Seldovia Solstice Fest features 4 days of music, art

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A very little gem of a festival returns for its 21st calendar year this weekend in Seldovia. The Seldovia Solstice Festival starts off at 11 a.m. right now, June 16, with a tunes jam on the Seldovia Bay Ferry. Sponsored by the Seldovia Arts Council, the weekend options nationwide and neighborhood functions undertaking in the personal setting of the historic group.

An opening reception at 9 a.m. Friday at the Gateway Pavilion also kicks off the seventh calendar year of Higgy’s En Plein Air art festival with artists Valadimir Zhikhartsev and Jenifer Cameron. Workshops will be held 11 a.m. Friday at the SVT conference middle for grownups and young children adopted by en plein air — open air — painting in the scenic town. At 2 p.m. Friday is a children’s en plein air workshop at the convention center. The artwork competition closes at 1:30 p.m. Sunday with Higgy’s En Plein Air show and silent auction at the Gateway Pavilion.

Musical genres include things like Western swing, jazz, folks, modern instrumental, bluegrass, pop and rock. Thursday night time an open up mic is 8 p.m. at Susan B. English Faculty. Headline performers on Friday are the Western Flyers and Alaska musicians Yngvil Vatn Guttu and Rick Zelinsky starting at 6:30 p.m. at the college. All through the day, songs will be performed from 1-3 p.m. Friday all over town. On Saturday a track circle is at 10 a.m. at Jack and Alva’s Cafe, with a absolutely free workshop 1-4 p.m. at the school, and major phase concerts at 6:30 p.m. at the college.

The weekend finishes with a barbecue at Schooner’s Seashore. Meet up with at the harbor for the boat-accessible only occasion.

“If you’re intrigued by all that we have prepared, we invite you to come to our quaint community by the sea that can only be arrived at by boat or airplane — tucked away from the highway system, targeted traffic lights, crowds, and the bustle of the relaxation of the globe,” the event organizers wrote in a push launch. “Enjoy the pristine waters exactly where otters and eagles abound, wherever snow-capped mountains present the backdrop to this exceptional location for 4 days of audio, art, and chances to relax and make new friends. When the dense forest invites you to discover its winding paths and spectacular views, the long beaches provide several hours of discovery of sea glass, shells, treasures from days gone by, and surprises that reveal themselves at minus tides (a camera is essential).”

For additional details, go to the pageant on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SeldoviaSolsticeFestival.

Performers

The Western Flyers: Dubbed “The Most significant Very little Band in the Land,” powerhouse western swing trio The Western Flyers serve up an irresistibly hot, unmistakably Texas-model seem popularized by Bob Wills in the 1940s with an electrifying vitality all their very own. Showcasing a fresh new, all-star lineup led by western swing master Joey McKenzie on rhythm guitar and vocals, champion fiddler Ridge Roberts, upright jazz bassist, Matthew Mefford, the 2019 Ameripolitan Western Swing Team of the 12 months, is certain to have even the shyest of wallflowers swinging on the dance flooring.

Yngvil Vatn Guttu and Richard Zelinsky: Yngvil and Rick are composers, multi-instrumentalists, devoted qualified academics, workshop leaders and presenters. When they be a part of forces, you get a mix of groovy jazz, people, earth and digital contemporary music traditions with heart, guts, sensitivity, enjoyable and love for songs and for all factors residing. Provided the electricity and richness of the audio, you’d imagine you have been listening to a full band.

Vatn Guttu, a native of Oslo, Norway, relocated to Alaska from New York City in 2002. A short while ago, she turned a 2022 Jazz Hero regarded by the Jazz Journalists Association. She has solitary-handedly built a musical empire in the considerably north for independent Alaskan musicians. As a jazz trumpet participant, creator and director for Anchorage’s most beloved jazz pageant, the Spenard Jazz Fest, and the founding director for numerous nonprofit initiatives committed to amplifying Alaskan new music, her mark on Alaska’s audio scene is indelible and vibrant.

Rick Zelinsky is a woodwind artist, an electronic new music professional and also teaches band and jazz band for the Anchorage School District. Rick gained whole saxophone scholarships for the two undergraduate and graduate degrees, and he gained a B.A. in Songs General performance from Cleveland State University and a Learn of Songs in Saxophone General performance from the College of Akron. He performs regularly in Alaska and is founder and director of the state’s popular summer season band method, Alaska Band, celebrating its 20th anniversary (2020). Rick often performs soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, bass and alto clarinets, flutes, MIDI wind controller and enjoys enjoying equally jazz and classical new music.

Five Letter Word: Blend three singer-songwriters, quite a few stringed devices, and a wide variety of percussive strategies, and you get Five Letter Term. This Portland, Oregon-based band of potent women of all ages includes Leigh Jones (guitar, percussion), Megan Alder (guitar) and Audra Nemir (bass), blending their signature harmonies into music from folk to bluegrass to blues and beyond. Current winners of the 2018 Northwest String Summit Band Competition, 5 Letter Term usually takes inspiration from the harmonic custom of groups like the Wailin’ Jennys, Dixie Chicks, and The Wood Brothers, and include their possess particular aptitude to generate a seem that is “uniquely infectious” and a clearly show that is “delightful, with a handful of unanticipated twists.”

Wings to Fly: Wings to Fly is an Anchorage-centered band that began as a duo in the early 1980s with Shonti Elder, fiddle and Elsa Aegerter, flute and guitar. Later on multi-instrumentalist Karl Wilhelmi joined and far more just lately Marianne See extra her talents. They’ve performed as a quartet now for many years, and adore to sing four-part harmonies, originals, and some of our favourite up to date songwriters. They carry out yearly at the Anchorage People Competition and the Alaska State Reasonable, while they enjoy to enjoy other concerts, and festivals throughout Alaska. Wings to Fly is satisfied to execute at the competition this calendar year.

Will Putnam and Trudy Heffernan: Will Putman and Trudy Heffernan reside exterior Fairbanks someplace in the vicinity of the edge of the center of nowhere. Will will work as a forester in Fairbanks and Trudy has served Fairbanks for several decades as an acoustic audio concert promoter and as a producer of a well-liked nearby bluegrass radio demonstrate, “Banjo Signal” on KUAC-FM. She accompanies Will on bass and harmony vocals. They both equally have been active in the Fairbanks new music scene for numerous many years, forming and reforming any quantity of area bands with other Fairbanks musicians, and creating, undertaking and recording first songs. Will’s tunes include a vast selection of types and subjects, from bluegrass to pop/rock influences, from humorous social commentary to observations of lifestyle in inside Alaska: homebrewing, saunas, the terrific recession, nostalgic Alaskan heritage it’s all truthful sport.

Higgy’s En Plein Air

Each 12 months the organizing committee selects two artists to be the Higgy’s En Plein Air Headliners. The headliners this year will be Vladimir Zhikhartsev and Jenifer Cameron. Vladimir will give a Headliner Artist’s Presentation for adults on Friday, adopted by a workshop for youngsters by Jenifer Cameron. Vladimir will also give a watercolor course for grownups and intrigued youth M-W, June 20-22. Friday’s gatherings are absolutely free, and Vladimir’s course cost will be $125 (SAC users) or $150 (non-customers) for three days of instruction.

Vladimir Zikhartsev is a Fairbanks watercolor artist and globe-renowned ice carver. He arrived to Fairbanks from Russia in 1996 as an ice sculpture instructor. Vladimir gained his good arts education in Russia with formal teaching in sculpture, watercolor, oil, and acrylic portray. He has been instructing artwork in Alaska for about 20 many years, has had many exhibitions in Russia and Alaska, and been given a 2008 Rasmuson Foundation Artist Fellowship Grant. Landscapes are Valdimir’s passion. Painting the landscape “en plein air” gives him an possibility to analyze the lay of the land and notice the nature, even though composing a portray with the colours that he sees. He thinks that portray on location is a have to for each individual landscape painter, so that they really feel the position, smell the refreshing air and notice all the everyday living around them.

Jenifer Cameron is a retired artwork trainer from the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District who now resides calendar year-round in Seldovia. In Fairbanks, she was also a co-proprietor of the 2 Street Gallery as very well as staying a continuing experienced artist. Her workshop will entice little ones of all ages to use their artistic perception of journey to look intently at the purely natural entire world about them. Be part of us in discovering your imaginative “eye” and you may find your interior poet, artist or scientist.
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