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Support the camp!
- Bringing students to camp through need-based financial aid
- Give camp students the opportunity to work with and perform alongside world class artists
- Repair and rebuild our historical campus
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YouTube
This past week, some of our Middle School musicians have been traveling to and performing at Raven Radio and the Highliner Café with music faculty Joe Montagna. Click on the image below for a full video story.
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Upcoming Events
Jazz on the Waterfront is on Saturday night! Donté, pictured above, is the event's head chef. Shrimp and Crawfish Étouffée, Steam Ship Roast, and Banana's Foster are just some of the many delicious dishes on the dinner menu. Tickets are selling out quickly, so if you haven't already purchased event tickets, please pick them up as soon as possible. Visit Old Harbor Books or call 747 3085 for tickets.
June 26
Final Performances
7pm, PAC
June 27
Final Performances
1-4pm, SFAC Campus
7pm, PAC
10pm, Odess Theater
June 28
Jazz on the Waterfront
7pm, Odess Theater
June 29
High School campers arrive
June 30 - 34
Art Share
7pm, Odess Theater
For more information please call the Sitka Fine Arts Camp office at 907-747-3085
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LA Boys Choir Performs with SFAC Students
On Sunday, June 22nd, the Performing Arts Center stage was graced by the renowned presence of the Young Men's Ensemble, part of the LA Boys Choir. The ensemble, composed of young men currently in seventh through twelfth grade, took time out of their ongoing tour to participate in a master class with the Sitka Fine Arts Camp middle school choir class, taught by Katy Green.
Director Roger Schmidt got in contact with the Young Men's Ensemble to try and make this class a reality during the planning phase of their tour, earlier this year.
"It was a great opportunity," Green said. "The timing was right." The choir class' final performance will be on Friday, June 27th, so the opportunity to perform onstage with the ensemble was a valuable experience.
Green said that the boys in her choir class enjoyed being in the majority during the master class, since they're usually outnumbered by the girls in the class.
"It's a family," Green said. "It's cliché to say it, but we have a little choir family."
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Greetings!
Today is the last day of classes for our Middle School campers. It is always sad to see our students attend their last class of the summer. But with Final Performances just around the corner, it is exciting to see them learn, improve, and pull together breathtaking art pieces and amazing performances in two short weeks.
Highlights of the week include the Student Talent Show Art Share, Recreation Day, and several classes playing on the radio and in cafés around town. At the Student Talent Show, campers stepped out of their comfort zone to perform in a diverse selection of skits that ranged from a tap dance, to a string trio, to a monologue - most of which resulted in a standing ovation from peers. This past Sunday was also Recreation Day, in which campers embarked on outdoors trips that include a hike up Mt. Verstovia, a hike through Thimbleberry trail to Heart Lake, and more.
 Campers enjoy the view upon Mt. Verstovia
Aside from Final Performances, students from classes such as Jazz Band and Rock Band have also been playing music for local Sitkans at Raven Radio and the Highliner Café. Take a look at our video on Rock Band and the experience of playing gigs outside of camp on our YouTube page.
It has been an absolute pleasure to spend the past two weeks with our Middle School campers. Please join us for the Final Performances, which showcase all that the students have learned in their time at camp. The final performances are ongoing through Friday night. You can find a schedule here.
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Jazz on the Waterfront
 | | The 2013 Jazz on the Waterfront band |
Over ten years ago, the board of directors of the Sitka Fine Arts Camp met to discuss fundraising ideas for the camp. Around the table, the group proposed a number of effective and promising plans for various events. While the ideas were good, Executive Director Roger Schmidt offered an alternative that would not only give SFAC faculty an opportunity to show off their talents, but also a chance to celebrate the skills and camaraderie of the SFAC family. Today, Jazz on the Waterfront is one of Sitka's popular summer events, fundraising most of the camp's much-needed funds last year.
"Jazz on the Waterfront was logical because the camp already has world-class musicians that loved to play, and loved to play together," Roger recalls when asked about his initial motivation behind the event. As the event name indicates, it is a night great live jazz music. Jazz is complicated, beautiful, and fun to play, but its part in American history also bodes an important message regarding the Sitka Fine Arts Camp.
"Jazz ends up embodying the story of the American art form. This is our country's music. This is music that was born out of New Orleans-at the time, the ultimate example of America as a culture pot," Roger adds. Similarly, the Sitka Fine Arts Camp is a melting pot. The camp mixes together cultures through a variety of art forms-from beat-boxing to Alaskan Native Carving to stage combat-as well as through a host of faculty, staff, and students who represent over 30 states and 9 countries. In addition to jazz music and New Orleans cuisine, the event will include a silent auction and a night of dancing to convey the history of jazz.
This year, many of SFAC's own faculty and staff are dedicated to ensuring the fundraiser's success. Roger will be playing the trombone with the band, while the camp's own Chef Donté will be preparing the feast.
Many of the camp's benefactors have also donated a selection of gifts that include artwork, children's books, and exclusive vacations that will be available for purchase at the silent auction. While the goal of the camp is to perpetuate the emerging concept of arts as an important influence in the community, the camp's existence relies on its supporters and their contributions. The gifts that are gained through this event will help fund scholarships for students, resources and supplies for classes, restoration and maintenance of historic buildings, and other essential needs that foster an inspiring and fun camp environment.
While Jazz on the Waterfront exists primarily as a fundraising event for the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, the message of the event extends beyond its purpose. It is a way for members of the community to gather together on a night that is dedicated to the appreciation of arts. It is an opportunity for those who believe in the power of art to increase awareness regarding SFAC's mission to develop artistic understanding and capability within its youth. And, above all, it is a night of delicious food, incredible music, a silent auction, and jazzy dancing that will ultimately help fund a good cause.
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...continued from LA Boys Choir 
Many of the boys who signed up for the class were already advanced singers, so the girls had an intimidating task in keeping up with a more-than-doubled boys' section Sunday night; a task they carried out with grace.
The performance came together in just four days, with the SFAC choir receiving the music on the Wednesday before the performance. Some sections did not receive their music until the day of the show. Even more impressive is the fact that the choir had only been singing together for a week at the time of the concert.
The choir joined the Young Men's Ensemble for a rendition of "Here's to song" by Allister MacGillivray at the end of their concert. The performance was met with thunderous cheering from the crowd, amplifying the choir's excitement for their upcoming final performance.
The success of Sunday evening's concert bodes well for the ongoing final performances of the Middle School session. This exceptional choir class will be performing in the Performing Arts Center on Friday at 7pm.
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Thank you for your ongoing support, Sitka Fine Arts Camp Staff www.fineartscamp.org 907-747-3085
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