Singing at Centrum

Blues Gospel Singing Offered

The Port Townsend Country Blues Festival's "Gospel Singing" option gives gospel singing tools to participants who want to learn how to sing with joy and passion.

Led by Shirley Smith, the minister of music at the Potter's House Christian Fellowship in Jacksonville, Florida, the workshop meets daily (M-F July 30 - August 3) at 3:30 pm. Cost is only $100 and includes free admission to the Saturday afternoon blues mainstage show on August 4, at 1:30 pm.

Shirley Smith has shared the stage with many of gospel music's most prolific artists, including Cece and Vicki Winans, Yolanda Adams, Mark Kibble, Bruce Allen, and Fred Hammond. She is renowned for her teaching ability and her authentic connection to the roots of the music.

To register for this workshop, follow this link.

Summer Tickets Now On Sale

We're pleased to announce that tickets are now on sale for Centrum's summer performances at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend. Highlights of the 2007 summer season include:

• Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec and Trio Solisti anchor the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival, led by new Artistic Director Helen Callus.
• Centrum's June 10 special sneak preview of the Seattle Men’s Chorus’ new show “Scared Faithless,” a look at religion through the lens of experiences by gay men and women.
• South African teaspoon slide guitar player Hannes Coetzee and Grammy winning vocalist Laurie Lewis performing at the combined Voiceworks/Port Townsend Slide & Steel Festival.
• National Heritage Award fellows Liz Carroll and Paul Dahlin, along with the Carolina Chocolate Drops and dozens more, turning up the temperature during the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes.
• Writers Eileen Myles, Arthur Sze, Thomas Glave Camille Dungy and others whom Artistic Director Rebecca Brown says “work beyond the bounds of well-behaved American literature” at the Port Townsend Writers’ Conference.
• Roberta Gambarini, the Banda Brothers Latin All-Stars and NEA Jazz Master Gerald Wilson joining Artistic Director John Clayton and others at Jazz Port Townsend, Washington’s longest-running summer jazz festival.
• The Port Townsend Country Blues Festival, the nation’s largest gathering of acoustic blues musicians, welcomes National Heritage Award winners Eddie Pennington, Henry Gray and John Cephas, as well as Robert Belfour and many more.

Information on ordering tickets is available on our Information Center site.

Seattle Men's Chorus Performance June 10

Many gay men and women have felt specifically unwelcome in church, temple or mosque. Yet scores of others have found their community of faith to be a place of comfort and healing. Is it possible to be gay and at the same time have a profound sense of faith?

The Seattle Men's Chorus will explore these issues of community and faith through choral songs and candid stories from the ranks of its members in a show entitled "Scared Faithless," which the Chorus will present in a premiere performance on Sunday, June 10, at 3 pm, at McCurdy Pavilion.

The Seattle Men's Chorus, which is both the largest community chorus in the nation and the largest gay men's chorus in North America, is not afraid to take on current issues. Recently, when the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff made anti-gay statements, the Chorus included in their publication, Flying House Magazine, essays by Chorus members who have proudly served in the military.

Seattle Men's Chorus performances combine the region’s leading professional talents with nationally known guest artists to create events that expand the possibilities of choral performances. National tours have included performances in some of the nation’s most prestigious halls.

Great seats are still available at our Acteva site but won't last long. The last time the Seattle Men's Chorus performed in Port Townsend, the show sold out. Tickets are also available by calling 360.385.3102, x117. Watch video of the Seattle Men's Chorus here.

Balkan Singing Workshop

On June 9, at 2 pm in Building 205, Centrum presents Mary Sherhart in a Balkan Singing workshop, celebrating the music of the Balkan region (Bulgaria, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia). No pre-registration is required for the free workshop.

The Balkan region holds a rich tapestry of cultures and religions. It's a place where east meets west, where daily lives are embroidered with seasonal rituals, where people live close to the land and women sing throughout the day to lighten their work load. The songs created over the centuries embody unparalleled melodies, harmonies, rhythms, text, poetry, history, and humor.

During this 90-minute workshop, Sherhart will teach songs from several regions of the Balkans. She will cover voice placement, pronunciation, ornamentation, and cultural context. And participants will share in the joy of raising their voice together with others. The Balkan Cabaret Band will also be at the workshop, accompanying the songs. 

The workshop is an Artist Trust "Meet the Artist" event. Artist Trust's "Meet the Artist" program is an integral component of the annual Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship Award. "Meet the Artist" events bridge our artistic community with the diverse communities in Washington state, increasing awareness about the vital roles art and artists play in our culture. Find out more at www.artisttrust.org.