Singer Songwriter Katherine Wheatley
to Perform on May 12
Saturday, May 12, at t p.m., the Nantucket New School and the Nantucket Arts Council will host a concert by Katherine Wheatley in the Methodist Church, 2 Centre Street. Tickets are $10 and will be sold at the door.
While on Nantucket, Wheatley will teach a five-day songwriting workshop for students at the Nantucket New School. “We are thrilled to have Katherine with us for our annual Arts Festival,” said Head of School David Provost. “She brings a great deal of teaching experience and the students are fortunate to have someone of her musical ability in their classrooms.” Also working with students during the NNS spring arts festival are local artists Katie Trinkle Legge, David Lazarus, and Mica Seeley.
During the songwriting workshop, students will write songs, rehearse, and prepare for a final performance on Friday, May 11 (members of the public may attend; call NNS at 508-228-8569 for the time). In addition, students will receive a CD of the music they’ve written together.
Wheatley, a well-known Canadian singer/songwriter, is a family friend of Nantucket New School parent and NNS Director of Development Cecil Barron Jensen, who is thrilled about the prospect of this performer coming to the island. “Katherine has loads of experience working with students,” she commented.
Wheatley believes that the creative process of songwriting teaches children the mutual respect and the courage that are “key components of collaboration and creativity.”
Wheatley grew up in Perry Sound, Ontario and her passion for songwriting began with a $13 guitar ordered from a Sears Catalogue. Her musical experience in middle school and high school not only inspired her career as a professional musician but also a desire to bring music into schools. She is a mentor with the School Alliance of Student Songwriters, a program that nurtures songwriting clubs at schools in the Greater Toronto Area. Among teachers and students, Wheatley is valued for her genuine caring and intuition with all age groups.
Arresting vocals, fine guitar playing and a down-to-earth feel to her concerts mark Wheatley’s work. She has recorded two solo CDs and regularly collaborates with many of Canada’s finest musicians including bassist Bazil Donovan of Blue Rodeo, Richard Bell of The Band, guitarists Stephen Fearing and Colin Linden, and Ferguson, a six-time Canadian Country Guitar Player of the Year.
In addition to touring across Canada and Europe, she is a member of the band Betty and The Bobs and plays the guitar in Wendell Ferguson’s popular band, The Smoking Section. Wheatley has also written music for film and television documentaries and has been a musical guest on many television shows, including CTV’s Canada AM and CBC Radio’s Vinyl Café.
