An Oregon Chautauqua Lecture Series Program

Columbia Center for the Arts is proud to be the sponsor for an OREGON CHAUTAUQUA PROGRAM FROM THE OREGON COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIES.

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Folk Music, Birds, Symbolism, Metaphor

Join us for a fun and enlightening evening as Jeni Foster incorporates folk music into her discussion of symbolism and metaphor in lyrics throughout the years.

“BirdSong: Birds as Metaphor in American Folk Music” is a free, public program that will take place on Wednesday June 17, 2009 at 7:30 pm at Columbia Center the Arts 215 Cascade Ave.

The Power of Bird Flight and Song

Bird flight and birdsong provide lyrical and potent metaphors for life, love, freedom, death, and spirituality in cultures throughout the world.

The poet Sharon Olds said, “To a poet, the human community is like the community of birds ... singing to each other. Love is one of the reasons we are singing to one another, love of language itself, love of sound, love of singing itself, and love of the other birds.”

More About the Jeni Foster Program

Foster explores the symbolism of birds within the rich heritage of American folk music. She weaves both traditional and contemporary folk songs throughout her narrative to expand upon the stories of everyday Americans and well-known moments in our country’s history.

Audience participation enhances the experience as Foster, who has had the family nickname of Jeniwren since her childhood, invites audience members to sing along on the choruses of songs chosen to illustrate her program.

 

Oregon Council for the Humanities

Birdsong is made possible by funding from the Oregon Council for the Humanities (OCH), an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities that is dedicated to the belief that knowledge and ideas are fundamental to the health of our communities.

More information about OCH’s programs and publications, which include Oregon Chautauqua, Humanity in Perspective, and Oregon Humanities magazine, can be found at www.oregonhum.org.