Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival
2013 Lineup and Schedule Released
by The Seldovia Arts Council
The Seldovia Arts Council presents the 2013 Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival list of performers and schedule. The annual event will take place in Seldovia, June 20-23. The festival includes a ferry jam, open mic, workshops, a song circle, gospel jam, and 14 performing acts.
This year’s headliners are Broadway performing artist, Theresa Thomason, and Alaskan band, Super Saturated Sugar Strings. Others included in the festival lineup are Si Kahn & Suzanne Little, John Cook, Alex Mabey and many more outstanding performers from around Alaska.
The festival starts off with a “Ferry Jam” on Thursday, June 20th. Performers and festival attendees can travel on the Seldovia Bay Ferry’s Kachemak Voyager from the Homer Spit to Seldovia, while enjoying a live musical jam session. Ferry departs from Homer at 11:00 a.m.
A no-host dinner will take place for performers and visitors at 5:00 p.m. at the Linwood Bar and Grill. An Open Mic starts at 7:30 p.m. and is sure to include many surprising performances by local Seldovians, plus visitors to the community. After the open mic, local band Billygoat will play live back down at the Linwood Bar.
On Friday, there will be a Musicians United to Save Bristol Bay workshop at 1:00 p.m. at Susan B. English School. It will focus on music and social action to make the world a better place, and to inspire others – led by Si Kahn and Suzanne Little. At 2:00 p.m., there will be a videoconference workshop at the Seldovia PublicLibrary at 1:00 p.m. This workshop, “Is it a fiddle or a violin?”, will feature collaboration with the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and will focus on the difference between the fiddle and violin.
Festival performances start on Friday evening at 6:15 p.m. at Susan B. English School. Ticket prices at the door are $49 for adults and $30 for children. Local Seldovian student, Alliah Wheeler, will open off the evening with a performance on the Native American flute. She’ll be followed by Robin Hopper, “Food for the Soul”, Betsy Scott, Theresa Thomason, Super Saturated Sugar Strings, John Cook, and the sweet sounds of Alex Mabey to wrap up the night.
Saturday morning starts off with Yoga at the Sea Otter Community Center from 9-10, followed by a Song Circle at the Tide Pool Restaurant overlooking the Seldovia Harbor, which starts at 10:00 a.m. If the sun is shining, guests can join the musicians out on the deck for a time of singing, while the eagles fly by overhead, and the sea otters play around in the harbor.
Workshops take place on Saturday afternoon from 1:00-4:00 p.m. back at Susan B. English School. They will feature sessions with the headliners, as well as many other performers. The eight workshops will include instruction on an assortment of instruments, as well as vocals, plus some dancing.
6:15 p.m. is the start again on Saturday night for the festival. The evening will begin with Brian Slover, followed by “Billy Goat”, Jack Will & Sue Biggs, Super Saturated Sugar Strings, Theresa Thomason, Si Kahn and Suzanne Little, and then George Holly. Be looking for a planned “impromptu” dance at the end of the night!
One final gathering on Sunday afternoon for a Gospel jam will take place at 2:00 p.m. before folks begin to make their way back home.
Performer Biographies
Theresa Thomason – Theresa’s vocal talent began to emerge as she grew up singing in church. Jazz, pop, and R&B later followed. Her winning performance at the world-famous Apollo Theatre was a stimulus to love the stage.
Theresa has had a succession of sold out concerts in the U.S. as well as over 170 European cities where she spent over 17 years overseas headlining a theatrical concert she wrote and produced.
Her career has spanned over two decades of performances and recordings with eight time Grammy Award Winner Paul Winter and remains a featured artist with Winter’s Consort performing regularly at the world-renowned annual Winter Solstice and Earth Mass at New York’s infamous Cathedral of St. John The Divine. Several performances have aired on NBC and PBS.
Thomason appeared on Broadway in the musical HOT FEET featuring the music of Earth Wind and Fire directed by Maurice Hines. Returning to the famous Apollo Theatre in 2012 Thomason performed for The Harlem Jazz Shrines “Jazz A La Carte” with Wycliffe Gordon, Savion Glover and Maurice Hines. Wall Street Journal in 2011 named this event “The best Jazz event of 2011”.
Celebrating ASCAP’s fourth annual event at the United States Library of Congress on Capital Hill in Washington, DC Thomason performed with some of ASCAP’s distinguished creators of America’s most popular music who were there to be honored and celebrated by the members of Congress.
Theresa continues to tour throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada, The Caribbean, New Zealand and Alaska with her own band, Jazz duo and trio. She is featured in several released recordings as well as one of her own. A new release is forthcoming. She often collaborates with artists from the historical Riverside Church in Harlem, NY. along with an array of choirs and promoters around the globe.
Thomason seeks to share various styles of music worldwide focusing on community-minded events and developing productive expression through the arts.
Other performances include:
Ray Charles, The Dalai Lama, Dream Theatre, Valerie Simpson (Of Ashford and Simpson), The United Nations, Ruby Dee, Ray Parker Jr., Joseph Joubert, Pete Seeger, renowned composers John Rutter, Paul Sullivan and Paul Halley, Vernon Reid, Will Calhoun, The Vatican, The Zenith (France), Falu, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Dino Fekaris, Stephen Bishop, New Zealand Maori Indians, The Duomo (Italy), Musica Sacra (Germany) United Protestant Union.(France), Fuller Theological Seminary-Honoring the renowned John Nash (Calif).
Photo by Carly Garay
Super Saturated Sugar Strings – The members of the Super Saturated Sugar Strings are a lot like the songs they play: complex, diverse, and brimming with stories. Based out of Anchorage, Alaska, the Sugar Strings are a high-energy, harmonious blend of piano, violin, cello, guitar, and odd percussion, creating the sound of a funky and sweet foot-stomping symphony.
The Sugar Strings consists of Carlyle Watt on lead vocals and guitar, Kathryn Moore on keys and lead female vocals, Miriah Phelps on fiddle, and Teresa Taylor on cello. Each musician brings a different musical background and regional sensibility to the table, spanning east coast to west and country to classical. Although you might expect diversity to lend itself to artistic struggles between band members, the combination seems to be working quite well for the Sugar Strings.
Keyboardist Moore says that despite stylistic differences, all of the members have wanted to move in the same direction. “We all have different styles that we combine to make a unique sound, but we all have the same sound [too]…with the SSSS I wake up and realize something new about my band mates every day.”
Alliah Wheeler – Alliah loves to draw and is very artistic. Music is a big part of her life. She loves to sing, play the flute and keyboard. She also loves video games and “One direction”. She has been playing the flute for about a two and a half years. Alliah says, “I hope you like me!”
Brian Slover – Brian Slover’s beautiful Native American Flute music can often be heard in the morning and evening as it winds its way up the Seldovia Slough and into the wind. Brian has taken several eager Seldovia students under his wing to teach this wonderful instrument that comes straight from the heart and breath of its player. An artist, Brian enjoys the inspiration of life in Seldovia.
Robin Hopper – You never know quite what to expect from singer-songwriter Robin Hopper….. One moment, you’ll be laughing as she delves into the hilarious aspects of the human condition, and in the next, you’ll find yourself reaching for your kleenex as she tugs at your heartstrings. Robin is an award-winning music educator, and a decorated songwriter; winning Top Five Finalist honors four times in Alaska Public Radio Network’s Alaska Song of the Year Contest, and being named as the Contest’s Overall Winner in 2003. You’ll find her at Alaskan festivals and concert series, as well as points Outside, both as a main-stage performer, and workshop presenter. She has 5 CDs available, with a 6th in the planning stages. Her music is available on CDBaby.com and iTunes.
Food for the Soul – Food for the Soul has been playing folk/singer-songwriter music around the Kenai Peninsula for well over 20 years. Each member is an accomplished singer, musician, and song-writer involved in several musical pursuits.
Sue Biggs is the concert mistress of the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra and teaches music at Soldotna Middle School. Her husband, Jack Will, is involved in a number of local bands and is also a member of the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra. They are both founding members of the Spur Highway Spankers bluegrass band but most often perform as a duo.
Bonnie Nichols is a Grammy-nominated songwriter who is currently writing the score for a Broadway musical and has collaborated on several internationally recognized lullaby albums, including one that has reached platinum status and has been translated into several languages.
Suzanne Little comes from a musical family that includes Keith Little who is currently band-mates with David Grisman; Suzanne lives in Anchorage and is in the bluegrass band, “Bootleg Brown.”
Vickie Tinker started the 5th Sunday Worship project, bringing Peninsula church musicians and congregations together several times per year in an effort to break down walls between churches. Several of her worship songs have made their way around the world. In addition, she is a dreadfully lapsed member of the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra.
Together, this group loves singing folk music with rich harmonies and lots of stringed instruments.
John Cook – John Cook is known for his finger picking style guitar, using a variety of styles of acoustic guitar playing in both standard and open tunings. He has performed in numerous locations in Alaska, North Carolina, South Carolina as a solo performer and also performs frequently with his acoustic Trio. He is returning for his third visit to Seldovia. He is again offering a finger style guitar workshop and is currently working on his third solo CD.
Alex Mabey – My first album was created in 2008 right before my journey to Nashville, TN where I studied the Music Business and realized my gift and potential. That led me to reach an understanding of just how I am supposed to nurture that.
After creating my second CD of original music, I decided to travel as much as I could because I wanted to understand all the different people of the world, the people who I write music for, on a personal level. I spent a significant amount of time in Africa, Guatemala, Upstate New York, Baja, Alaska, California, and Colorado, rafted the Grand Canyon for a month, and the Olympic Peninsula of Western Washington, where I grew up.
During my travels, I had the privilege of opening for Amy Grant, Wynonna Judd, Sara Evans, and Craig Morgan. After living life-like a gypsy, I believe I’ve landed on a place I’ll stay for a while. Alaska. I’ll be doing a solo tour along the Kenai Peninsula this coming summer, and finishing out the summer playing music and shooting my second music video in Homer.
My music took a major shift during this last year, and I am excited to get it out there with my third CD, which will hopefully be completed by the tour in June.
Sue Biggs & Jack Will – Sue Biggs and Jack Will have been playing music together for over fifteen years. They first performed in the bluegrass group, the Spur Highway Spankers. Since then, Sue and Jack have played as a duo, in the women’s group, Food for the Soul, in country bands, swing bands, Dixieland bands, rock bands, the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra, the Kenai Performers, and The Gathering, a contemporary Christian band.
Jack is primarily a guitar picker, but sings and plays violin, fiddle, mandolin, and tenor banjo. He is a song writer, composer, and producer. He is a retired electrician in the oil field, but is currently building a Glastar airplane. Besides airplanes, Jack’s passion is shooting and producing videos with his guitar compositions as background music.
Sue teaches general music, choir, and band at Redoubt Elementary School is Soldotna and was recently named a BP teacher of excellence. She is a fiddler and singer, but teaches and performs on piano and guitar as well. Sue is a song writer, composer, photographer and dancer. She is concert master of the Kenai Peninsula Orchestra.
Billygoat – Billygoat, a local favorite string band (okay only) playing their version of old-time/ bluegrass mountain music and some other stuff, too. Sometimes a four-piece; sometimes more. Once again Carl Kittrel and Jen Warren join the usual suspects Kirby Corwin, Chris Lillo, Jeff Snedgen and Kari Hendrich. Come git your goat on!
Si Kahn & Suzanne Little – Si Kahn has been writing, singing and recording roots music for over 50 years. His songs of family, community, work, peace and freedom have been performed and recorded by hundreds of artists. Such songs as Aragon Mill, Gone Gonna Rise Again, Wild Rose of the Mountain, Go To Work On Monday and Rubber Blubber Whale are sung at folk gatherings and in living rooms around the world.
His 2010 album Courage was the #1 CD for that year on the international Folk DJ List. Si himself was named the #1 artist, based on airplay reports sent in by over 200 DJs around the world.
Si is a co-founder of Musicians United To Protect Bristol Bay. His 18th CD Bristol Bay will be released this summer.
George Holly – Fresh off of a special performance at the dedication of the USS Anchorage, Alaska Native George Holly will be bringing his exuberant style to Seldovia. Holly is not new to the Seldovia scene, having visited often on special holidays, always willing to get out his drum and start singing some beautiful music. With experience as an actor and director, Holly is sure to bring a lot of entertainment to the Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival’s audiences.
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