Saratoga-based folk venue Caffè Lena will produce their seventh annual TrueSongs, an evening of true stories and original songs that reveal a side of the Saratoga community that many rarely see. Supported by Business for Good Foundation, the event will take place at Universal Preservation Hall on November 6 at 7 PM.
TrueSongs pairs local people who have experienced significant life challenges with professional songwriters and storytelling coaches. They work closely together over several months to shape each unique experience into a first-person story and an original song. The results are incredibly moving for the audience, and cathartic for the artists who get to creatively share their stories.
Each speaker represents an area nonprofit organization that helps people meet significant challenges, pursue new possibilities, and make meaningful changes in their lives or communities. The stories and songs shared not only humanize this often invisible work, but also offer a glimpse of the courage, kindness, and determination that fills the Saratoga community.
“TrueSongs gives us the chance to see our community differently,” said Sarah Craig, Executive Director of Caffè Lena. “We pass people every day without knowing what they have overcome, who helped them along the way, or the extraordinary things they may be doing for others. When someone stands onstage and tells us that story in their own words, and then we hear it transformed into a song, we come to see each other in a new light.”
This year’s TrueSongs teams are:
CAMP ABILITIES
Speaker: Maxwell Shear
Songwriter: Kate McDonnell
Coach: Al Ciejka
WHITMAN FOUNDATION
Speaker: Jackie Whitman
Songwriter: Girl Love (Laura Beth Johnson)
Coach: Margaret French
WILDWOOD
Speaker: Debbie Smith
Songwriter: Sawyer Fredericks
Coach: Shawn Banner
SoBRO CONSERVANCY
Speaker: Johanna Garrison
Songwriter: Slambovian Circus of Dreams
Coach: Vivian Nesbitt
FRANKLIN COMMUNITY CENTER FOOD PANTRY
Speaker: John Falco
Songwriter: Cassandra Kubinski
Coach: Beth Sabo Novick
As it enters its seventh year, TrueSongs has established its place as one of Caffè Lena’s signature community programs. Although the event is only one night, the relationships fostered through the project can last a lifetime. Some past participants have also gone on to further support local nonprofits.
At its core, TrueSongs is a realization of Caffè Lena’s nonprofit mission: music is more than entertainment. It has the power to help people understand and connect with their community and highlight work that might otherwise go unseen.
For more information about TrueSongs and Caffè Lena, visit the Caffè Lena website or contact Joanne Brown.
Click here for TrueSongs tickets.
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