Posted on by

Headwaters Welcomes back Paraguayan Harpist Nicolas Carter to Bemidji for Presentations and Performance

Headwaters Music and Arts is pleased to welcome internationally acclaimed Paraguayan harpist Nicolas Carter back to Bemidji for a series of workshops and a live performance. Some may remember Nicolas from his well received workshop and performance at Headwaters in fall 2021. Thanks to a grant from the Region 2 Arts Council Headwaters will partner with Nicholas to do it again, this time with a workshop 12-4 pm Thursday, June 22, followed by a free performance by Nicolas at 7 pm that same day. The public is invited to both of these events that will be held at Headwaters Music and Arts’ performance hall. For those who want another opportunity to experience Nicolas he’ll also be offering a presentation at Bemidji Public Library Friday, June 23, at 10 am.

Nicolas Carter is a talented and versatile International harpist, born in Minnesota and raised in Paraguay where he learned to play the Paraguayan harp. Carter creates unique performances blending his musicianship with his skills as a theater artist/storyteller. His authentic, warm and friendly interaction creates an intimate experience bringing inspiration, motivation and joy. Carter has been composing, recording, teaching and performing for over 30 years and has played all over the United States, Latin America, Europe and Israel.

Nicolas’ June 22 workshop Improvising with Latin American Rhythms is for local musicians ages 14-adult. There is limited space for this program so advance registration at HeadwatersMusicAndArts.org is required. The cost to attend the 4 hour workshop is $25. His June 23 presentation at Bemidji Public Library is a free educational event which will include a reading of Maliya Gorman-Carter’s book Hanish: The Story of the Harp.

The 7 pm Thursday, June 22 live performance is also free and open to the public. Folks are invited to come and relax, renew, refresh with nurturing soul music and touching stories of Latin American culture.

Headwaters Music and Arts is an independent non-profit multidisciplinary organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for creativity through instruction and to inspire community through music and the arts. They offer a variety of programs for all ages.

Register or find out more about Nicolas Carter’s Improvising with Latin American Rhythms  workshop here.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota, through a grant from the Region 2 Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Posted on by

Headwaters Holds Its Annual Summer Fiddle Camp

Calling all fiddlers, strummers and pickers! Headwaters Music & Arts’ week-long Fiddle Camp is set for 9 am-4 pm, June 26-30. The string camp is for all string players, ages 8 to adult, with at least one year of experience. Guitar, fiddle, cello, bass, uke, banjo or mandolin are all welcome. This year’s camp also welcomes players of the tin-whistle. Participants will get to jam with instructors Brian Miller, Mary Vanorny, Eric Carlson, Carrie Dlutkowski, and Sawyer Corcoran during both small and large group sessions. Campers will showcase all their hard work with a public show put on by attendees on Friday afternoon.

Headwaters Fiddle Camp focuses on learning tunes, songwriting, improv and playing by ear as well as other aspects of traditional fiddle music. This year participants can expect to learn the basics of Ottawa Valley step dance, how to build their own tin whistle or bodhran (Irish hand drum) and chording. The camp will also feature activities exploring the history of fiddle music in Bemidji and northern Minnesota and will get a chance to take a field trip to the Beltrami County History Museum and jam at the waterfront.

The cost to attend Headwaters Fiddle Camp is $100 per participant. Headwaters offers several scholarship and grant options for all of its youth programming in an effort to make their programming accessible for all. Registration deadline and full payment are due June 21.

Headwaters Music & Arts is an independent non-profit multidisciplinary organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for creativity through instruction and to inspire community through music and the arts. They offer a variety of summer camps for all ages.

Register or find out more about Headwaters Fiddle Camp here.

Headwaters Fiddle Camp is made possible by the voters of Minnesota, through a grant from the Region 2 Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Posted on by

Headwaters Offers Two Suzuki Day Camps the Week of June 19

Julia Anderson with some music students.

Headwaters Music and Arts plans for a week of fun and music with two camps focused on the Suzuki method for young violinists! The short day camps will be held June 19-23 and will be led by Suzuki trained Headwaters instructor Julia Anderson and assisted by instructor Chloe Knott.

The first of the two will be Suzuki Jump Start Camp, an introduction to violin for ages 4-13 focusing on beginning skills using the Suzuki method. Jump Start Camp will be held 9 am to noon daily and will include games and crafts along with violin practicing and playing. This camp uses Suzuki’s “Mother Tongue” approach to teaching music which builds on the principles of language acquisition. Those principles include an early beginning, listening, loving encouragement, parental support, constant repetition, learning with other children and then learning to read (Laurie Niles, editor violinist.com).

For violin players with a bit more experience Headwaters will offer Suzuki Step Up Camp for ages 5-16 with one year of playing experience. This weeklong camp will be held daily June 19-23, 2-5 pm. The camp is centered around words from Shinichi Suzuki: “Don’t hurry, don’t rest – without stopping, without haste – carefully taking one step forward at a time will surely get you there.” Beginning to early intermediate players will have the opportunity to take a step forward, practice their skills through playing with others, and learn to play by ear.

The cost to attend either program is $200 per participant. Violin rental is included in the program courtesy of Schmitt Music Company. Headwaters offers several scholarship and grant options for all of its youth programming in an effort to make their programming accessible for all. Registration deadline and full payment are due June 14.

Headwaters Music and Arts is an independent non-profit multidisciplinary organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for creativity through instruction and to inspire community through music and the arts. They offer a variety of programs for all ages.

Register or find out more about their Suzuki camps as well as other programs here.

Posted on by

Audition Applications open for Bemidji Sings Vocal Competition – Ages 9 to Adult Invited to Apply!

Headwaters Music and Arts invites amateur singers who live, work, or go to school in the Bemidji area to take part in Bemidji Sings, an annual vocal competition celebrating the musical talents of youth and adults who live, work or attend school in Bemidji.

Singers ages 13+ compete at Bemidji Sings Vocal Competition to determine who will represent Bemidji at the Minnesota Sings State finals in Fairmont, MN in October. Minnesota Sings vocal competition is separated into two age divisions: 13-20 and 21+. New this year Bemidji Sings features a 9-12 age division to compete. Those in the 9-12 division will compete locally but are not eligible to compete at the statewide Minnesota Sings Competition. Up to 7 singers from each age division will be chosen to perform at the Bemidji Sings Vocal Competition and the first and second place winner from both the 13-20 and 21+ division will move onto Minnesota Sings.

Those interested in taking part must register to audition by 5 pm Monday, June 5. Auditions are scheduled for June 10 and 11. They will be in person, with the option to meet with judges via Zoom. Each audition will take less than an hour. Auditions are an opportunity for judges to select the best performances for the Bemidji Sings Vocal Competition on September 8 as well as to offer advice and pointers to singers for their live performances.

Singers will be chosen based on their audition performance where they will be asked to sing one song. Auditioning vocalists will be evaluated based on their vocal skills, presentation skills, audience response, and judge's overall impression. Only individual contestants are eligible – no multiple singers or additional instruments may be used.

Posted on by

Monroe Crossing in Concert with Headwaters & Friends this Saturday!

Headwaters Music & Arts is excited to welcome back to Bemidji world-class bluegrass entertainers Monroe Crossing for Headwaters’ biggest fundraiser of the year on Saturday, April 22, 7 pm, at the Historic Chief Theater. Opening for the band will be Headwaters & Friends, a lineup of talented instructors and students of Headwaters Music & Arts.

Named in honor of Bill Monroe, Monroe Crossing dazzles audiences with an electrifying blend of classic bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, and heartfelt originals. For over 20 years this Minnesota based band has entertained audiences throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. The band has released 17 albums and was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 2007. The band’s diverse discography consists of traditional bluegrass, original bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, a tribute to Bill Monroe, classic country, Christmas music and two collaborations with the award-winning choir Vocal Essence. Monroe Crossing’s airtight harmonies, razor sharp arrangements, and on-stage rapport make them audience favorites.

Headwater & Friends is an ever changing lineup of skilled musicians from the Headwaters community. Taking the stage this year will be Dane and Julia Anderson, Wendy and Morgan Mellema, Sawyer Corcoran, Casey Rasmussen, and Vincent Noble.

$30 tickets are available for purchase here. Admission is open seating, advance ticket purchase is recommended (tickets are almost sold out!). Businesses, organizations and individuals are invited to be a sponsor for this fundraising event. Proceeds support the Headwaters Scholarship Program to help reduce student tuition based on financial need. Sponsorships help Headwaters reach their goal of giving the gift of creativity to kids in our community.

“Everyone who came had the time of their life that evening. Your show was just incredible....one of the freshest and original groups I have experienced....I was just blown away.” — Bill Adams, Habitat For Humanity, Waldorf MD

Posted on by

A Review of Latin American Music with Antonio Arce

Music is universal; however, depending on the region of the world music can have different rhythms, beats, tempos, lyrics, or styles. Headwaters Music and Arts hosts A Review of Latin American Music with Antonio Arce on Saturday, April 1 at 7pm. Community adults are invited to join musician and educator Antonio to learn about the different music of Latin America as he shares his knowledge in this free presentation. The audience will experience different songs and short stories, view a variety of photos of the area where the songs originated, and listen to the music of Latin America as performed by Antonio.

Antonio is a singer and guitarist. He was born in Salta, Argentina as the eldest son of a professional musician who always had guitars at home. Learning guitar started as a practice but quickly formed into an obsession. Although Antonio picked up the guitar very quickly he did not learn the names of the chords or the notes in either Spanish or English. Instead, Antonio learned to play by ear something he still practices with his main repertoire of Música “Latino Americana” including Romantic Music in the genres of Boleros, Trova, and other styles. On April 1 the audience will experience Antonio’s music first hand as he performs different styles of music and shares little stories about the different songs he will interpret.

A Review of Latin American Music is a free event for adults that will be held at Headwaters Music and Arts in Bemidji (519 Minnesota Ave NW). Those interested in attending can contact Headwaters by phone at 218.444.5606 or just plan to show up.

Posted on by

Annie Humphrey and David Huckfelt in Concert

Annie Humphrey and David Huckfelt.

Headwaters Music & Arts hosts Annie Humphrey in concert with David Huckfelt,7:30 pm January 20, 2023. As part of their ongoing commitment to create a welcoming space, Headwaters established a land acknowledgement statement in March 2022 to pay respect to the Indigenous Peoples on whose ancestral homelands they gather and to celebrate the cultural significance that Indigenous music and arts bring to the community. Annie Humphrey, both a visual and musical artist, was commissioned to design, build and install indoor signage with both English and Ojibwemowin translations to be used throughout the Headwaters’ building.

Born and raised on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation, Annie Humphrey performs both regionally and nationally. In addition to being an Anishinaabe singer and songwriter, Annie is a poet, teacher, and carpenter. She was named Artist of the Year at the 2018 Native American Music Awards. Her latest album, Eat What You Kill, was released in 2019 and is a meditation on accountability and gratitude. Annie frequently performs with Minneapolis folk-activist and songwriter David Huckfelt, founding member and front man for The Pines. His new record Room Enough, Time Enough is about restoring balance, space and attention, peace and equality, redeeming the marginalized, and remembering the forgotten.

Annie Humphrey with her original signs before they were hung.

Along with Annie’s original signs with translations, Headwaters Music & Arts celebrates the installation of a new outdoor sign featuring their latest logo and a welcome in both English and Ojibwemowin - Miigwech Bi-mawadishiweyan. The January 20 concert will be a chance to view and celebrate the outdoor sign and all of Annie’s interior signs.

Tickets for the concert are sold on a sliding fee, between $5-$20, to make the music event accessible to all. Funds raised will go to Headwaters scholarship fund. You can get your tickets here.

The signage and these activities are made possible, in part, by a grant from the Bemidji Area Arts Endowment, a component fund of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation. Midco Foundation provided funding to help build the new outdoor sign. Translations for the signs generously provided by Anton Treuer.

 

Headwaters' new outdoor sign.
Posted on by

Headwaters celebrates the Anishinaabe Artisan Market Sale Dec. 16-17

Headwaters Rock Band Program (a.k.a., Bumble Grunge)

Bell Choir

Join us Dec. 16 & 17 for a weekend of special Bemidji events! Headwaters Music & Arts joins Watermark Art Center for a special weekend of shopping in support of the Anishinaabe Artisan Market Sale at the Historic Carnegie Library. Join us at Headwaters Music & Arts for hot chocolate and cookies during some awesome (and free!) music performances.

Friday Dec. 16

7pm • Bell Choir at Headwaters

Saturday Dec. 17

1pm • First City Singers at Headwaters
2pm • First City Singers at Watermark Art Center
6pm • Headwaters Rock Band at Headwaters

See the full schedule of weekend events at the Watermark Art Center's website and we'll see you out and about!

First City Singers

Posted on by

Exploring Underbrush: Painting Plants with Acrylic with Diamond

Are you interested in growing your acrylic paint skills and know-how? Headwaters Music & Arts hosts Exploring Underbrush: Painting Plants with Acrylic, a four week workshop with Northwoods based artist and long time teacher, Diamond. This workshop is for adults at any level of painting experience. The class will spend 8 hours getting to know acrylics through Diamond’s unique perspective 6-8pm each Wednesday starting November 9 through November 30. The group will touch on color mixing, depth, composition, and capturing shadows and light with an eye to the botanical world. Participants will leave the workshop with multiple plant pieces and with a deeper understanding of how to capture a leafy scene with confidence.

An artist and explorer at heart, Diamond has been making a career as an artist for more than a decade with both her personal work and employment and residencies at art organizations around Northern Minnesota. She received a 2022 Individual Artist Grant from Region 2 Arts Council to take her latest body of acrylic paintings, Wild Whimsy of the Northwoods, around the state of Minnesota where it just wrapped up its most recent exhibition at Hutchinson Center for the Arts (Hutchinson, MN) this past September. Diamond paints in her own distinctive style that she describes as “postmodern-narrative wildlife.” She makes an effort to paint everyday as she focuses on any flora and fauna that strikes her fancy. She creates unique originals as well as commissioned pet portraits. Not just an avid painter, Diamond also works as the Marketing & Web Manager at Headwaters Music & Arts, owner and operator of Wild Growth Engineering, and an art instructor to folks of all ages and abilities. She currently lives in the Laporte (MN) area with her husband, Cassidy, and beloved cat, Lady Gray. They live in a patch of forest surrounded by their squirrel and fox neighbors in their as-of-yet unfinished home studio that the duo began constructing together in 2016.

The cost to attend Exploring Underbrush: Painting Plants with Acrylic is $150 per person. Space is limited, advance registration required.

You can register here!