performances Archives - Page 2 of 3

By Susan Featro | November 15, 2015 - 7:21 pm |November 15, 2015 CD, creativity, daily musings, faith, inspiration, music, performances, vulnerability

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This year, I will offer for the fourth consecutive year the Voice Lifted Christmas Benefit Concert on Sunday, December 6, 2015 at 2:30 pm. This event will again benefit the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation and the Tamaqua Community Arts Center. 100% of the ticket money will go to these two organizations, with each receiving 50%. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. You may call 570-818-4135 for advance tickets.

I am excited to announce that guest performers this year will include Mr. Steven Toth (Tamaqua Senior High School principal), Emily Barrett, Tom Flamini, and Barbara Greim.

If you have not attended a Voice Lifted Christmas Benefit Concert in the past, I invite you to experience the event as a way to lift your spirit and to do something for yourself this holiday season that will help you to connect with the deeper meaning of Christmas. My intention each year is to make this concert a retreat from the busyness of the season, a time to breathe & go within & reflect on who we are and how God is present in each of us and in our world. The concert will include familiar Christmas songs as well as many unfamiliar pieces that explore our relationship with the Sacred, our human experiences and emotions, and our connection to the past and to the future. A favorite part of the concert in past years in addition to the music was the improvised sharing of personal stories and messages. I look forward to opening my heart to the inspiration of the Spirit and seeing how God speaks through music and word in this annual event.

Please be in touch if you have any questions about the event or would like to purchase tickets in advance.

Voice Lifted in the New Year

By Susan Featro | December 31, 2014 - 11:04 pm |December 31, 2014 CD, creativity, daily musings, faith, friends, growth, inspiration, learning, life, music, performances, teaching, voice, vulnerability, writing

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As we transition from 2014 to 2015, I look back on my Voice Lifted journey in this past year and look ahead to where I hope to take my music making in the upcoming year.

My Christmas Benefit Concert on Sunday, December 7th was a success. It was a great experience to perform in the newly remodeled Tamaqua Community Arts Center. I was delighted to connect with the wonderful audience who came out that day, and I am thrilled that the event provided support to the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation as well as the Community Arts Center. I look forward to seeing these two organizations continue to serve our community in the coming year.

2014 brought the release of my second album Voice Lifted at Christmas. This album is now available for sale online (download or CD) at this link. My first CD Voice Lifted is also available here. Downloads of the music from my Christmas CD are also available at Amazon. Additionally, Voice Lifted at Christmas is available in streaming format on Spotify.

In 2014, I greatly enjoyed many performances at private events, community events, and at churches. I am excited to continue these in 2015. For those who like to plan ahead, I am announcing the date for my 2015 Christmas Benefit Concert at the Tamaqua Community Arts Center – Sunday, December 6th, 2015. I will be announcing other public performances throughout the year, but I wanted to get that date out right away, as I have loved hearing that some people are now making my benefit concert an annual Christmas tradition.

I also plan on additional performances in the new year with my music partner Tom Flamini. Right now, we are preparing for a February 8, 2015 performance at Providence Place in Pottsville.

In the upcoming year, I also plan to continue blogging. I plan to do that with more regularity, as I know that writing is a wonderful source of creative expression for me, and I enjoy sharing my journey with others on the path. Additionally, many ideas are floating around my mind for live performances and recording possibilities.

For me personally, 2014 was a year that brought many challenges and much growth, and I see 2015 as a building year. I believe that there will be much opportunity to take all of the lessons of 2014, allow myself to start at the place at which I am, and create much from the bottom up in this new year with faith and trust as the foundations. Many of those around me have expressed similar feelings about 2014 being a year that involved much tearing down, shaking up of things, a lot of confusion, “a year that brought us to our knees,” and a year that was like a roller coaster ride. I am envisioning and holding 2015 as a building year for myself and for those around me, for anyone who chooses to embrace this intention.

New Year’s Blessings to all of you and to those with whom your share your hearts and your lives.

sun

Christmas Concert, Christmas CD

By Susan Featro | November 18, 2014 - 8:45 pm |November 18, 2014 CD, inspiration, music, performances, voice

6 Comments

VLAC cover

I am excited about my upcoming Christmas Benefit Concert that will be held on Sunday, December 7th, 2014 at 2:30 pm at the Tamaqua Community Arts Center. This is the third year that I will offer a concert of Christmas music with 50% of the ticket money going to the Tamaqua Community Arts Center and 50% of the ticket money going to the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation. Since my concert last year, the Tamaqua Community Arts Center has been renovated. I will be performing on their new stage, and the seating upstairs has also been redone along with multiple other additions and improvements around the center. I look forward to making music in this beautiful space that is a cultural home in our community. I will be joined in the performance by several guest musicians, including high school principal Mr. Toth who will sing as part of the concert as a first-time guest at this event. I hope that many in the Tamaqua Area School District will come out to support him, to support me, to support the other performers, and to support these wonderful organizations. Advance tickets are available for $8, and tickets will cost $10 at the door. Call 570-818-4135 for advance tickets.

I am also excited to announce that I have completed work on my second CD “Voice Lifted at Christmas.” This CD will be available for purchase at the benefit concert, and it will soon be available for purchase on my website. At the top of this post is the cover photo from the CD. As on my first CD cover, I am lifting my voice to God. Highlights of the new CD are favorite carols “O Holy Night,” “The First Noel,” and “Silent Night,” as well as favorite inspirational Christmas pieces “Mary, Did You Know?” and “Breath of Heaven.” I am joined on 3 songs on the CD by vocalist Tom Flamini.

This is a preview of the new concert hall.

This is a preview of the new Tamaqua Community Arts Center concert hall.

Announcing my Holiday Benefit Concert

By Susan Featro | November 12, 2013 - 9:09 pm |November 12, 2013 music, performances

2 Comments

Announcing my second Holiday Benefit Concert:

On Sunday, December 15th at 2:30 pm, I will be giving a solo concert, with a few special musical guests, at the Tamaqua Community Arts Center, 125 Pine St., Tamaqua, PA. Tickets will be $5 in advance and $6 at the door, with 50% of the money going to the Tamaqua Community Arts Center and 50% of the money going to the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation, supporting special projects in the Tamaqua Area School District.

As I shared last year, I love singing holiday and Christmas music, and I am again excited to be performing my music to benefit the arts in my community and to benefit the school district that I graduated from and where I now teach.

I invite you to my concert. It meant so much to me last year to have family, friends, supporters, and fans in the audience. I again hope to have a good turnout in order to benefit the Tamaqua Community Arts Center and the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation so that they may continue to do the wonderful things they do!

Please contact me if you would like to purchase tickets in advance. You may also buy tickets at the Tamaqua Community Arts Center.

Reflecting after the Concert

By Susan Featro | December 25, 2012 - 7:15 pm |December 28, 2012 inspiration, music, performances

2 Comments

It’s been 9 days since my Holiday Benefit Concert. On December 16th, I performed a full concert of holiday music at the Tamaqua Community Arts Center, with my concert benefitting the Tamaqua Community Arts Center and the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation. I was joined on stage by special musical guests Faith Roberts, Stan Stewart, and Tom Flamini. These musical guests lifted their voices and created beautiful music that uplifted all of our spirits. It was a special afternoon for me, because I love to sing, play the piano, play the guitar, and share my music with others. It was also a special afternoon for me, because it brought together so many wonderful people.

During the Christmas season, our to-do lists seem to get longer with holiday preparations that need to get done, family and work parties to attend, and gifts to buy and wrap. It’s easy to get caught up in it all and not take the time to slow down, reflect on what we’re feeling inside, and allow Christmas to come alive in our hearts. I don’t see Christmas as an all-out celebration of joy, jolliness, and peace on Earth. Those who attended my concert heard me sing pieces of music that speak to the fears and doubts we have inside, the struggles we face on the journey, and the heartache that is experienced during life on Earth…as well as the joy & sweet surprises and playful, lighthearted fun that is part of the season. I believe that Christmas is all of that. Christmas is a celebration of being alive and being together, feeling all that we feel and accepting it, while keeping focused on what really matters in life. For me, two of the most meaningful things in life are people and music.

As I performed my holiday concert, making music and sharing comments and stories in between songs, I held a special connection with each person in the audience, and I felt inspired by the energy of the audience. The audience was inspired by my music and message. It was a continuous exchange of inspiration & energy between the audience and me on stage. It was truly uplifting. I was honored to have the opportunity to share my songs and stories with so many people who have been part of my life throughout the years and so many people who were meeting me and hearing me for the first time. I thank all who joined me for that special afternoon.

I was already asked about performing a Holiday Benefit Concert at the Tamaqua Community Arts Center next December, and I look forward to doing that. I will post details on that upcoming concert here on my blog. I invite everyone who attended this year’s concert to return next year to continue the connection, and I invite those who were unable to make this recent concert to join us next December.

Christmas Blessings to all of you.

Tom

Holiday Benefit Concert - Faith Benefit Concert - Faith 2

Holiday Benefit Concert: 2 Days Away

By Susan Featro | December 14, 2012 - 11:24 am |December 14, 2012 CD, music, performances

7 Comments

My holiday benefit concert is just 2 days away.

I hope you have seen some of the publicity leading up to the event, as I am hoping to perform for a large audience at the concert and raise as much money as possible for the Tamaqua Community Arts Center and the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation, supporting special projects in the Tamaqua Area School District.

I was interviewed yesterday on WMGH Radio and WLSH Radio, and a track from my CD – Voice Lifted was played on both of those stations. The (Hazleton) Standard Speaker included the event twice in their “Happenings” section. The Times News ran an article both last Friday and this Tuesday about the upcoming holiday benefit concert. TV-13 (Blue Ridge) News also gave great coverage, filming an interview and clips from “Oh, Holy Night.”

Making music is a true passion for me. I am looking forward to having a special connection with all of those in the audience on Sunday as I lift my voice on traditional Christmas carols and other special pieces that communicate all that this season means and holds for us.

Holiday Benefit Concert

By Susan Featro | November 23, 2012 - 9:45 am |November 22, 2012 music, performances

8 Comments

I wanted to share with you all that I am very excited about an upcoming holiday benefit concert that I will do.

On Sunday, December 16th at 2:30 pm, I will be giving a solo concert, with a few special musical guests, at the Tamaqua Community Arts Center, 125 Pine St., Tamaqua, PA. Tickets will be $5 in advance and $6 at the door, with 50% of that money going to the Tamaqua Community Arts Center and 50% of the money going to the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation, supporting special projects in the Tamaqua Area School District.

I love singing holiday and Christmas music, and I am especially excited to be performing my music to benefit the arts in my community and to benefit the school district that I graduated from and where I am now teaching.

I invite you to come. It would be very special to me to see family, friends, supporters, and fans in the audience. I hope to have a good turnout in order to benefit the Tamaqua Community Arts Center and the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation so that they may continue to do the wonderful things they do!

Please contact me if you would like to purchase tickets in advance.

Homecoming

By Susan Featro | October 22, 2012 - 12:30 pm |October 22, 2012 CD, growth, inspiration, learning, music, performances, teaching

3 Comments

This past weekend, I returned to the college where I got my undergraduate degree for the college’s Homecoming festivities. In all of the years since I graduated, I had never attended Homecoming. I made special plans to attend this year, because my vocal music professor will be retiring at the end of this academic year.

One of the highlights of Homecoming weekend is an “Open Choir Rehearsal,” which is always held on the Saturday morning of Homecoming weekend. In that rehearsal, the current Lycoming College Choir members sing along with returning choir alumni. The rehearsal was held in a beautifully constructed building that has been erected on campus since my graduation: Honors Hall.

Dr. Fred Thayer, the choir director, led the choir in some familiar pieces, such as “Beautiful Savior” and “The Benediction” by Peter Lutkin. The choir also rehearsed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” as the group of current choir members and alumni were invited to sing this piece at the college football game later in the afternoon.

Fred allowed each returning choir member to introduce himself/herself and to update the group on life since college. I could see the pride on Fred’s face as he witnessed each returning choir member sharing a few words about his or her life journey.

We also had the opportunity to hear the current Lycoming Chamber Choir perform. As these young sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses lifted their voices, it was evident that they were engaged in a meaningful way with the music, with each other, and with their conductor. The beautiful sounds that filled the concert hall were sounds that were alive with humanness and connection; these young singers are very lucky to be experiencing the gift of making music under the direction of Dr. Thayer.

A conductor does not simply wave his or her arms in the air to keep the tempo and remind the singers of the dynamics in the pieces of music. A choral conductor has the privilege of taking individual voices and individual spirits and joining them in a way that is meaningful and that allows each singer’s strengths and talents to be combined in a way that leads to a collective sound that is strong and vibrant. As voices join, friendships form, and the music strengthens those friendships and the friendships strengthen the music-making.

I was moved on Saturday by the special connection that exists between Lycoming College Choir alumni, even those separated in their college singing tenure by 30 years. I am grateful for my experience singing in the Lycoming College Choir, and I wish the very best to this year’s vocal ensembles and wish the very best to their outstanding conductor and mentor, Dr. Fred Thayer.

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