: STUDENT MUSICIANS & VOCALISTSHelp us celebrate the 11th annual Stillwater Blues Festival 4X4. We are seeking interested musicians and singers that would be interested in participating in a super fun blues band experience. You don’t have to be a rock star - we will make you one!
City of Stillwater Community Center is hosting the Stillwater Blues Festival 4X4 which provides the “Blues in the School” (BITS) program. Our goal is to provide participating students with a unique fun experience and an opportunity to perform in a group setting where student musicians are the “stars” of the performance.
We need your help to accomplish this goal! The Community Center will offer eight (8) free blues classes and
rehearsal space to participating students in exchange for your time commitment. Each student is required to
attend the group rehearsals with instructors and other students and bring the instrument they will use to
perform (voices, too). All group rehearsals are after school from 3:30pm to 5:00pm, in Room 104 of the Stillwater
Community Center, 315 W. 8th. Students should be at the first class session, held at the Stillwater Community Center
on August 26. Rehearsal days are August 26-28, September 2-4, and September 8-9. We hope to be flexible to allow
for individual circumstances, but we expect all participants to be able to join us for the highlight of the
program – the BITS concert. This year, we hope to have 10 to 20 student musicians performing the blues on stage
during the concert. A schedule for the workshops is available for
download.
The BITS program finale is the main stage performance that kicks off our eleventh annual Stillwater Blues Festival
4X4 on September 11 at 6:00 pm. The festival is September 11-14 and has 5000 to 7500 in attendance each year.
Participation in the BITS program is FREE! This program is under-written by City of Stillwater Community Center, who receives financial support specifically for this program from Oklahoma Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and Arts & Humanities Council of Stillwater. Other Festival sponsors are City of Stillwater, Stillwater CVB, AT&T, Stillwater Radio, O.N.G., Douglas Building Center, The Bank N.A., and Stillwater Community Endowment Fund. New sponsors added weekly.
With assistance from our generous sponsors, the Stillwater Blues Festival 4X4 is a FREE event for all patrons. We hope to see parents, friends, and family of performing musicians supporting their favorite artist. The Stillwater Blues Festival 4x4 takes place Thursday through Sunday, September 11-14, 2008. Many local, regional, and national awarded winning acts will perform at the Festival including recording artists Chris Duarte and Janiva Magness, Big G, Big Red & the Soulbenders, The Adam Wyatt Band and many others.
Award winning BITS educator David Berntson, and other local instructors, will prepare students for their blues performance. On the first rehearsal, students will receive a parental consent form which will need to be signed and returned to the instructor on the second rehearsal.
Questions regarding BITS program may be directed to my office at the Stillwater Community Center, 405-533-8433.
We are very excited about the program and look forward to the opportunity to share the blues with you.
Gloria Short
Program Coordinator/Festival Director
Stillwater Community Center
405-533-8433; bluesfest@stillwater.org