The Sitka Summer Musical Festival ends today with a fundraising brunch. I will not be there because I will be on an airplane traveling to Minnesota and grand kids. Together Brian, Liz, Liam, Fiona, Suzi and I will go to the Winnipeg Folk Festival. These two festivals, back to back, reflect different music traditions. But they have a lot in common. They give us comfort in presenting familiar favorites. But they both also introduce us to new musical ideas, they explore and excite. Both demonstrate community at its best. The Sitka Festival brings together the town for a month around a group of visiting musicians. The festival pops up in bars, cafes, concert halls, the tribal house and the Fine Arts Campus involving us all. The Winnipeg Festival re-creates a new community of people from across North America to celebrate the diversity of folk and world music. I am blessed to be part of both.
Here are some pics from the Sitka Summer Music Festival. Now a beautiful memory. (The first pic in the gallery was taken after the triumphant final note, from Brahms. The cover photo are Natasha’s performance shoes.)
