had other plans – but we eventually came back around to it, but this time with a different approach. Cold brew concentrate. We made it, gave it to friends and family, they loved it and convinced us to bottle up this magic and share it with the world. We got our big break in 2022 at the Troy’s Riverfront Farmer’s Market where it took off. We now have a thriving community that supports us and is growing everyday and the best part is that our mission hasn’t changed– coffee is still the conduit. We brew to spark connection, fuel creativity, and pour resources back into the community that raised us.

Upstate’s Cold Brew : Concentrate | Image: Provided

Can you share a bit about your process and method? What would you say is the identifying characteristic(s) about UCB?

We start with organically-grown, sustainably-traded beans roasted right here in the Capital Region. In the early days we soaked coarse grounds for 14–24 hours and triple-filtered every batch. Today we scale that same philosophy with a chilled, closed-loop system that extracts in a fraction of the time while locking in a richer, smoother, profile and extending shelf life. The result is a velvety concentrate that’s “eye-opening” strong, yet incredibly smooth and flavorful!

Upstate’s Cold Brew : Scented Candle | Image: Provided

How are you primarily distributing the product? Do you have additional channels that you are pursuing?

Right now a large percentage of our volume moves through direct-to-customer channels we can shake hands with: the Troy Riverfront Farmers Market every Saturday, plus refill stations and grab-and-go bottles at Emack & Bolio’s in Albany, and in the coffee cocktails at DeFazio’s Pizza and The Whiskey Pickle in Troy.

Upstate’s Cold Brew : Nitro Retail Beverage | Image: Provided

For retail, Honest Weight Food Co-op just gave us shelf space, and other regional grocers are in the pipeline. Online, we ship nationwide from our website at upstatescoldbrew.com, and we’re working through the final hoops to launch an Amazon storefront later this summer. So we are doing our best to get this high quality concentrate to as many people as possible!

BONUS: Anything coming up we should know about? New releases or live tasting events?

Catch us in person in right off Monument Square on Second Street at our booth every Saturday at the Farmers Market in Troy. You can also keep up to date on pop up events and special product releases by following our Instagram page @upstatescoldbrew.

WEB: upstatescoldbrew.com | IG: @upstatescoldbrew

Elizabeth Waxes Philosophic on the Merits & Challenges of a Tech Driven Future

May 2, 2025 By Corey Aldrich

Happenstantially I ran across an old friend recently at Jamel Mosely‘s Whiskey Pickle and as frequently happens at night in such places, a deep conversation ensued. This one was on the merits and challenges of AI’s impact on creativity. So good it was, I had to invite Elizabeth Quinn Gray, who is currently the Associate Director of the AI and Society Research Center at the University of Albany to have a chat over the kitchen table about where she sees the technology going and its impact on arts, culture and the human condition.

Elizabeth Quinn Gray – Associate Director at AI and Society Research Center | Photo: Corey Aldrich

Please state your name, position and what you do. Feel free to include any relevant background info.

My name is Elizabeth Quinn Gray, my position is the Associate Director of the AI and Society Research Center at the University of Albany (AISRC). I’m currently finishing my doctorate, actually it’s really optimistic of me to say I’m finishing my doctorate…I’m in the dissertation writing stage of my doctorate in Philosophy. I also studied social justice theory.

As for my background, I studied at UAlbany, then started a school in Ecuador where I was asked to help found the Global Institute for Health and Human Rights as Assistant Director. Following that, I co-founded a Montessori school in Albany. After which, I was Assistant Dean at the College of Emergency Preparedness for Homeland Security and Cyber Security at SUNY when that was starting and then participated in a variety of startup projects at the Provost Office there (SUNY) as well.

What exactly is the purpose of AISRC?

AISRC has a range of five different themes that we work on: human resilience, human solidarity, human connection, human imagination and human flourishing. In each of them, the idea is to look at those things which are essentially human and / or have to do with the human condition, then determine how we can leverage AI in order to support humancentric activity while also protecting those things against the undue influence of the technology.

There is a lot of anxiety in the creative class about the impacts of AI. Maybe you could give us some hope for the future of human creativity…

I understand the initial reaction to people feeling fearful about the ways in which as AI is better able to, you know, massive air quotes here CREATE. There’s this fear that it will undercut or replace human creativity. My perspective on it is that there’s still necessarily a human creator in these scenarios. It is the case that AI can do some of the work for example, graphic design. But there still needs to be somebody who creates the concept for what the graphic should be. What makes it interesting is that somebody has an idea that they wanted to create a specified image. It’s bizarre and can be sort of disturbing and concerning, but I think that historically there’s always been these moments where new technologies or artistic tools have become available. Each time humans take the tools and find the path to make art while showing the mind of the creator. Art is not merely the visual or the verbal representation of a thing.

I think it’s going to actually be really fun and interesting to see what kind of art comes out through AI generated forms of creative arts because it just offers a new tool that people can play in. Then there’s an opportunity that sometimes is overlooked in areas like equity, inclusivity and expression. For example, historically in order to paint, you had to have access to paint. Originally only a really small group of people who had that access because you had to have like a chemist that could hand mix it an access to the minerals and then they would have to like make the paints and then, you know, if you were one of those lucky people, then you might become a painter. Eventually the paints became available in tubes that anybody could buy, and then everybody thought, oh no, now that everybody can paint, it’s going to make painting meaningless. But no, in fact, it just gave more people access to the medium. Then the caliber of painting, the expectations of what it meant to paint changed because there were all of these new artists in the field that were painting. I think that some similar things are already happening with AI. I think it just opens the field up for more art, more creation rather than narrowing the field.

In what way’s do you see the creative class having a critical contribution to the ongoing dialog?

Creativity and the creative arts are critical to human identity. There are opportunities and there are also serious challenges or threats. As you alluded to previously, there are the ones who hold the power and hold the purse and for the most part, that is not the creatives. On the other hand, it’s the creatives who hold power in wisdom and improvisation. So we have to figure it out how to align the money with that wisdom. This hasn’t been figured out yet in many respects. With the AISRC, we don’t want to invite in the humanists and the social scientists and the artists and other creatives to the AI discussion. We want the humanist, the social scientists, the creatives and the artists to lead the discussion, to identify those things that we need to be paying attention to, to understand what matters in order to know how to protect what matters. How do you engage with questions of art and creativity? Questions of ethics and of social impact can’t be an afterthought. Again, it’s the creatives that have that power and wisdom that those in positions of formal authoritative structural power don’t necessarily have. We can benefit from giving those minds a seat at the table at the outset, as all of this is unfolding.

Author Laila Lama – Photo: Beowulf Sheehan | Author Gary Rivlin – Photo: Kathy Ryan

Do you have anything to offer folks to help them engage in the ongoing dialog about AI and its ongoing impact?

One of the first things that we did when we started the AI and Society Research Center was to partner up with the New York State Writers Institute (EDITORS NOTE: the most recent installments included conversations with Author’s Laila Lalami and Gary Rivlin) to develop an AI and Society Conversation Series. Through this partnership we bring in authors who are working either directly or indirectly on questions related to AI technologies. Some are journalists, some are novelists who are just interested in questions of surveillance or creativity or any number of related topics. Some are pro AI, some are the skeptics that are questioning and concerned. The idea is to create a series that is fiction and nonfiction. Including play rights, filmmakers and others who are grappling with these questions in their in their particular formats. These are public events that are open to the public.

So part of what the AI in Society Conversation Series is doing is grappling with both the opportunities and the threats. We’re also looking at with this from a research perspective. So for those five themes that I mentioned earlier…in what ways can we leverage these emerging tools and technologies in order to further the things that we care about? How do we leverage AI as a tool to to support and enhance those things that we care about? And based on what we care about, based on what are what we want to value about what it means to be human, how do we protect against the threats? And finally, who even is the we?

Incidentally, I was joking that finally they are asking the philosophers what we think because, you know, philosophers of mind have asked questions about what it means to be an independent generative thinker for ever. Questions of ethics or questions of trust or explainability. These are what philosophers think about. Now suddenly there is not just a commercial but a societal, humancentric reason to be thinking about these things. I think we can look at it in the same way with arts and creativity. We have an opportunity for those who have been doing this, who have that in their nature, to lead and to have a hand in shaping the future of the technology. At it’s core, that is our hope with the research center.

WEB: AI and Society Research Center

Fabbro Industries Design Build Approach Spans Bespoke Bikes to One of a Kind Furniture Designs

May 2, 2025 By Corey Aldrich

Terence Musto and I recently were asked to be on the same crit panel for a group of student projects at Union College organized by Associate Professor Lorriane Cox PhD. His business acumen was evident in the feedback he provided to the project teams and when I found out what he did, a studio visit was destined to happen. The story of Fabbro Industries is highly relevant and emblematic of the current national narrative to bring more entrepreneurial manufacturing to our country. A renaissance creative, Terence has his hands in a wonderful diversity of projects including currently rolling out a touring bicycle design to machining specific parts for a project at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All from his shop in Vorheesville, New York.

Terence Musto : Owner / Creator at Fabbro Industries | Photo: Corey Aldrich

Please state your name, title and business. Can you also give us a bit of background into how you got into what you do and any relevant educational or apprenticeship background info?

My name is Terence Musto, CEO / Creator at Fabbro Industries. I went to school at Babson College for business, concentrated in finance, worked in finance, and wanted nothing more than to get as far away from it as possible after my first internship. I had built a custom chopper (motorcycle) in my parent’s garage while in college and was instantly hooked by building. After graduating, I got an apprenticeship with a custom builder and my journey began. I apprenticed for about a year, then became his lead fabricator and then shop foreman. I eventually left that shop, and opened my own shop, knowing that I wanted to concentrate on R&D and product development for anything on two wheels.

Fabbro Industries Custom Bike Build | Photo: Michael Lichter

Can you tell us more about what market nitch FABBRO Industries fills and what your main focus areas are? Care to name drop a few clients / projects that you have worked with / on?

On its surface, we are a prototyping, design, and fabrication company. But we exist in a few main areas:

1. Custom motorcycles, cars, bikes (and associated parts) – namely the creation of our patented Type 57x® integrated suspension frame for bicycles and motorcycles.

2. Product development – from design, to bill of material generation, to small batch fabrication. We can take customers from hand sketch, or even just idea stage, to finished prototype ready for testing.

Fabbro Industries Designs : Bottle Opener and Tap | Photos: Provided

3. Finely machined home goods – we produce our own line of machined home goods including bottle openers, cutting boards, and cigar ashtrays (along with a few new products dropping soon).

4. Architectural metal fabrication – we work with general contractors for high end metal fabrication for things like: custom furniture, sinks, floating vanities, shower doors, etc.

5. Small batch, high quality manufacturing of goods.

We are set up to make one piece or a couple hundred. But more importantly, we’ll work with clients to find out exactly what they need – sometimes, what people think they need isn’t actual. Example: maybe you think you need your product to be made from solid aluminum, machined, and bolted together. In reality, we could save weight and time by using tubing and welding it together and achieving all the same design goals. We’ll sit down and talk the process through to make sure you get exactly what you need. Compare that to a traditional job shop: they make whatever you have on the print, even if that’s the wrong thing to make.

We’ve built a lot of stuff over the years – I’ve had bikes in many national and international magazines. One of the coolest moments for me was having our Type 57x® included in a book on the history of motorcycling in NYS, and the NYS Museum put our gold prototype on display for about 8 months in their lobby (highlight of my career so far for sure!).

Fabbro Industries Custom Interior Design Fabrications | Photos: Provided

We also had some of our architectural work in Architectural Digest in the September 2024 issue for a floating, mirror polished stainless steel vanity we built. We also machined some parts for a Lincoln Zephyr designed by Paul Teutul Jr. (American Chopper fame) and built by Speakeasy Motors. Current project clients include Iacona Custom Cycles and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Fabbro Industries One of a Kind Design and Production Prototyping | Photos: Provided

Running a design driven machine shop feels very much in alignment with what we are seeing promoted on a national scale for creating quality jobs. What do you see as some of the hurdles and challenges to growth in this market area? Any specific things that you have experienced in growing your company?

I think the biggest hurdle is that there’s a lot of focus on the supply side – which presents its own challenges (energy consumption, time required to build manufacturing infrastructure to name a couple). But the other side is on the demand front – customers need to be willing to pay more to have things made in America. It’s expensive to make things here. One of our biggest challenges, in addition to finding qualified labor, is being able to afford all of the required insurances and benefits that fabricators need which is tough.

We’ve been pushing our new marketing: #webuildheirlooms. Our products aren’t cheap. They are luxury items. But my mission is to inspire a feeling in our customers whenever they use our products. Even if it’s just a bottle opener, I want our customers to have the feeling of “I love this!” every single time they use it, or even look at it. When they are done with it, I want them to pass it on to the next generation. I think that on the demand side of the equation, customers need to embrace this mentality of “buy less, but buy better” and be willing and able to pay more for it.

Fabbro Industries : Terence Reviews Design Documents | Photo: Corey Aldrich

AI is being touted as something that potentially will take away many jobs in this country. I think you and I both have a more nuanced version of that future. Can you share some thoughts on AI and how you see it affecting your business?

There are applications of AI being rolled out already in my space – one major one that is exciting is in the CAM side of programming. For the uninitiated, CAM is the programming required to create the G-CODE that tells CNC equipment how to run the parts we design. It’s designed in CAD (computer aided design) then programmed using CAM (computer aided manufacturing). Traditionally, we use the CAM software to pick up geometries, lines, machining strategies, etc. It can take anywhere from minutes to hours. AI is being deployed on the CAM side to reduce programming time, even for complex parts, to under 5 minutes. There are trade-offs – these programs aren’t inexpensive, and you still need the g-code and programming knowledge to get the AI software to give you quality outputs. But this is definitely one place that AI is creating efficiency, even for small shops.

Fabbro Industries Type 57X Touring Bike Design | Photo: Provided

BONUS QUESTION: Share with us something you are especially excited about that you are looking to develop in your business over the next 5 years.

BUSINESS: it’s always exciting to see growth, be able to buy new equipment, bigger space, and add quality team members. We are finally hitting some of these goals and I’m looking forward to what the next year brings in this regard.

PRODUCTS: It’s the big one: we are reaching D-day with our Type 57x frames. We are getting ready to roll out two prototype e-bikes, and then finally wrap up our testing and get our product to market. We are looking for manufacturers to launch a pilot program so that we can get our frames out into the field and get people better riding bikes for every day use. Currently, there are no real full suspension options for bikes that aren’t mountain bikes. Our goal here is to license our patent portfolio to a larger company who has the efficiency to make our frames properly on a large scale.

ARCHITECTURAL: Last year was pretty good for us. This year we have a few good projects lined up, but the one I’m most excited for is a built-in wine cooler, with brass racking I am currently working on. It’s a large scale – 4 big doors. It’s a complicated project, but I think it’ll be a killer piece once it’s done.

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