Crown@College fundraising concert to be held at FVCC
Erica von Kleist. (Courtesy photo)
Kick up your heels and say goodbye to a long winter at the Crown@College concert on Saturday, May 19, at Flathead Valley Community College. The event will raise scholarship funds for Northwest Montana guitarists to attend the Crown Guitar Workshop and Festival held in Bigfork from August 26 to Sept. 1. Proceeds will also be shared with the building fund of FVCC’s One Campaign, which includes plans to build a new performance hall. Doors open at 5 p.m. with Mama Jazz and the Po’ Boys, led by jazz maestra, Erica von Kleist. Von Kleist is an award-winning saxophonist, flutist, composer and educator who graduated from New York’s Julliard School studying under jazz master Wynton Marsalis. Since her arrival in Whitefish in 2012, she has been a tireless supporter of music in the Flathead Valley, as a founder of a booking agency for local musicians, as an educator in the schools and as founder of Groovetrail, a nonprofit that gives the gift of music to underserved people, such as folks in retirement and veterans homes.
Jameson and the Sordid Seeds, led by Brent Jameson, will take the next hour, adding his special brand of reggae roots, rock and soul to the show. Between the sets, former Crown scholarship recipients will share short songs and testimonials about how the Crown Guitar Workshop has influenced their musical life.
The final act will be Laura Jean Anderson, a singer/songwriter who attended the workshop in 2017 as a Crown Fellowship recipient. Anderson, who resides in Los Angeles, says she carries on the tradition of rock n roll while pushing the boundaries of the places modern music can go. She will be backed by the Crown All-Star band, many of whom are Crown Workshop alumni.
The show will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. on the FVCC campus in a large, enclosed tent. Food, beer and wine will be available to purchase from vendors. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and $15 for students with valid ID. Kids under 12 are free. Tickets may be purchased at www.crownguitarfest.tix.com.