Singing at Centrum

Voiceworks: A Week of Singing!

At Voiceworks: A Week of Singing, you'll have the opportunity to learn a cappella gospel quartet singing from the Birmingham Sunlights (pictured lower right), bluegrass singing from Grammy winner Laurie Lewis, yodeling and cowboy songs from Wylie Gustafson, Cajun music from Christine Balfa Powell (pictured left), Anglo-Celtic repertoire from Jon Wilcox, simple music theory from Jerry Fletcher, songs of the Carter family from Linda Lay, and early country songs from Mary Lucey, the singer/guitarist for bluegrass band the Biscuit Burners. Browse this site to learn more, or call us at 360.385.3102 x127 or email Voiceworks program manager Peter McCracken. We have video of several of the faculty performing: including Wylie Gustafson (the Yahoo! yodeler), Linda Lay, Laurie Lewis, and the Birmingham Sunlights. We've also got full bios, workshop schedules, and more. We'll see you at the Fort! 

Jazz Singing at Centrum

For information on Voiceworks: A Week of Singing, click on the information to the right. However, if you're here specifically for jazz singing, please visit www.centrum.org/jazz. We have fantastic jazz singing workshops and performances lined up for you, including a mainstage performance by Italian jazz sensation Roberta Gambarini. During the workshop week, two Jazz Port Townsend favorites, Dee Daniels (pictured) and Nancy King (whom Herb Ellis has called "the greatest living jazz singer"), will continue their legacy as they lead workshops the week of July 22-29. See you at the Fort!

Linda Lay in Concert

[Linda Lay playing the songs of the Carter Family onstage]

Linda Lay, along with David Lay, will be hanging out at the 2007 Voiceworks: A Week of Singing; she'll be teaching, singing, and performing many bluegrass songs, most of them learned directly from the Carter Family.

Christine Balfa Powell

At Voiceworks: A Week of Singing, you'll be able to study singing under the tutelage of Christine Balfa Powell, the daughter of the legendary Cajun fiddle ambassador Dewey Balfa. She currently leads the Balfa Toujours, a band which, since coming together after Dewey's passing in 1992, has grown from a band known for its youth and passion into a pillar of the traditional music community not only in Lousiana but throughout the folk music world. With the Balfa Toujours, Christine has recorded six CDs; appeared in numerous films and television shows; toured North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia; enjoyed features in magazines, and taught classes in Cajun culture internationally, in both French and English. Christine Balfa Powell appeared in the film The Big Easy. She grew up playing triangle with her father and absorbed music and language from the thriving culture around Basile, Louisiana. Her singing is full of the raw emotion that enables the best Cajun singers to communicate powerful feelings directly to the heart. She collaborates on many of the group's heartfelt original songs, and is the founder and director of Louisiana Folk Roots, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Louisiana traditions.

Blues Singing

Check out YouTube video footage of pioneering blueswoman Gaye Adegbalola at www.centrum.org/blues. Adegbalola will lead workshops in blues singing the week of July 29-August 4 at the Port Townsend Country Blues Festival. In addition, talented performer Shirley Powell will lead gospel workshops.

June 10, Seattle Men's Chorus Concert

Video footage features not only the music, but the story of the Seattle Men's Chorus. The Chorus will give a mainstage performance June 10, at 3 pm at Fort Worden State Park's McCurdy Pavilion.

[In-depth profile of the Seattle Men's Chorus]

The Birmingham Sunlights

[The Birmingham Sunlights performing onstage]

The Birmingham Sunlights will be teaching and performing at Fort Worden State Park, June 24 - July 1, as part of VoiceWorks: A Week of Singing. They will give a mainstage performance at Fort Worden's McCurdy Pavilion on Saturday, June 30, at 7:30 pm.

I'm Gonna Be the Wind

[Laurie Lewis singing "I'm Gonna Be the Wind" onstage]

Grammy Award winner Laurie Lewis will be teaching and performing at VoiceWorks: A Week of Singing, June 24 - July 1, at Fort Worden State Park. She will give a mainstage performance at McCurdy Pavilion on Saturday, June 30, at 7:30 pm.