Americana Project alumni return

Former Americana Project music students returned to Sisters last week to visit with each other and give back to the community that provided a foundation for many a musical career.

The musicians offered an informal concert at Sisters Coffee Co.

As the Americana Project, the educational outreach program of the Sisters Folk Festival, continues to grow and produce alumni, the variety at the annual event continues to expand.

"This year we have about 25 who have expressed interest in playing. It is a pretty big crowd, and it is a lot of fun to have this homecoming. We also have a couple of students that will play this year even though they are not yet alumni," said Brad Tisdel, Americana Project executive director.

Sisters Coffee Co. was packed with a standing-room-only crowd.

"This is the second year that we have done this, and it seems like there is a lot more interest this year than the first year, although it was also a great event," said Tisdel.

Tisdel provided the opening music with a number of his original works and then turned the stage over to the young adults.

"This is not about me," he said. "This is about them and where they are going and what they have accomplished."

Tisdel then sat to the side and worked as the resident sound man for the visiting musicians.

Many family members and friends of the musicians had gathered to fill the space to overflowing, but there were also the occasional passers-by who dropped in for a warm cup of coffee after some time on the slopes.

"I was so surprised to find the live entertainment when I came in. I thought: 'Maybe they do this all the time.' Then I heard someone say that it was kind of a reunion," said Bill Wilmer of Bend.

The talent that has grown out of and been nurtured through the Americana Project has proved a surprise to those other than the project's true believers.

The success of the Americana Project has exceeded the vision of most who have been involved in the project.

The project has been such a success that it is being cloned in some form within a number of schools throughout the state.

"We have this program in several schools in the state, and we are looking forward to expanding the program so that more schools can take advantage of it," said Tisdel.