Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Holden Council on Aging, Holden MA
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Held on a beautiful autumn afternoon, this concert was a big deal for me and it neatly capped my second tour of New England in 2010.
Working with the Holden, MA Council on Aging, we drew 85 people to a large and sunny activity room in the senior center. The central Massachusetts town has about 15,250 residents, including 2,200 people 65 years of age and older.
The free concert was sponsored by Friends of Holden COA and followed a lunch program offered by Elder Services of Worcester, MA. In the 75-minute program I sang 16 songs, played four vintage guitars, and talked about how I was exposed to music of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s at a young age.
My host, program coordinator for Holden's COA, contacted local newspapers and websites to publicize the event. Besides garnering photo-caption articles in a few papers, the concert was attended by a reporter and photographer for The Daily Holden, a local news website that published a 600-word account, “Resonant memories strike a chord,” two photographs and two-minute video of the concert.
“Lelen not only performs songs that are familiar to older generations, but also less familiar renditions of tunes in the American Songbook,” the reporter said. “For example, at the concert he played an upbeat ‘You Are My Sunshine’ just as Tex Ritter would have played it and then a slowed down version of ‘After You’ve Gone.’ ”
The coverage was much appreciated because the writer soaked up the vibe and summed up everyone’s experience of the concert. “His songs struck a chord in the hearts of his audience members at the Senior Center,” he said.
Working with the Holden, MA Council on Aging, we drew 85 people to a large and sunny activity room in the senior center. The central Massachusetts town has about 15,250 residents, including 2,200 people 65 years of age and older.
The free concert was sponsored by Friends of Holden COA and followed a lunch program offered by Elder Services of Worcester, MA. In the 75-minute program I sang 16 songs, played four vintage guitars, and talked about how I was exposed to music of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s at a young age.
My host, program coordinator for Holden's COA, contacted local newspapers and websites to publicize the event. Besides garnering photo-caption articles in a few papers, the concert was attended by a reporter and photographer for The Daily Holden, a local news website that published a 600-word account, “Resonant memories strike a chord,” two photographs and two-minute video of the concert.
“Lelen not only performs songs that are familiar to older generations, but also less familiar renditions of tunes in the American Songbook,” the reporter said. “For example, at the concert he played an upbeat ‘You Are My Sunshine’ just as Tex Ritter would have played it and then a slowed down version of ‘After You’ve Gone.’ ”
The coverage was much appreciated because the writer soaked up the vibe and summed up everyone’s experience of the concert. “His songs struck a chord in the hearts of his audience members at the Senior Center,” he said.
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© 2010 Kenneth Lelen - All Rights Reserved
Photographs and written materials may not be reproduced without permission.
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