WHAT SHOWS! WHAT A CROWD! WHAT ARTISTS!
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
The Carnation Tree Farm Barn. Photo by Roger Thorson, Owner of farm
Our November, 2010, show stayed true to our tradition: that it was even better than all the Soundfalls we have seen before! Our shows continue to warm the hearts of both those folks on and off the stage… beyond their imaginations.
The November show was made particularly amazing by the sheer number of musicians who came together to celebrate fall, life together, and life in general!
We were amazed by the volume of young string players in the Riverview Orchestra Club (ROC), directed by Darlene Rose, who provided pre-show entertainment holiday tunes and music made true with a new grand radio broadcast entrance written by Susan Chamberlin and featuring radio personalities Mike and Wendy Ward.
The spirited Seattle Jango jazz band, Gadjo Swing, literally filled every corner of the barn with sounds that define our show: pure artistry, personality and musicality. (The band: David Johnston, Craig Harris, Joe Weihe, Bill McKee and Dave Swain). Photo supplied by David Johnston.
We enjoyed the calling of a Contra Dance by Kirsten Berg with live quartet music by Becky and Martin Chaney (on accordion and violin respectively), Darlene Rose on violin and Susan Chamberlin on guitar. As you can see in the photo, the audience enthusiastically participated to warm up and have fun!
Dan Carollo. Photo by Maren Van Nostrand: Dan Carollo made it back again for at least his third time, and again brought his flourishing arpeggios peppered with insights on America from his life in Scotland.
We were reminded of why we keep inviting this trio back. Zinnia3 (Karen Hovde, Chris Wilde and Stacy Powell) sang two new original compositions by Stacy that caused a wave of sentimental sighs across the audience.
Julia Ricks Wins Blue Ribbon for her 4H Guinea Pig. Photo by M.VanNostrand
“The stage is here for you. The magic of discovering the creative performer in you is here. Experience the unknown,” reads the fliers and invitations. Maren Van Nostrand, founder and director, and Byron Ricks, co-host, infuse Soundfalls! with their talent and passion for sharing music and stories about the artists and places among us that give our lives meaning. It is a rich, warm, varied evening of short performances by and for people of all ages.
Maren Van Nostrand. Photo by Chris Fagan
Maren directs Soundfalls Institute of Music, a program where people can learn piano, drums, marimba, voice and artistic performance thru various venues, including local bands, places of worship, gift recitals, house concerts, and the show, Soundfalls! Private lessons are conducted from her historic home studio in Carnation, Washington, USA. She also professionally works with communities to plan for the preservation of sensitive and sacred environments.
Byron is an author, speaker and humorist, and has traveled for National Geographic and other national publications in search of stories about sense of place in nature. Byron and Maren published a book about their five-month, 1,200-mile, kayak journey along the ocean coast from Alaska through British Columbia and into the base of Puget Sound. Byron authored the book and Maren did the illustrations. (Homelands: Kayaking theInside Passage, Bard/Avon, New York, 1999).
Soundfalls! artists have included Claudia Schmidt, internationally-known folk singer; Laura Caviani, well-known jazz pianist (especially in Minnesota and Japan!); Simone LaDrumma, founder of Ladies Don’t Drum; Dan Carollo, recording celtic guitarist; Angela Reed, New York recording singer-song-writer; Myra Joy, recording and touring cello artist out of California; The Weavils band; jean mann, recording and touring singer-song-writer; Todd Powell, published writer; Jesse Oliver and Danielle Tomlinson, young and recording vocalists (and Sno-Valley Idol Winners); Jack Ballard, song writer, vocal guitarist; Art Peterson, vocal guitarist having recorded with Windam Hill Productions; Rose Laughlin, recording folk vocal guitarist; Denny Redman’s Budget Funeral Band; Zinnia3 (Stacy Powell, Karen Hovde and Chris Wilde, vocal guitarists); and many more.
Byron Ricks, Co-Host
Won’t you join them at the next show? As one Soundfalls-goer put it “It seems like Soundfalls has revealed something about them (Maren & Byron) which, although not unexpected, is surprising to find communicated so strongly…it’s their deep admiration and joy about the discovered talents of people. Whatever it is, it spreads through all of us and comes to define Soundfalls. It is wonderful and goes beyond their talent. It is soulful, indeed.”
Questions? maren@soundfalls.org
Soundfalls is the best thing ever! You can let your talent be heard. I have performed at one Soundfalls, and gone to many of them. They have cool instruments and lots of people with great voices. You should come to one. If you come for one, you will be hooked for life!!
So awesome you are doing this Maren and Byron and Julia!!!!! I hope to make it to one of the performance nights! Thanks for sharing your passion :>)
Thankyou for a great evening of wonderful music. I’ve lived in Duvall my whole life….I’m SO happy the barn is getting used, loved and cared for! It looks fantastic…love the loft! Thankyou for caring about a historical piece in our valley and for bringing the joy of music to us all