August 28-31, 2008
“Celebration of the Song” Festival

Celebration of the Song is a four-day focus on songwriting and songwriters. The celebration consists of performances, workshops and a songwriting competition.

Performance Schedule

Singer⁄Songwriter Curtain Raiser
Featuring Johnsmith, LJ Booth, Heidi Howes, with Randy Sabien, Rodoslav Lorkovic and Dan Sebranek
5:30pm Contest Finalists Perform
Thursday, August 28 at 8:15 p.m., Reserved $22⁄$20⁄$18
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Singer⁄Songwriter Showcase
Featuring Bill Staines, Michael Smith, Buddy Mondlock, Karen Mal and Bill Isles
5:30pm Contest Finalists Perform
Friday, August 29 at 8:15 p.m., Reserved $26⁄$22⁄$18
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Iris Dement
Contest Winner Open
Saturday, August 30 at 8:15 p.m., Reserved $30/26/20
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Greg Brown 
Opener by Corey Carlson
Sunday, August 31 at 7:30 p.m., Reserved $36/$28/$22 
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Click Here to purchase a 4-Day Grounds Pass for the performances listed above.
 

Singer/Songwriter Workshops

Join us for one or several free workshops given by professionals in the field. Reservations are advisable and can be obtained by calling 715-373-5552 or 888-BIG-TENT, or sending an email to info@bigtop.org. All workshops will take place on the Big Top Chautauqua grounds.

Thursday, Aug. 28, 3:30 - 4:30
Bill Isles "Making a living as a Professional Singer/Songwriter"

Bill returned to performing after a twenty-five year hiatus in February of 2000. Since that time, he has become one of the most highly-respected singer/songwriters in the Minnesota acoustic scene and has begun to get national and international attention. Yes, you can actually make a living being a wandering minstrel, songwriter, recording artist. Here are some tips on getting out there and making yourself heard.

Friday, August 29, 1:00 - 4:30
Buddy Mondlock "The Many Elements of Bringing a Song to Life"

How do you talk about creativity? Making something out of nothing. What could be more mysterious? And yet, Buddy Mondlock is wonderfully articulate about writing songs. The process is clearly fascinating to him and he has paid careful attention to what goes into making a good song. He's able to communicate what he has learned in 25 years of writing songs. In one of his workshops you will hear about the many elements involved with bringing a song to life and how to communicate feelings and ideas through music and words. Using his own songs as examples he talks about things like layers of meaning, the effective use of imagery and detail, storytelling, technical aspects like structure and rhyme scheme, the importance of editing and knowing when not to edit. You may be able to play one of your songs for Buddy and get some comments from him and the group.

Friday, August 29, 2:00 - 3:00
Karen Mal "Vocal Interpretation and Performance Techniques"

Karen Mal sings. From raw sensuality to shimmering bell-like clarity, her voice is both tender and powerful, and as effortless as a waterfall. There's a river that flows between Karen and her audience....Karen has a storyteller's voice, sifting words like she is talking to you over coffee, effortlessly rising from dusky phrases to bell-pure highs. You believe every word and note and you could listen to her sing all night long.
-Michael Devlin, Music Matters

Karen's workshop focuses on singing, interpreting and performing, but also touches on melody writing as composing and interpreting a melody have many similarities.

Saturday, August 30, 10:30 - 1:00 - Bill Staines "Songwriting A-Z"

Bill Staines is known as one of THE premiere songwriters of folk music with accolades that don't stop. "Bill Staines has been my hero since 1977. He carries on where Woody left off-carrying on the tradition of stories and characters you wish you knew" says Nanci Griffith. In this workshop Bill talks about his songwriting process including the stages of songwriting, surfing the melody, and creating compelling lyrics and memorable melodies.

Saturday, August 30, 1:00 - 3:00 - Michael Smith "Unlocking the Creative Process"

To Michael Smith, songwriting is more than a turn of a phrase ... it is a way of life. In this songwriting workshop, Michael Smith provides a rare insight into his own creative process , and attitudes and inspirations that have fostered the songs. As an artist who has devoted his whole life to matching words and music, ideas and emotions, Michael has written songs in many musical styles and with an endless world of inspiration. The experienced songwriter will find new points of view to unlock creative process; for the beginning songwriter, Michael's articulation of a humble songwriting approach will make the first step seem clear and close. There will be time for questions and answers.

Songwriting Competition
Finalists Announced!

These Finalists have been selected to perform in the competition finals on the Big Top stage August 28 and 29. One winner will be selected from each night.

Prizes include:

• All BTC Songwriter of the Year Finalists will receive a 4-day grounds pass to our Celebration of the Song event.
• All BTC Songwriter of the Year Finalists will be invited to perform on Aug. 28 or 29, and will be recorded for possible use on our nationally broadcast Tent Show Radio program.
• Both BTC Songwriter of the Year Winners will be invited to perform 2 songs as the opener for Iris Dement on Aug. 30. These performances will be recorded for use on Tent Show Radio.
• Both BTC Songwriter of the Year Winners will receive a cash prize of $100.

Original Song Competition Finals:
Open to the public with tickets for evening performance or grounds pass

August 28, 5:30 - 7:00 Hosted by Johnsmith - Judging Panel to be Announced
August 29, 5:30 - 7:00 Hosted by Bill Isles Judging Panel to be Announced