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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.

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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.

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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.