Ancient Instruments, Spoken Word Will Fill the Historic Courthouse in Stillwater

If a lute, lyre, concertina and spoken word is music to your ears, the in Stillwater is the place to be tonight.

Lauren Pelon sings and plays a variety of ancient and modern instruments—ranging from lute, lyre, and concertina, to recorders, gemshorn, electric wind controller and pedalboard—while Gary Holthaus reads from his poems and essays.

Pelon and Holthaus will perform “The Story of Music, Stories from Home” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, at the historic courthouse in Stillwater.

The Stillwater appearance is one of 17 that the duo will perform throughout Minnesota between April 3 and Nov. 12. It is funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the Legacy Amendment vote of the people of Minnesota in 2008.

Tickets for the event are $10, and may be purchased at the Historic Courthouse, located at the intersection of South Third and Pine streets in Stillwater.

"I've been performing full-time since the mid-70s, and mostly in concerts," Pelon said, singing and playing instruments, both ancient and modern. But this particular program is different, she said, because her music will be combined with the spoken word written by Holthaus, which includes essays, poetry, a book on farming and stories.

"Gary and I met in Alaska in the '70s and '80s, and in 1989 we did our first program together," Pelon said. "We have several programs together that blend music and spoken word, and this is one of them."

This performance centers on community, Pelon said, and blends the story of music with stories of home.

"Reading poetry aloud as a poet is one thing, reading it aloud with Lauren's music is entirely different, and I think enriches what I do a lot," Holthaus said.

Pelon will play about 15 different instruments during the program.

Pelon's Instruments: Pelon has collected 150 instruments, while traveling all over the world. A sample of the instruments Pelon will play June 21 include lute, lyre, medieval flute, double-reed instruments from the Middle East and the Renaissance and instruments used by Minnesota's Native Americans, such as an Eagle bone flute, and a bowed instrument with one string used by the early Scandinavian settlers.

Holthaus' Words: It is the storytelling that compels Holthaus to perform.

"One of my hopes is if I can tell stories about my life, others will think of stories from their own lives," he said. "I would like [the audience] to reflect. I really am a believer in the power of stories and I think we tend to grow into the stories that we tell ourselves about who we are and about who we would like to become."

Holthaus writes poems, prose and essays.