Singers, songwriters prevalent in our area

By Rebecca Petersen | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, April 26, 2008

Singers and songwriters abound in our communities, in our schools, in our churches, in our circles of friends and beyond. Some have recorded many albums and CDs. Others keep their poetry and their compositions to themselves, sharing them on rare occasions with others.

In other cases singer/songwriters are out concretizing, touring, writing more original work and even winning songwriting contests. Such would be the case of our own local David Stoddard.

In another "East Meets West Otter Tail County," David Stoddard has managed to put together two concerts around the release of a new CD.

The second concert is yet to come at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, at A Center for the Arts' Fergus Theatre in downtown Fergus Falls.

Stoddard, who plays both piano and guitar, will performing a concert of his original work which is also available on his newest CD — some of which was recorded at A Center for the Arts in 2006. Since that time the singer/songwriter has toured many cities in the upper Midwest, Texas and the Southeastern United States, bringing his music to coffee houses and concert halls.

He is one of a number of talented musicians who live in and perform in our own community. Later this summer David Stoddard will also be performing one of the 10 concerts in the park as well as teaching a songwriting workshop as part of this year's Summer Arts Academy.

Song writing and story telling are such great vehicles for creative communications. This is one way the summer Fergus Falls Humanities Forum Series will focus on storytelling, song writing, oral histories and the oral tradition.

Coincidentally the program will concur with visits from a well-known Minnesota song writer, Ann Reed, who is currently working on Minnesota's new song in commemoration of this year's sesquicentennial. The song, which is scheduled to be completed by early May, will definitely be in full form by Ann's visit to Fergus Falls on June 17 and 18. She'll be performing as well as holding workshops/symposia on how one goes about writing a new state song — how to collect words and phrases that have meaning to this celebratory year and putting them to song.

When storyteller Kevin Kling arrives in July he will perform on July 25, at A Center for the Arts as well as hosting story telling workshops and symposia as par of the Summer Humanities Forum Series.

We had a fabulous Humanities Forum Spring Symposium. Five days of speakers and educators coincided with activities of Fergus Falls Reads and The Big Read book, "The Joy Luck Club."

For the past six weeks many activities have taken place that have enhanced the community's read of this year's book and its many companion books.

Story telling comes in all shapes and sizes — the spoken word, the written word, the words in song and the stories told through other art forms such as film, dance and paintings.

The arts are rich in stories. Join us and hear some of David Stoddard’s stories and songs at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at A Center for the Arts.

And please, join us again for the second May Day, (May 1) Choir Invitational, hosted by A Center for the Arts' Children's Choir, under the direction of Joni Wasberg, who will be joined once again by Hillcrest's Vocalise, under the direction of David Strom and the Fergus Falls High School choirs under the direction of Michelle Danielson.

Rebecca Petersen is the director of A Center for the Arts in Fergus Falls.