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Conservatory of the Ozarks Fundraiser to Feature Jason Sain & the Foolhearted

(Photo courtesy Conservatory of the Ozarks)

Conservatory of the Ozarks (COTO) will host a concert by Jason Sain & the Foolhearted during a Cakewalk Fundraiser at the Creamery Art Center, 411 Sherman Parkway across from Hammons Field. Conservatory of the Ozarks students provide a pre-show for the concert, scheduled for Saturday August 1st from 6 - 8 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance at the Conservatory of the Ozarks offices, 2132 Chesterfield Blvd Suite D in Chesterfield Village; they'll be $12 at the door.  Bring a dessert item to donate to the cake walk and receive a $5 discount off of the admission price.

Heather Leveritch, Director of COTO, promises "it's going to be a really different event for us--we've never done anything like this at all before. It's going to be really fun, though.  I think it will be the very first performance we've ever given that has no classical music at all.  It's all folk music, country, gospel, bluegrass."

Proceeds from the fundraiser will help support Conservatory of the Ozarks' Community Outreach performances.  COTO students do a lot of community performances, and they'll be raising funds to help purchase their own portable sound system to take on the road with them, and possibly a new electronic keyboard.

Heather feels the cakewalk portions of the evening will be especially fun. "I can't remember how we came up with the idea of doing the cakewalk, but I was like, 'oh, that will be so fun!  I remember cakewalks in 4-H!'"  Only problem is, Heather wasn't actually sure how a cakewalk is supposed to work--"I had to look it up online!"

Headlining the show is Branson-based band Jason Sain and the Foolhearted, who don't get up to Springfield to perform very often, according to Heather Leveritch.  During the pre-show, COTO students will perform their own original compositions.  "And there are a few students who have learned songs written by Jason Sain, and they get to perform those pieces with his band--he agreed to let them sing his songs. They're called a 'bluegrass' band but they have a strong influence of that 'Texas swing' sound" of Bob Wills, as well as some Hank Williams influences.  Heather says Jason and his band very seldom get up to Springfield to perform.   Their "grand finale" will be "There'll Be No More Tears", a gospel song Jason has written, based on his experiences living with a family on their farm in McDonald County.  There was a large barn on the property built by the family's grandfather... and they drove home one day to see fire trucks on the property. The barn, which represented the family's life's work, had burned to the ground.  The father of the family was, according to Sain, a very "stoic" individual who seldom expressed much emotion... but there a single tear rolling down his cheek.  

Jason Sain will also conduct the "Jason Sain Songwriting Workshop: Finding Your Song" at the Conservatory of the Ozarks the day before the concert, Friday, July 31st at 6 pm. Participants must register with Conservatory of the Ozarks prior to the event and pay a $20 tuition fee; registration and tuition fee are due by Wednesday July 22nd. Jason Sain and his band the Foolhearted are based in Branson; their sound is a cross between Hank Williams, Bob Wills and Bill Monroe. For information call 592-1756 or click on the "Events" tab at Conservatory of the Ozarks' Facebook page. Their email is conservatoryoftheozarks@gmail.com.

Randy Stewart joined the full-time KSMU staff in June 1978 after working part-time as a student announcer/producer for two years. His job has evolved from Music Director in the early days to encompassing production of a wide range of arts-related programming and features for KSMU, including the online and Friday morning Arts News. Stewart assists volunteer producers John Darkhorse (Route 66 Blues Express), Lee Worman (The Gold Ring), and Emily Higgins (The Mulberry Tree) with the production of their programs. He's also become the de facto "Voice of KSMU" in recent years due to the many hours per day he’s heard doing local station breaks. Stewart’s record of service on behalf of the Springfield arts community earned him the Springfield Regional Arts Council's Ozzie Award in 2006.