Bio
Sisters Folk Festival is thrilled to present alumni of the Americana Project who will perform at Fir Street Park all day Saturday, Sept. 7. Started in 2000, the Americana Project is the educational outreach program of the Sisters Folk Festival organization and is celebrating its 20thyear. The program is an innovative music and arts education program with deep community engagement and outreach. Students in the Sisters schools learn visual arts, ukulele playing, piano keyboarding skills, guitar, American roots music, songwriting, performing, recording, as well as building handmade guitars and ukuleles in the Luthier program at the high school. Over the course of 12 years, students have made over 160 ukuleles and 350 guitars. Students record a cd each year of their original music and the program continues to be a model across the state of Oregon for innovative music and arts education.
“We are excited to work with these young adults who will be taking the stage throughout Saturday to share the music they have continued to write and create after graduating Sisters High School,” says Brad Tisdel, creative director. As part of the Festival weekend, performances will include current Americana project students performing at 11 am, with sets followed by: Jaimee Simundson, Raman Ellis, Elize Van Der Laan, Drew Harrison, Slater Smith & Matt Cartmill (of the Portland-based Weather Machine) and Benji Nagel with his new bluegrass band, Skillethead. Performances are presented at Fir Street Park on Saturday, Sept. 7 and are free to the public.
