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Spring Newsletter
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Fall Newsletter
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Rock of Ages- St Louis Park Magazine
We are featured in this month’s issue of St Louis Park Magazine. PFLC lady and resident of St Louis Park, Amy Wilkerson spoke with Lauren Sauer this spring about our comings and goings in the Twin Cities.
A few corrections from the article: Although we performed in Golden Valley on July 9th in the “Friday’s in the Valley” series of concerts at Vally Presbyterian Church , we are not based there. Our practice space is in Richfield and we hail from all over the Twin Cities. At the time the article was written, we did not have our season’s schedule in place. You can find out what we are up to right here on our website or sign up to receive our newsletter. The next opportunity to hear us sing will be on July 18th at Wolfe Park (in St Louis Park!) when we participate in the next Justice Choir event.
2017 Season Updates
After a brief winter hiatus, the ladies of Prairie Fire Lady Choir have been in full bloom this spring.
In February we held auditions and were overwhelmed with the number of amazing women who tried out. We ended up recruiting 9 new ladies to fill in the gaps. We are now at 67 ladies strong!
In addition to recruiting new ladies during our off season, we also made appearances at a few fantastic gigs.
In late January we were proud to lift our voices as part of the program at Women’s March here in Minnesota. We will never forget the beautiful sea of 100,000 people surrounding us as we sang on the steps of the capitol building in St. Paul.
We were thrilled to slide out onto the ice at White Bear Lake to sing at the opening weekend of Art Shanties in February.
On April 7th, many of the ladies had back-to-back performances. We were absolutely honored to take part in Cantus’ “America Will Be!” series. The show featured songs from a diverse selection of mostly contemporary composers, interspersed with video projections of people who had been interviewed and asked questions about what it means to be an American. What is the American Dream? We opened the set with our version of “We Belong”, and joined Cantus for a rousing rendition of “America the Beautiful”.
A few hours later, many of us met at the Cedar Cultural Center to open up for as well as to sing back up for Roma di Luna’s reunion show to benefit the Indigenous Peoples Task Force and MN350.org. Also performing were TiWaken and special guests The Pines. In addition to the choir, Roma di Luna was joined on stage by other fantastic guest performers including Martin Devaney and Eliza Blue.
Most recently the Prairie Fire Lady Choir had the opportunity to perform at the Prince One Year Memorial Celebration held outside of First Ave. We kicked off the music for the evening with our mash-up “When Doves Cry 4 U”. Several of the ladies also sang backup for Claire de Lune on “Nothing Compares to You”.
We’re excited to announce that we submitted to and received a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council to work with mastermind Chris Koza. Chris will be leading workshops on writing and arranging. Stay tuned for more information about our collaboration in the near future.
Upcoming Shows – Come See Us!
True Colors: A Celebration of Women in Song
International-award winning City of Lakes Women’s Chorus presents “True Colors: A Celebration of Women in Song.” The 100-member chorus will celebrate influential women in music, from jazz greats of the 40s to today’s pop icons, who have created, performed, and inspired some of the country’s favorite songs. Performing songs from Ella Fitzgerald to Cyndi Lauper, the chorus, along with quartets Sparkle!, Take Two, and Spice will showcase the rich history of women in song.
Also appearing are guest performers Prairie Fire Lady Choir and the 1997 Sweet Adelines International Queens of Harmony, 4-Star Collection.
Tickets are $21 for adults, and $13 for children under 13, and are available at www.ticketworks.com or by calling (612) 343-3390. For more information about City of Lakes Chorus, visit, www.cityoflakes.org
Sunday, May 21 – 4:00 PM
Concordia University’s Buetow Music Center
300 Hamline Ave
St Paul, MN 55104
Fridays in the Valley Concert Series
Sunday, July 9th – 7:00 PM
Valley Community Presbyterian Church
3100 Lilac Drive, Golden Valley
Kid Friendly
Valley Community Presbyterian Church has long enjoyed a rich musical heritage. Building on this tradition, Fridays in the Valley was created for local musicians to showcase their talents while providing a benefit for local charities.
Prairie Fire Lady Choir’s performance will be held on Sunday, July 9th (not Friday) to benefit the local Walk to Defeat ALS.
https://www.valleychurch.net/community/valley-concert-series
Saint Paul Saints Game
Sunday, July 23 – 5 PM
CHS Field
360 N. Broadway Street, St. Paul
Baseball fans, we will be singing the National Anthem at the Saint Paul Saints game again on July 23. Reserve your ticket here:
http://sp2.glitnirticketing.com/spticket/web/stadiumg.php?event_id=62&status_id=2&refresh=1493911930
Prairie Burn Music Festival 2017
Saturday, September 16
YMCA Camp St. Croix
532 CR-F, Hudson, Wisconsin 54016
Hosted by the YMCA Twin Cities and the Royal Credit Union Foundation, Prairie Burn Music Festival is back for year three.
Attendees can once again expect amazing folk and bluegrass tunes, great food and beer, camp games and activities, and REI-hosted camping all to benefit YMCA camper endowed scholarships.
The 2017 lineup includes:
Cloud Cult, Koo Koo Kanga Roo, Dusty Heart, The Ericksons, The Honeydogs, The Bootlicker Stringband, The Wailing Loons, HamDog,Prairie Fire Lady Choir, The Hawthorn Collection, Afton, Ruben & Julia Floberg.
Updates are available on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/1762068357457301/
Chris Koza Collaboration
Our 2017 season promises to be brimming with new music thanks to a recent grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council . We will be learning about the songwriting process and work on collaborations with Rogue Valley singer/songwriter Chris Koza. Look for new work and interpretations of old work as we embark on our new adventure.
Why We March
We asked a few of our members to tell you why they have decided to participate in the Women’s March – either here, in Minnesota, or elsewhere around the country. Here are their responses.
Alissa:
I march for all the women in my life: those that have walked ahead of me, beside me, and behind me. I have always been a feminist, but a silent one. President-elect Trump’s words, actions, policies, and cabinet nominations ignite the fire and the need to speak up, to act, and to be an advocate. I march in solidarity with women from across the country, each with different experiences and realities, but with one common goal- to demand equality, appreciate diversity, and zealously protect women’s rights which are human rights!
Erin R:
I march for my son. I march for his future. I march so he can grow up in a world that is safe and tolerant, where he will be able to work hard and achieve his dreams. I march to show him that I am passionate about our country and our rights. I march so he can see that it’s important to care for our fellow humans, no matter what they look like or who they love. I march for gun control, so he can live a full life that is free of fear.
I march for me. I march for my healthcare and for my rights to make my own decisions about my body. I march because I want and deserve equal opportunities. I march for family leave, for equal pay and for better conditions for working mothers. I march for living wages. I march for freedom.
I march because I’m angry. I march because I’m tired. I march because I’m just getting started.
Lisa:
I march because I thought we’d be done marching about this by now. We were supposed to teach the world to sing and accept everyone for who they are back when I was a kid in the 1970’s. ”I am woman hear me roar” and all that.
I march because “locker room talk” and “boys will be boys” are still considered acceptable excuses for sexual harassment and violence against women.
I march because girls around the world deserve to be educated, marry whomever they wish, and welcome children into world without fear of being persecuted or killed.
I march for my children because I want them to live in a world that respects all people regardless of race, religion or gender.
I march because I don’t want to go back to the dark days of illegal abortions and limited access to birth control.
I march for my friends in the LGBTQ community.
I march for refugees.
I march for the health of our planet.
Making a Video on the Mississippi
On Friday, September 9th, we headed down to the Mississippi River to film a 360 degree video with Chuck Olsen of Visual.
Under the direction of Prairie Fire Lady, Areca Roe, we waded in the water and sang two original compositions. We performed Hive by Twin Cities musician and honorary choir member, Aby Wolf and Expiration by PFLC member Rachel Buchberger.
Rogue Valley Album Release Concert at the Fitzgerald Theater
We were beyond excited when Chris Koza asked us to sing back up on a few Rogue Valley songs for their album release concert at the Fitzgerald Theater on July 29th. Rogue Valley’s newest album, “Radiate/Dissolve” is dreamy and although we are particularly fond of “The Brightest Stars,” “Loom” and Radiate/Dissolve”, the whole recording is gorgeous. Along with joining Rogue Valley on stage we got to visit backstage with our friends Aby Wolf and Jeremy Messersmith who along with the Laurel String Quartet, Chastity Brown and Joe Horton performed in the first set. The Twin Cities music scene is full of amazingly talented musicians and we were thrilled to be included in such a fantastic event. http://twincitiesmedia.net/blog/rogue-valley/
Rebel, Rebel Rock For Pussy XII
Rebel, Rebel Rock For Pussy XII – A Tribute to David Bowie at First Avenue
June 10, 2016
A big thank you to Dave Campbell, Mary Lucia and John Eller for including us again this year! Our friend Andrew Berkowitz who arranged “Whip It” for us last season turned Bowie’s “Oh! You Pretty Things” into a choral piece that was well received by the jubilant crowd.
John Eller’s All Star Band:
Chris Perricelli
Chris Lynch
Janey Winterbauer
Leslie Ball
Michelle Massey aka Nadine DuBois
Katie McMahon
Kent Militzer
Steve Price
Joseph Pettini
Matt Darling
Paul Odegard
Kevin Nord
Noah Levy
Lourie Glaser
Ochen Kaylen
Guest Vocalists
Jeremy Messersmith
Chan Polling
Lori Barbero
Mark Mallman
Venus DeMars & All The Pretty Horses
Ciarian Daly
Jayanthi Kyle
Maria Isa
Orion Treon
Matt Latterell
Liam Watkins
Steve Brantseg
Reed Wilkerson
David Campbell
Simon Calder
John Munson
David J. Russ
Brian Setzer
Special guest DJ Jake Rudh