Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival: WINTER EDITION FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival 907.474.8869 info@fsaf.org www.fsaf.org
Fairbanks, AK, January 19, 2018 – Join the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival: Winter Edition for Gospel Choir and the 8th Annual Motown Fundraiser, both lead by director Bobby Lewis and pianist Eustace Johnson.
Long-time festival guest artists, Lewis and Johnson have been coming to Fairbanks for more than 10 years to lead FSAF’s Winter and Summer Gospel Choir programs. Lewis is the Senior Pastor of New Light Baptist Church of Greater New York, previously serving as the Executive Pastor and Minister of Music at Central Baptist Church where his 58-voice choir was featured on The Today Show, Regis and Kelly, and other TV programs.
The Gospel Choir workshop begins Monday, February 19th through Friday, February 23rd from 6:00-7:30 PM, with an additional rehearsal on Saturday, February 24th, from 1:002:30 PM at the University Community Presbyterian Church. Ages 15 and up are welcome and no previous training is necessary. Registration is $80. Register online at www.fsaf.org.
The culminating performance, A Celebration of African American History through Story and Song, takes place on Sunday, February 25th at 5:00 PM, at Sacred Heart Cathedral. This inspirational event will feature music by the Festival Gospel Choir and historical narrations presented by Lewis and selected choir members. On Thursday, February 22, step back in time to the Motown era and enjoy a night of live music, dancing and refreshments. Lewis and Johnson, from the original Motown Cabaret in New York City, will lead the Alaska Supremes through all of your Motown favorites. Each summer, Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival transports nearly 130 guest artists from around the country to Alaska. Motown proceeds will help fund FSAF guest artist travel needs for the 2018 summer season. General Admission cost is $40 in advance (reserved seating not included). The table pricings are as follows: Table (seats 6) cost $260, and Premium table (seats 6) cost $360. Appetizers are included with ticket or table purchase and there will be a cash bar of beer and wine. Doors open at 7:00 PM and the show starts at 8:00 PM at the Pioneer Park Exhibit Hall.
To purchase tickets or for more information visit www.fsaf.org, call the FSAF office at 907.474.8869 or email info@fsaf.org.
Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival: Premiering New Compositions FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Dori Nix Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival 907.474.8869 dori@fsaf.org www.fsaf.org
This year Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival will premiere 11 new compositions which includes a piece for Jazz Combo by Alan Chan, Denali Park's 2016 Composer in Residence. Composer-conductor Alan Chan spent 10 days in July 2016 in Denali National Park and Preserve creating his composition Denali Life, which captures the sounds and colors of his experience. Chan is composing two versions of Denali Life, one of which is a smaller piece for jazz combo that he’ll premiere at the Denali Music Festival this summer in partnership with FSAF. With the Rasmuson Foundation's support, FSAF was able to commission Stephen Lias to compose The Quest that will premiere on Saturday, July 29 at the orchestra concert and then again in Eagle, Alaska (a stop on the Yukon Quest) on July 30. The Quest celebrates the iconic Yukon Quest dog-sled race. FSAF guest artists will travel alongside Lias to Eagle for the performance. These projects which include outreach and collaboration celebrate FSAF's many partnerships including the Park Service, AK Geographic and Yukon Quest to name a few. For more information check our website www.fsaf.org, call the FSAF office at 907.474.8869 or email info@fsaf.org
Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival: Culinary Workshops New for 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dori Nix Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival 907.474.8869 dori@fsaf.org www.fsaf.org
Awaken your inner artist with the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival’s new workshop additions to the Culinary Arts Program.
Caribbean Cuisine Natasha Cummings, a native of St Vincent & the Grenadines, will teach foundational skills and flavors needed for exquisite Caribbean cooking. With years of experience and know-how, she teaches guests how to easily recreate the flavors of the Caribbean in their home kitchens. In this class, you will learn how to make three courses of gourmet Caribbean cuisine, starting with stew chicken, rice and peas and steamed cabbage. Join Natasha for this flavorful and engaging course. July 21, 9:00am-12:00pm. Price: $45. Materials fee: $5
Prep Meals Like a Pro Join Fairbanks local Meadow Bailey to learn how to plan your week with delicious, nutritious meals. This class will focus on organization and practical skills that help make your daily meals easy and quick. By breaking down a week of planning into simple steps, this class will help you become the home cook you didn’t know you had time to be! Different recipes will be outlined and examples will be given. July 17, 9:00am-12:00pm. Price: $45. Materials fee: $10 Quick, Easy and Affordable Gluten-Free Snacks Danielle Flaherty, a Chef Instructor for Stone's Throw Culinary Training Program and UAF Culinary Arts graduate will show students that while gluten free cooking may seem like a choice between time, money and quality, it doesn't have to be that way. This class will demonstrate easy to prepare gluten free snacks that taste delicious and won't break the bank. If you need fuel for your busy life this class is for you, even if you don't eat gluten free. July 28, 9:00am-12:00pm. Price: $45. Materials fee: $15 Exploring Local Beer with Brewmaster Bobby Join Bobby Wilken, owner and brewmaster at HooDoo Brewing Company, for a hands-on review of the ingredients, process and biology that go into making beer the delicious wonder that it is. This class will also include a tour of HooDoo Brewing Company and a tasting and discussion of their current beer selections. July 24, 5:00-8:00pm. Price: $45. Materials fee: $10
The Vast World of Tea, Including Matcha and Kombucha Born in Hong Kong and raised in Fairbanks, Jenny Tse is the founder and owner of Sipping Streams Tea Company. Tea is the most popular beverage in the world, as well as one of the healthiest. Learn some of the history of tea and the differences between types of teas. Compare white, green, oolong, black, and pu-erh, as well as some of the herbal teas like rooibos and mate. Learn how to steep tea properly, with slightly different techniques for individual types. This class is a hands-on in-depth workshop on how to professionally evaluate tea with cupping sets. Find out what's new in the
world of tea, Kombucha, matcha and more. Each student will be making their own tea, matcha and kombucha. All supplies included. By the end of the class, individuals will be able to fully prepare tea, matcha and kombucha at home. The kombucha portion includes all supplies starting your own kombucha brewing system at home. July 24, 9:00am-12:00pm. Price: $25. Materials fee: $45
International Grilling Join Stephen Beazer, Head Chef at Mushers Café in downtown Fairbanks, to learn unique and flavorful marinades and recipes to up your grilling game. A variety of vegetables and meats will be used on the grill while fundamental grilling techniques are taught. Proper grill maintenance and cleaning will also be taught, so you can be sure to keep your grill working for years to come. July 29, 9:00am-12:00pm. Price: $45. Materials fee: $20
Midwestern Cuisine Sean Christopherson, currently the Sous Chef at the acclaimed restaurant TWO, in the River West District of Chicago, will showcase Midwestern cuisine by creating several common dishes, demonstrating how and why each component is important to the dishes. He will also show the creativity that is necessary with the limited seasonal ingredients that are available in the Midwest. A limited supply of fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the year causes Midwestern food to be more heavy, relying on root vegetables and grains as a base layer for a lot of meals i.e. shrimp and grits, shepherd’s pie, stews and soups. The last dish will showcase seasonal Alaskan ingredients. July 27, 9:00am-12:00pm. Price: $45. Materials fee: $15
The Art of Braising Join Sean Christopherson for a second class that will include a proper braising technique followed by an empanada crust recipe and sauce recipe. This class will showcase the importance of going through the long processes of braising, making dough and making a sauce. I will emphasize the importance of each step of the processes and why it's important to not take short cuts that will compromise the depth of flavor of the food. July 27, 9:00am-12:00pm. Price: $45. Materials fee: $15
Additionally, Sean will lead a fantastic culinary fundraising event hosted at Lavelle’s Bistro on Sunday, July 30 at 11:00 am. For more information check our website www.fsaf.org, call the FSAF office at 907.474.8869 or email info@fsaf.org
Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival: New Additions to American Roots, Percussion and Norwegian Programs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dori Nix Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival 907.474.8869 dori@fsaf.org www.fsaf.org
Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival is welcoming several new guest artists this summer across many genres.
Joining the American Roots program during the second week of Festival are Tom Adams, Joe Craven and Finn Magill. Hailing from south-central Pennsylvania, northern California and Asheville, North Carolina, respectively, these three musicians will join returning Alaskan artists Ryan Bowers and Ukulele Russ.
Tom is a 3-time recipient of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Banjo Player of the Year award. He has toured and recorded with some of bluegrass music’s most influential artists of the past 30 years and is recognized as one of the best interpreters and innovators of Scruggs-style banjo playing. He will be leading three banjo workshops, each focusing on playing while tuned in specific chords; C, D and G.
Joe has recorded and performed music of his own and with an incredibly diverse list of artists, most notably Grateful Dead patriarch Jerry Garcia, for over 30 years. Director of RiverTunes Roots & Vocáli Voice Music Camps and Co-Director of the Wintergrass Youth Academy, Joe is a musician in the broadest sense of the word and will be teaching classes in music improvisation, next steps after songwriting and a class titled Feelin’ the Blues, which is open to all bowed instruments. Finn was a two-time finalist at the All-Ireland fiddle championships and has toured the U.S, Europe, Africa and Brazil. He has served as a fiddle instructor at a dozen fiddle camps around the U.S. and in 2016, signed with the Salto Agency to tour his original Brazilian choro music. Finn will be teaching a class on creative improvisation as well as a Brazilian Choro class for violin/strings.
Joining the FSAF Percussion program is Jim Levine from Homer, Alaska. Jim has been playing the African Marimbas since 2002, as part of an African style marimba band. He started teaching in 2006 and has since taught a workshop at the Percussive Arts Society Day of Percussion in Anchorage. He will be teaching three African Marimba workshops, all intended for those with no experience. Jim joins longtime Festival artist and percussionist, Zach Compston. As a member of the Norwegian program, Ann-Marita Garsed will join returning artists Skogen Sällström and Knut Erik Jensen. Ann-Marita is a Norwegian-born, California-based singer/songwriter with influences ranging from American country music to the traditional folk songs of her native Norway. A graduate of Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA, Ann-Marita has since then released three independent albums of original songs and is also an inspirational vocal coach and music teacher. She will be instructing two Norwegian Folk Music workshops; A Historical and Cultural Introduction and Singing Norwegian Folk Music. For more information check our website www.fsaf.org, call the FSAF office at 907.474.8869 or email info@fsaf.org
Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival: New Healing Arts Classes FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Dori Nix Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival 907.474.8869 dori@fsaf.org www.fsaf.org Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival is welcoming a new guest artist this summer in the healing arts program. Sandi Roberts, MA, Eden Energy Medicine Advanced Practitioner has been studying alternative medicine for over 30 years. Roberts serves on the faculty for Eden Energy Medicine’s Certification Program and is an Advanced Energy Practitioner. She has certifications as an Emotion Code and Reconnection practitioner, and has a private practice in Knoxville, Maryland. Teaching and sharing energy balancing techniques with people of all ages is her passion. She enjoys creating a joyful and playful environment for people to learn self-care techniques for greater health and happiness. Energy medicine is a branch of alternative medicine based on a pseudo-scientific belief that healers can channel healing energy into a patient and effect positive results. Roberts will be teaching two classes at FSAF July 17-21, 2017. Re-Patterning Energy for Greater Vitality Is stress compromising your energy, your abilities and your desire for work and for play? Are you suffering from chronic pain? Do you often wish that you could do without so many doctor prescribed drugs? Donna Eden Energy Medicine is a way for us to take back our health; to enliven our days; to bring joy and vitality back into our lives Learn some very simple techniques that will help you to take back your life, no matter what your age. Playing with the Energies of Joy Radiant Circuits are all about JOY! Join Advanced Energy Practitioner, Sandi Roberts, and novice student, Gianna Drogheo, as we share some very simple and fun ways to access our bodies’ own “Circuits of Joy”. Play is hardwired into our brains and we are bathed in the energy of joy in the womb through these extraordinary circuits.These mysterious and ancient circuits can awaken our inner healers and bring joy to our bodies, minds and spirits and help to keep our energy flowing. Flowing energy means healthy, happy body, mind and spirit! For more information check our website www.fsaf.org, call the FSAF office at 907.474.8869 or email info@fsaf.org
Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival: Study and Perform with FSAF FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dori Nix Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival 907.474.8869 dori@fsaf.org www.fsaf.org
Study and perform with the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival July 16-30! With over 200 workshops and 100 performances in music, dance, visual arts, literary arts, theatre, culinary arts and healing arts, there is sure to be something for everyone, regardless of skill level. In addition to one and two week-long courses, we also offer mini-workshops that range from one to three hours to accommodate a busy schedule. Explore course offerings and performance schedule online at www.fsaf.org
Come see our talented guest artists and Festival registrants perform in a free concert series during lunch hour, “Lunch Bites,� which will be held downtown in the Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center, Raven Landing Community Center and Golden Heart Plaza. This year FSAF offers a number of new courses in Accordion, Flamenco, Glass Blowing, Balinese Kecak, African Marimba and Norwegian Music and Dance, as well as bringing back old favorites like Cabaret, Gospel Choir, Steel Pan Ensemble, and Glass Fusion. The Festival has continued to expand the Culinary Arts program to offer mini-workshops in Caribbean Cuisine, International Grilling, Beer Making, Meal Prepping, Gluten-Free Snacks and much more. Awaken your inner artist and register today! For more information check our website www.fsaf.org, call the FSAF office at 907.474.8869 or email info@fsaf.org.