Joey Arcuri is an influential musician, performer and educator living in the Central New York area. His performance experience spans broadly from orchestral, jazz, musical theater, and popular music, all while traveling the country with five-piece Americana band, Driftwood, which has shared stages with Old Crow Medicine Show, Rusted Root, and Donna The Buffalo. As a double bass primary, Joey stays in high demand throughout a variety of musical genres, performing with artists such as Clay Aiken, Jane Monheit, Melinda Doolittle, Cheryl Bentyne, Tara Nevins, Jeb Puryear, and Hank Roberts.
Joey completed his undergraduate performance degree at two institutions: At SUNY Purchase’s Conservatory of Music, he studied with Timothy Cobb, the current principal bassist of the New York Philharmonic; in 2009, he completed his Bachelor of Music at Ithaca College, where he achieved a classical bass performance degree with Dr. Nicholas Walker. Joey is currently working toward a master’s degree in music education at Syracuse University, with an anticipated graduation in the spring of 2023.
With proficiency on the double bass, electric bass, cello, and guitar, Joey maintains diverse creative pursuits that inform his teaching, making it accessible to a wider variety of students. Joey holds a private lesson studio as a faculty member of the Community School of Music and Arts in Ithaca, NY. He also serves as a clinician, teaching in the schools and running workshops at music festivals. In 2021, Joey taught at Ithaca College’s Summer Music Academy, and in 2022, he will return to teach the high school and middle school divisions.
Joey’s 11 years with Driftwood – a mainstay on some of the biggest Americana and folk festivals around the U.S. – has exposed him to the music industry and has nurtured his singing, songwriting, and collaborative skills. A classical and jazz background mixed with years of popular music experience have made Joey a well-rounded and versatile teacher for students of all ages, styles, and skill levels. At 35, having carved out a successful music career as a performer and educator, Joey continues to broaden and diversify his musical palette through a new network of music colleagues at Syracuse University and devoted study to brass, woodwind, strings, percussion, conducting, and choral music. He plans to continue to share the joy of music-making, both on and off the stage.