Booking Details
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| Lecture/Keynotes, Concerts, A Talk With Song, Master Classes, Workshops.
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| Lecture/Keynote | ||
| Singing For Our Lives Holly Near tells her story. It is the story of an artist studying her craft, making her way through Hollywood and the bright lights of Broadway, embracing unusual opportunities, traveling from Viet Nam to Botswana and, after almost 40 years, becoming one of the most experienced social change activists/artists of our time. Social change movements were the "university" where Holly Near studied issues of race, gender, class, and culture. She brings vibrancy to historic and current events with great charm and humor. |
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| Concert | ||
| Holly Near does a powerful concert of songs ranging from heartbreaking songs of war to joyous expressions of love. She is funny and her humor offers her a highway to uncomfortable subjects. A Holly Near concert inspires participation and provides a wonderful watering hole for community gathering as the audience not only is challenged and lifted by the music, but has an opportunity to look around at one another and say, "Ah yes, I am not alone." Recently, Holly has been accompanied by the duo Small Events/Song Talks/House Concerts | ||
| I am a great believer in paying artists and slowly getting rid of the concept of everything having to be a fundraiser or a benefit. We are turning our artists and cultural events into bake sales. And to my way of thinking, this is not a good idea. So, here's an alternative If it is a weekend, of course the usual fees for artists are in place and are usually based on number of people expected, ticket price, production cost etc. This gets worked out between the artist or the artist representative at the time of negotiating the contract. But if an artist is passing through MIDWEEK and would be just sitting out the night spending money rather than making money, it takes on a different personality and allows for smaller events. Here is an idea (not a new one) of how to pay the artist and at the same time, help an organization. What else do organizations need besides fundraisers. They need visibility. They need to develop and expand their donor base. They need to find ways to gift their hard working staff and create an environment of appreciation. They need to keep the spirit high and energy pulsing through the work of their mission. So, it is not always about raising money. It is about feeding the long term goals which can only be achieved with a healthy organization. Here is an example for the organization that wants community visibility, desires to expand their donor base, and seeks to offer appreciation to staff and community people who have given of themselves to the organization: I am going to use 60 people/$25 model but you can scale this up or down depending on your town/the artists you invite etc. Find a person whose home that can accommodate 60-70 people. See if they will contribute it for the evening. Find ten board members/donors/supporters to buy 6 tickets at $25 each. That money ($1500) goes to the artist. The people who bought the 6 tickets may either give their tickets as gifts to prospective donors or to people who would be new volunteers/educators or to people who have done good work for the organization to date and deserve a perk or gift. Or, they can sell each of their 6 tickets for $25 to someone in the community and pay themselves back if their economics do not allow them to give the tickets away. So you have the $1500 fee covered to the artist. The house/space is donated. And all of this can be done on the phone. Environmentally friendly. No driving around, no posters or flyers. No ticket centers to deal with. Juice/wine/snacks can be offered or sold at the event. Usually these can be donated (or use the pot luck method). Can you get a hotel to donate rooms to artists? If not, is there someone who can offer a house for the night. Not a pad on the floor. Each artist should have their own room. Check to make sure if they are allergic to animals. Make sure the artist knows in advance of the agreement-the exact conditions-i.e. no travel money, no expense money, community housing unless you have a hotel donated etc. A flat $1500. Put this all on paper and have your responsible person sign it along with the artist. Clarity keeps everyone happy. In the initial communication with the artist, let them know what you hope to achieve. Ask them if they feel they can help do this through the songs they sing, the stories they tell. It is not appropriate to tell an artist what to sing or say but there is nothing wrong with putting forth what you hope to achieve with regards to your organization. So, a spirit raiser is offered. Community-building is supported. Artists are enabled. Pretty nice situation. And if an organization wanted to pick up the whole tab and give a gift to its staff, board members and donors, it is hard to come up with such a nice gift for under $25 a person that carries as much uplifting value as a social change concert. Finally, a house concert can also be presented to the general public. This does not need to be a private event. Some artists are willing to take their chances on receiving whatever comes in at the door. However, I prefer the idea of selling the tickets to a few people in advance so the fee is covered and then let those folks sell the tickets to the public. Pretty hard for an artist to count on the door and have only 5 people show up. |
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| Change of Heart: The Art of Activism -- A talk with song | ||
| Holly Near tells stories and sings songs a cappella. Imagine a lecture full of great stories that illustrate social change and critical thinking and then all of a sudden, Holly starts singing. It is seamless, moving from talk to song, from history to the present with some imagining of the future as well. This is a delightful and versatile format because it does not require a piano or major sound system. It works well for conferences and keynotes and can also be presented as An Evening with Holly Near: Stories and Song |
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| Master Class: The Art of Performance | ||
| Holly Near explains and demonstrates the craft of performance. For teachers, performing artists or simply those who want to gain more confidence in front of people, this workshop helps each participant take the next step towards effective presenting. Stage fright, the emotion and theatrics of presenting, improving solo work, self-criticism, group criticism, artistic growth, the vulnerability of performance. Depending on the size of the group, participants can present a piece of work for critique. |
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| Workshops | ||
| Writing What You Mean Holly Near works with the politics, power, and personal revelation of writing songs, novels, journals, poetry, letters home, or nonfiction. She discusses how to recognize and gather the experience that becomes the material through active noticing, how to illuminate the details and avoid the generalities, how to turn rhetoric into poetry. A Songwriter's Toolbox Near focuses on how to turn what we notice (whether beautiful, mundane, or horrific) into storytelling, poetry, and song. She investigates the language, the rhythm, and the melody so each may serve the song--love song or fighting song, country ballad or Broadway show stopper--a well-crafted song reaches out and grabs the attention of the listener. Unnecessary rhetoric or overused images can be boring and a boring song is a missed opportunity. Near's songwriting workshops are joyful and vibrate with critical thinking. Each participant identifies his/her own next challenge and Holly works with the group to remove obstacles and assumptions. What do you want to say? To whom do you want to say it? What feelings do you want to convey? What creative element is being ignored? How can the craft of songwriting serve the writers intention? Come prepared to write. Choral Workshop: Singing In The Choir In 1996, Holly was awarded the first Legacy Award for her active support of the GALA choral movement. She has appeared as a guest soloist with choruses all over the country, including The New York City Gay Men's Chorus at Carnegie Hall. In a workshop environment, Holly works with the choir and the conductor on performance style articulation, emotional range, dramatic presentation, and understanding the intent of the musical piece. Arrangements of Holly's songs are available from Yelton Rhodes. |
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| What Presenters Say About Holly Near | ||
| "I can't imagine a lecture program that wouldn't be greatly enriched and enlivened by Holly Near. I bring her to UC Santa Cruz every chance I get. Students, staff and faculty beat down the doors, for they appreciate her not only as a great performer but a stirring educator and radiant human being. I always learn from her" Marge Frantz, professor -- University of California, Santa Cruz "It's a deeply moving inspiration to be in an audience that spontaneously stands up , en mass, and chooses to be counted among the growing numbers of people who, like Holly, thrive on the personal satisfaction and joy that come with living our lives on the cutting edge. I've watched her do it time and time again, her powerful presence is a call to courage combined with her personal warmth, she's irresistible" John Mifsud, Coordinator Thirtieth National Conference on Men and Masculinity Seattle University "Holly spoke about those difficult areas in life, how to dream our dreams, theorize our concepts, pursue our own talents and interests, and somehow integrate the whole into the action of our lives. Moreover, she has the ability to draw her listeners into active interchange with her. She displayed that rare gift of speaking to several hundred people and touching them individually. The audience was captivated. She was truly a high point in our lecture series" Linda Jean May, Ph. D., Program Coordinator Institute for Research on Women and Gender Stanford University "I thought I was coming to a workshop on song writing. I found I was at a workshop on life and love. And of course, my song writing improved immensely. I was writing shallow. Holly showed me how to write deep". A workshop participant "As we sang the same chorus again and again, Ms. Near shared her thoughts on how to approach the rhythm, the sound, the lyric. She showed us how to go back to where the song came from, how to walk it up to the present. The difference between the way we sang it the first time and the last time was extraordinary. She knows what she is doing and knows how to teach it. A master class participant |
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| Here is what some of the Choruses have said |
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| "As a former director of a GALA chorus (L&G chorus of Washington DC) I know how your presence and music has radically affected the L&G choral movement. Your work as a singer and musician - which is monumental - has been perhaps one of the few excellent musical influences on the movement. I have watched the movement for the past 10 years from sidelines - and have seen many come and go and it was refreshing to know that the root of the movement - your music and politics still play an important role in shaping the life experiences for singers and audiences. Your performance was a reminder to me that music doesn't really matter unless it matters and that music is an integral part of culture and self expression. I thank you many times over for sharing your music, your advocacy and your glorious voice!" Regina Carlow, Ph.D Assistant Professor, Music Education University of New Mexico "Holly Near has an uncanny knack for getting right to the crux of the issues, connecting with every person in the room and creating musical magic with her charismatic personality and impressive talent. Holly Near walked in, connected with every person in the room, and made musical magic for three hours. . . phenomenal!!" Tim Seelig, Artist director of The Women's Chorus of Dallas and Turtle Creek Chorale "The music we made together. . .was truly life-changing and just the shear growth the chorus and I experienced is difficult to measure. Holly, you have a gift to speak to people that allows themselves to hear in ways they sometimes choose not to. Your innate musical sensitivity creates art that is power-filled and communicative. And, lastly, you are so approachable. When you entered into our home it was as if an old friend stopped by to share some of herself." Michael Hayden, Indianapolis Men's Chorus Your workshop with SOUND CIRCLE was all I hoped for and more. It was particularly helpful to realize that the task of creating a unified presentation, attending to blend, etc., can be at odds with the task of creating a deep and grounded musical presentation of a piece. I got some insight into new ways the ensemble can work together and that was very inspiring and exciting. Many of us have heard you speak and perform and have been greatly inspired by your work so to have you take time to help us look at what we are doing felt like a great privilege. Sue Coffee-Director of SOUND CIRCLE " WOW! . . . . Holly and John charmed both the audience and the chorus. It was a very positive and empowering concert..... Sunday June 29th was our GLTB Pride Parade. Holly rode in a convertible with us and sang all the way along the parade route. The crowd who had been at the concerts reacted very enthusiastically. It rained most of the way and by the end we were singing, to the tune of Holly's anthem, 'We are a wet and soggy people and we are singing, singing for our lives'. . . ." The Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus "This past season was our tenth anniversary. . . and we booked some great talent. . .including Holly Near, and Turtle Creek. . . as guest artists (for which our audience bowed at our feet and thanked us). . Holly is TOO tremendous. . . ." The Alamo City Men's Chorale |
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| Holly is a delightful guest singer, creating a warm and friendly relationship with the choir members, supporting the vision of the director, telling stories about the songs and inspiring a spirited presentation. |
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