Volkert Volkersz
Volkert Volkersz is a singer/songwriter and guitar player that
has been performing folk, pop, blues, originals and guitar
instrumentals since the 1960s. Additionally, he enjoys doing
music for children as "Opa Volkert." Opa means grandpa in Dutch.
Volkert's biggest influences include Peter, Paul and Mary, Pete
Seeger, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, James Taylor and John Fahey.
Since moving to New Hampshire in 2016 he has been the featured
performer at numerous open mics and other venues. He has also
been a regular at farmers markets and library story times. He
performs positive, family-friendly music, often with a touch of
humor. Volkert has written more than 350 songs and
instrumentals, with two of his songs receiving airplay on the
NHPR Folk Show. He has written songs about love, peace,
gratitude, creativity, life in New Hampshire and his native
Pacific Northwest, farming, aging, the weather, insects, cars
& trucks, Robert Frost, and spirituality. Recently he has
been in the recording studio working on a full album of original
songs for children. Many of these were inspired by his
grandchildren.
Volkert is the former host of the DubHub Open Stage (in Dublin,
NH). In recent years he has appeared at the Keene Music
Festival, the Children and the Arts Festival in Peterborough and
the "Notes" series hosted by Wendy Keith in Jaffrey. Born in
Amsterdam, Volkert was raised in Seattle. For 39 years he was a
school music teacher and school librarian in western Washington
State. He has performed at the Northwest Folklife Festival and
the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle. Since the pandemic, Volkert
has posted more than 180 songs to his YouTube channel
(originals, covers, children’s music and guitar lessons). One of
these videos (a song for children) has exceeded 68,000 views.
Several more range from 1,000 to 20,000 views.