Sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio and Washburn Family Dentistry
Join us for our 5 th Annual singer / songwriter festival , a 3-day focus on songwriters and songwriting . The celebration consists of performances , workshops and a songwriting competition . Topping off each night is an open mic session where anyone can try their hand at being a performer .
* Previously Celebration of the Song
Schedule - August 23-25 , 2012 3-DAY GROUNDS PASS = $ 68 GENERAL ADMISSION SEATING Performances
Thursday , August 23 , 7:30 pm
Meg Hutchinson
Opening Set by Barbara Jean Johnson Tickets : $ 28 /$ 24 /$ 20 She has won numerous songwriting awards in the US , Ireland and UK , including recognition from John Lennon Songwriting Contest , Billboard Song Contest and prestigious competitions at Merlefest , NewSong , Kerrville , Falcon Ridge , Telluride Bluegrass and Rocky Mountain Folks festivals . In 2004 she was signed by Red House Records ( Greg Brown , John Gorka , Tom Paxton …) where she has released 2 albums to date . The Philadelphia Inquirer calls Hutchinson “ a folkster made of sterner stuff .” Barbara Jean Johnson was the winner of our songwriting competition last year with her haunting bluegrass tune “ The River .” Sponsored by Washburn Family Dentistry and Wisconsin Public Radio
Friday , August 24 , 7:30 pm
Jesse Winchester , Rad Lorkovic and Blue Canvas Orchestra
Tickets : $ 28 /$ 24 /$ 20 Jesse Winchester is a graceful , soulful vocalist , as memorable a singer as a songwriter . His light southern tenor drawl , warmly wrapped in country / bluegrass / folk arrangements , can gently ascend to the heavens a la Roy Orbison , dish some sly , wry dirt or knock a listener ’ s heart senseless with one deflyturned phrase . Jesse had to cancel his 2011 Big Top debut due to medical issues – we ’ re lucky that he ’ s fully mended and ready to sing for us . Rad Lorkovic is the extra-terrestrial from Planet Piano – a master on piano , accordion and voice . Blue Canvas Orchestra , led by our Musical Director Ed Willett , brings their favorite tunes from the singer / songwriter realms . A packed night of stellar entertainment ! Sponsored by Washburn Family Dentistry and Wisconsin Public Radio
Saturday , August 25 , 7:30 pm
John Hiatt
Opening Set by Singer / Songwriter Competition Winners Tickets : $ 70 /$ 60 /$ 50 John Hiatt ’ s career as a performer and songwriter has spanned more than 30 years and his work has been covered by everyone from Bob Dylan , Eric Clapton , BB King , and Bonnie Raitt to Iggy Pop , Three Dog Night and The Neville Brothers . In 2008 , Hiatt was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and was honored by the Americana Music Association with their prestigious “ Lifetime Achievement in Songwriting Award .” Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns , his latest album was released in 2011 and is his twentieth solo album following his acclaimed 2010 release , The Open Road , which the Los
Angeles Times heralded as a , “ bluesy , heartland-soaked musical excursion ,” while the Buffalo News declared it “ a classic for the future .” Sponsored by Bob Breunig and Kelly Nelson
Songwriting Competition
Friday , August 24 , 1:00 pm Competitors are pre-qualified finalists . Our top winners , chosen by a panel of celebrity judges , will receive the title of Big Top Chautauqua Singer / Songwriter of the Year and will be offered an opening set on the John Hiatt performance . This event is free and open to the public .
Open Mic
Thursday and Saturday in the T-Bar following the shows . Friday night on the big stage with full sound system . Times approximately 10:30 – 12:30 . Open to the public .
Workshops
All workshops are free . Sign-up is appreciated and recommended at 715-373-5552 to ensure space .
Thursday , Aug . 23
Danielle Nepstad , 1:00 , Just Starting Out Have you ever thought that maybe you have what it takes to be a songwriter ? Do you notice interesting phrases , revel in song lyrics , or maybe experiment with your own poetry ? This workshop is for those of you who want to learn more about the art of songwriting from the very start of the process . How does an idea get from your mind onto paper – and then how does that lyric or that melody fuse with a structure that turns it into a song ? Danielle is a young singer / songwriter from Washburn that has performed all over the area and was the winner of the first Big Top Idol in 2010 .
Radoslav Lorkovic , 2:30 , Learning the Trade of the Traveling Minstrel Rad is the consummate musical road warrior . He performs all over the country in at least 150 performances per year . In this session Rad provides loads of useful information about optimizing tours on extremely tight budgets . In recent years , Rad has transitioned from putting mega miles on his car – to finding cheap flights and amazing rental car deals . He also calls himself “ The Prince of Priceline .” Come learn from the master .
Joe DeLucia and John Higgins , 4:00pm , Recording on the Fly How time flies , and with it technology changes in the blink of an eye . Remember when any demo not recorded in a proper studio made you sound like an amateur ? Remember those crackly , one-dimensional , far-away voices on cassette tapes ? These days , anyone with a cell phone and a computer can record a demo , market it and send out samples electronically . Bring your instrument and we ’ ll make some demos .
Friday , Aug . 24
Jesse Winchester , 11:00 am , People I ’ ve Stolen From Bob Dylan says of Jesse “ You can ’ t talk about the best songwriters and not include Jesse Winchester .” As a prolific songwriter whose works have not only stood the test of time , but have been recorded by more people that we can list ( ala Joan Baez , Waylon Jennings , Jimmy Buffett , John Denver , Emmylou Harris …) Quite humbly , Jesse takes little credit for his talent , but chalks his songwriting ability up to “ borrowing ” styles and phrases from other songwriters , politicians , celebrities and even news stories . Hear from Jesse how he sews his quilt of music with patches from many people ’ s influence .