Festival presents 'Celebration of Song'

Sisters Folk Festival will present "Celebration of Song," an intimate concert showcasing songwriters and artists on Sunday, March 8, at The Belfry in Sisters. The concert is a culmination of the Americana Song Academy for Youth (ASAY), where select students and their mentor/instructors will perform. A headlining set will be played by Welsh songwriter Martyn Joseph; performers will include Sisters Folk Festival veterans Keith Greeninger, Jeffrey Martin, Dave McGraw and Mandy Fer, as well as regional artists Mosley Wotta, Brent Alan, Slater Smith, Laura Curtis, Benji Nagel and many more.

"The concept of Celebration of Song is to share publicly the great work being done over the weekend of the Song Academy for Youth," said Brad Tisdel, creative director of Sisters Folk Festival. "Each year we hold a private concert on Saturday evening, and it is immensely inspiring and a great way to wrap up the students' weekend. This year, the Celebration of Song concert will share the variety of artists, the competency of the youth participating and the excellence of the artists teaching.

"We have these amazing musicians in town and we want to showcase their work, combined with performances by talented students."

ASAY is an inspiring weekend of music, songwriting and community-building through the arts, and is open to all high school students. The Academy is held at The Belfry.

"The Song Academy for Youth is modeled after our songwriting camp in the fall, but geared toward students. The focus is sharing professional insight into the craft of songwriting and being a musician," said Tisdel. "This year we are reaching out to high schools in Bend, Redmond, Portland and Eugene - it really becomes community-building through music, as these students often make lifelong friends."

For more information on the 2015 Sisters Folk Festival Americana Song Academy for Youth and the "Celebration of Song," or to purchase tickets go to www.sistersfolkfestival.org or call the festival office at 541-549-4979.