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UPCOMING APPEARANCES:
Jan 6 – 30 Winter Study Program Williams College
Feb 3 Temple Ner Tamid Peabody, MA
Feb 8 – 9 South Florida Folk Festival Davie, FL
Mar 9 Sacred Heart School, Camden, NJ (History Alive Presentation)
Apr 22 Monterey Court Tucson, AZ with Peter McLaughlin
Apr 27 – May 6 Grand Canyon Raft Trip (waiting list only) Arizona
May 9 Albuquerque House Concert
May 16 Old Songs Ukulele Festival Albany, NY (with Ukes)
May 17 Somerlele Ukulele Festival Somerville, MA (with Ukes)
Jun 1 – 3 Kerrville Folk Festival Uke School Kerrville, TX (with Ukes)
Sep 9 – 17 Ireland tour! Two seats left. Join us!
Happy New Year Friends!
I hope you all had a lovely, relaxing break! One of my ongoing resolutions these days is to let myself slow down. In terms of health, I’m still healing from a challenging year and hoping to make more progress with my shoulder and wrist.
Another ongoing resolution for me is to travel to somewhere I’ve never been before…it doesn’t have to be a bucket list destination. I have learned over the years that there is always something wonderful to discover in places where people live, love, and work. In 2019, I was blessed with work trips to Reno and Ireland. As a family, we finally found time to take a short trip down the east coast to visit my brother, newly re-located to tax free Delaware. I loved the beach, the restaurants, the winter wheat fields. I no longer enjoy shopping, but a whole day in an outlet mall was fruitful. These days, I stare at my old clothes and wonder what to wear. Hopefully, I’ll take the tags off soon and give the new stuff a spin. And the trip back through congested NJ and NY reminded me of why I still live in these beautiful but chilly mountains.
Other than that, we’ve enjoyed staying close to home and visiting with friends and neighbors. We’ve stayed busy making fires in the woodstove, cooking, writing cards to far flung friends, and practicing.
I have so much to look forward to in the new year! I’ll be spending the month of January teaching my Songwriting Intensive at Williams College again. I’ll also be participating in The Jackson Browne Tribute at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. I was excited to be invited to perform at The South Florida Folk Festival in early February. I’m also getting ready to announce a date in late Feb at The Hilo, North Adams’ newest listening room. I can’t tell you how excited local music lovers are to have a real venue nearby! Once again, I’m heading west in March to hike and raft my beloved canyon. On my birthday, I have a canyon song swap with Pete McLaughlin at Monterey Court in Tucson. Please come help me celebrate!
Mariah and I are excited to be prepping for three ukulele festivals this coming spring. This May, we ‘ve been invited to take part in The Old Songs Ukulele Festival in Albany, NY, as well as Amy Kucharik’s Somelele in Somerville, MA. Then we will head back to Texas to teach and perform as part of Kerrville Folk Festival’s Ukulele Camp.
I’m not retiring…yet. But pondering. I still enjoy touring and can’t imagine my life without it, but recent health events have forced me to set some limits with myself about how I tour, how long I stay out for, etc. In November of 2020, my husband and I will embark on a much-needed sabbatical. We are planning to drive across country again. Even though I’ve toured non-stop for the past three decades, there are quite a few places in the middle of our country that I haven’t had a chance to get to. I would welcome the opportunity to play for you if you have a house concert or community venue.
Happy 2020 to all! May we all be blessed with clear vision and the courage to pursue it.
DOWNLOAD OUR NEW RECORDINGS: The Ladies Auxiliary Ukulele Orchestra just put the finishing touches on a three song recording. You can support us by downloading our songs at Bandcamp.com.
IRELAND: SEPTEMBER 9 – 17, 2020…Only two seats left! We’ll visit castles from the middle ages and learn about the geological and religious history of Ireland. We’ll kayak under the stars in Skibbereen, visiting with phosphorescence and fairies, and we’ll participate in concerts, Irish pub sessions and a private music party. Drop me a line at blewis@williams.edu for registration information.
ARTIST EDUCATOR: Most of you know that I often go to schools to talk about my family’s emigration from Germany in 1940, during WWII. This year, I presented again at Monument Valley Middle School in Great Barrington, MA, Grand Canyon School in Grand Canyon, AZ, Mount Anthony High School in Bennington, VT, and just added Herberg Middle School to the list. Drop me a line if you know a school or teacher that would be interested in hosting this presentation
GRAND CANYON RAFT TRIP: SOLD OUT! Let me know if you’d like to join the waiting list for this trip, which takes place April 27 – May 6, 2020. This is truly a “Bucket List” adventure! We spend ten days rafting the length of the canyon, starting at Lee’s Ferry and pulling out at Diamond Creek.
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For more information, go to Reverb Nation. Call before you head out!