Instructors: Linda McRae & Dan Bern
Tuesday, July 30 – Friday, August 2, 2019, 9am – 3:30pm each day
Fee: $525 + GST
Deposit: $130 + GST
Scholarships and Bursaries are available for all Island Mountain Arts Programs, Link here for details. Thanks to support from Creative BC, there are a number of full scholarships available to attend this program if you are a BC musician both aspiring and professional. Just indicate on the form that you would like to be considered for a full scholarship.
Link here for information about accommodations for students
To register call 1-800-442-2787 or online below.
You can also mail a cheque to Island Mountain Arts, Box 65, Wells, BC, V0K 2R0
Workshop Description:
Join these two critically acclaimed songwriters for a four-day intensive workshop. Participants will spend time defining and examining those “fundamental ingredients’ of a song through performance, discussion and hands-on writing. Whether you are writing for yourself, or writing songs for other musicians, this workshop will give you valuable skills to move forward in your songwriting. If you play an instrument, bring it along, but the ability to play a musical instrument is not required. Participants will have the opportunity to perform their newly created songs as part of the ArtsWells Festival, which begins on the final day of the workshop.
Instructor Biographies:
Linda McRae
Linda McRae just like her music is about as real as it gets. That's a quality you rarely see in this modern music world. A Canadian-Nashville based multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter she has 37 years’ experience touring and teaching both nationally and internationally. From her days as band member extraordinaire to the iconic Canadian Celtic band, Spirit of the West, to everything she has done since, Linda remains an artist full of integrity. Playing banjo, guitar and accordion in an unflaggingly authentic, deeply satisfying, and refreshingly acoustic style with a big dose of soul and skilled musicality, McRae’s unforgettable melodies and thought-provoking lyrics make her a captivating artist.
She has performed in venues as diverse as the Orpheum Theatre with the Vancouver Symphony to New Folsom Prison with the “in house blues band” where she facilitates writing workshops for the inmates. These experiences lead to the creation of Express Yourself Writing Workshops currently being presented across North America. She is a 2016 BC Entertainment Hall of Fame Pioneer Inductee and 2017 Boston Family Folk Chorale Songwriting Competition winner.
Dan Bern
Dan Bern has released some two dozen studio albums, EPs, and live recordings since his first CD on Sony/Work in 1997. Either fronting various bands or as a solo performer, he is convincing, funny and timely, with an unassuming tip of the hat to the spirits of the past greats, all while sounding fresh and original. Dan’s songs pack a punch, and are engaging and often cinematic.
Bern’s singular songwriting has led to work on such projects as the Judd Apatow features Walk Hard—the Dewey Cox Storyand Get Him to the Greek. His songs have appeared in countless TV shows and independent films, been covered by The Who’s Roger Daltrey, and lately, comprise all the songs for Amazon Prime’s The Stinky and Dirty Show, a cartoon for youngsters, now in its second season.
In addition to the music, Dan Bern is a prolific painter, with works hanging in The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and The Bobby Feller Museum. He has published several books, the latest being a collection of poems, “encounters,” which recount his real-life encounters with, among others, Wilt Chamberlain, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Carter and Hunter S. Thompson.
Exciting new projects in the works include new recordings with his much beloved band, “The International Jewish Banking Conspiracy” (IJBC).
Special Events included with Tuition:
Monday, July 29, 7pm: Student Welcome Reception, IMA Gallery (2323 Pooley Street) – Meet your instructor and pick up your student information packages.
Tuesday, July 30, 5:30pm: Student BBQ, School, free for students
Wednesday, July 31, 8pm: Instructor Concert – Sunset Theatre, $20, free for students
Friday, August 2, 6pm: ArtsWells Festival Opening
Saturday, August 4: students performance venue and time TBA.
The ArtsWells Festival Of All Things Art runs from Friday, August 2 – Monday, August 5, 2019 and features over 100 musical acts on 10 stages throughout Wells and Barkerville. See www.artswells.com for details. Consider sticking around after your workshop!
IMA students also receive free admission to Barkerville Historic Town and many discounts to local businesses.