As Oregon and Washington State commemorate the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial in fall of 2005, festivities will include a special music and storytelling presentation that honors the Native American tribes and traditions in the lands that the Corps of Discovery traveled.

The Waters Speak is a celebration of Native American songs, dances and stories, some of which have been handed down for hundreds of years, and original compositions inspired by Native melodies. In music, story, and photographic imagery we follow the Missouri River from the Plains of North Dakota, beginning at the home of the Mandan-Hidatsas, the people who welcomed Lewis & Clark at the beginning of the Expedition. We follow the rivers across the continent to the shores of the Pacific, where the Expedition first experienced the music, dance and story of the Chinook people in their homeland. The waters of the rivers, the waters of the ocean – they speak of the spirit of place, that intimately personal and yet universal connection of a people and the land they call home.

The Waters Speak features Keith Bear, Mandan storyteller and flutist; Gary Stroutsos, world flute; Jovino SantosNeto, composer and pianist, with a guest performer from the Chinook tribe.

Waters Speak is presented by The Water Music Festival and The Pacific County Friends of Lewis & Clark, 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations on the Long Beach Peninsula. The program is presented during Destination: The Pacific; Washington & Oregon’s National Lewis & Clark Signature Event, Nov. 11-15, 2005.

Visit www.destinationthepacific.com, www.lewisandclarkwa.org and www.watermusic.org for more information. The program is supported in part by a grant from the Washington State Arts Commission.

TICKETS

$12 adults; $7 children (under 12)
Tickets can be purchased from TICKET WINDOW
By phone: 206-325-6500
By fax: 425-450-3839
Or online: www.ticketwindowonline.com

In the Seattle area, TICKET WINDOW also has three walk-up ticket outlets. Please see website for details.

As the only musical performance of its kind planned for the bicentennial celebration, The Waters Speak tickets are expected to sell out quickly.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS

Click here for diving directions to Ilwaco and other destinations for the bicentennial celebration.

CREATED BY

Keith Bear

Storyteller, dancer, flute player and singer, Keith Bear's name in the Nu E'ta (Mandan) language is O'Mashi! Ryu Ta. It means Northern Lights or He Makes the Sky Burn with Great Flame. His critically acclaimed performances include traditional storytelling and the sacred Buffalo Dance; a ceremony, which only honored tribal members, may perform. He is an award-winning recording artist for Makoche Records. Keith's accomplishments as a flute player and performer include extensive performances at schools, conventions and state and national parks. Keith made his professional acting debut in the feature film "Dakota Sunrise". He makes and sells traditional Native flutes. Read complete biography

Jovino SantosNeto

Composer, keyboard/pianist, Jovino SantosNeto has arranged settings of Native music that invite audiences into the subtle harmonics and melodic nuances of Native melodies. The Brazilian-born artist moved in 1993 to Seattle, after spending 15 years performing with the legendary Hermeto Pascoal. Jovino has received several prizes and awards for composition, including the prestigious ASCAP/IAJE Commission for a jazz composer in 2001 and the 2002 New Works: Creation and Presentation Award for jazz given by Chamber Music America and the Doris Duke Foundation. Jovino’s CD Canto Do Rio was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2004. Read complete biography

Gary Stroutsos

International recording artist Gary Stroutsos is a composer, educator, producer, and performer of world flute music that celebrates traditional cultures and their reverence for the earth. His work was showcased in the Ken Burns PBS documentary Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery; he is a regular guest on National Public Radio (NPR) including syndicated programs such as Echoes. He has recorded more than 13 CDs for the Makoché, Narada, Red Feather and Paras Labels, and he performs extensively throughout the United States and Canada. His solo flute lecture/performance "Along The River" presents native flute music and the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
Read complete biography.