“Live From Riverfolk” concerts continue each Thursday

Brad Phillips will open the Summer “Live From Riverfolk” concert series this Thursday, June 4, at 7:30 pm.

The popular “Live from Riverfolk” online series of concerts that has replaced the Riverfolk Music & Arts Organization’s in-person concerts this spring, will continue through the summer months.

“The series had such a great response, Riverfolk has engaged additional musicians to continue the series through August 20,” said Aileen Rohwer, Riverfolk Board member. “Brad Phillips will launch the summertime series this coming Thursday, June 4, at 7:30 pm.”

Phillips will be followed at 8:30 pm by Rollie Tussing. The entire schedule through July can be seen in the photo below.

The spring “Live from Riverfolk” series brought in more than $4,000 in donations to the effort. Expenses included paying the musicians, utilities, and advertising, and totaled $2,000. In-kind help from volunteers included administrative, graphic arts, letterpress design, and print. Musicians are paid 80% of donations made during their livestream and up to a week after. Some of the musicians graciously opted to donate their entire proceeds back to the organization, which helped greatly with fund-raising for the spring series.

In addition, Riverfolk received some emergency aid to help with its operations, allowing the organization to take care of some outstanding operation bills due to loss of spring revenues from concerts, summer camp registrations, and planned fundraisers. This support came from Creative Washtenaw, which provided $1,000 in emergency aid, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs/National Endowment for the Arts/Arts Midwest, which contributed $3,000 in emergency aid.

“Riverfolk has actively sought out additional grant requests from other sources,” said Rohwer, “since more than half of students involved in the Cultural Arts Strings program receive financial aid or instrument assistance.”

Rohwer further announced that Cultural Art Strings Summer Camp Registration and Riverfolk Jam Camp Registration will open June 15 and will be available on the website at riverfolkmusicandarts.org.

“Each camp is developing content that can be delivered online,” she explained. “Some of the content planned for CAS camp includes individual lessons, music with friends, songwriting, ukelele, songwriting, creative writing, theatre, movement, and for Riverfolk Jam Camp, individual lessons, chords structure, improvising, music theory, creative life cycle, and online jamming with friends.”

Cultural Art Strings Spring Recital, a culmination of student videos made during spring online sessions, is scheduled to be broadcast as a YouTube video on June 2 at 4:30 pm on the CAS Facebook page. CAS moved to online lessons on March 12 as a result of the Michigan stay-at-home orders due to COVID-19 global pandemic.

You can help support Riverfolk in its efforts to bring “live” music to Manchester audiences–wherever they may be–this summer by making a donation on the website or via the Facebook page.

Online lessons have been a springtime staple since CAS ended its in-person activities on March 12.

The Riverfolk Live Summer Series will start this Thursday!

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.