The Blue Canvas Orchestra & Singers
The Blue Canvas Orchestra & Singers as a group have some slight
variations in composition depending on the performance. Members
include Warren Nelson on guitar, Jack Gunderson on bass, Andy Dee on guitar, Bruce Burnside on mandolin, Tom Mitchell on percussion, Bruce Bowers on violin, synthesizer & flute and Severin Behnen on piano, and Ed Willett ..o. Phillip Anich, Cheryl Leah, Sally Kessler and Scott Kuester perform vocals. Betty Ferris performs behind the screen managing the big-screen visuals. There are also a number of musicians performing in certain Chautauqua Original Musicals including Randy Sabien, Lisa McGinley, Mary Bondeson, Jeff Eckels, Jan Lee, Ron Hobart, Liz Woodworth, Marcie Gephart, Kirsten Pedersen and Addy
Kessler
Warren Nelson Artistic Director and
Founder
It was his idea to create Big Top Chautauqua. With his partner Betty Ferris, he's written over 10 different original musicals including artin County Hornpipe, Souvenir Views, Riding the Wind, Take It To The Lake, Whistle Comin' In, Wild River, Keeper of the Light, On the Velvet, 30th Star, Riverpants and Old Minnesota: Song of the North Star. Warren is also the host at the tent during the summer and on our radio show, Tent Show Radio, which airs weekly on stations around the country.
Warren's Homepage
Ed Willett Cello, Vocals
One of the nation’s most accomplished cellists, Willett earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California School of Music in Los Angeles, California. He was chosen to participate in the world-renowned atigorsky master class for cellists. Ed also performs with Cheryl Leah as Chance.
Jack Gunderson Bass, Vocals, Actor
Jack Gunderson started performing as a child and has studied at the University of Minnesota and the Meadowbrook School of Music. He has performed with many musical ensembles including the
Edgewater 8, Robert Shaw Chorale, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Minnesota Opera.
Bruce Burnside Mandolin, Banjo, Vocals
Holding degrees in History and English, Bruce studies the evolution and playing techniques of fretted instruments. He is the Artistic Director of
Forgotten Wisdom, which specializes in school residencies using music to teach history and organizational skills.
Bruce Bowers Violin, Flute, Vocals, Electronic Woodwinds
Bruce Bowers started playing in 1965 and is an accomplished musician playing numerous instruments. He has written film and television scores including "Beneath the North Atlantic," which was nominated for an Emmy. Bruce is the digital editor for
Tent Show Radio.
Tom Mitchell Percussion, Vocals, Actor
Tom is a versatile performer who excels in his work as a percussionist as well as being a fine actor, mime and vocalist.
Tom and colleague Jan Lee wrote One Man’s River a play that
integrates the Sioux River and musings about fishing and life. Tom
has performed it at Washburn’s Stage North as well as recorded it on
CD. He works part time in the Community Support program working with people with major mental illness.
Phillip Anich BTC Operations Manager, Vocals, Actor
Born and raised in Ashland, Phillip discarded a very promising career with the Postal Inspection Service for the lure of the tent. A UW-Eau Claire graduate with a BA in Political Science, Phillip's formal musical training includes several years with the
Singing Statesmen.
Andy Dee Guitar, dobro A founding member of Warner recording artists
Molly & The Heymakers, Andy lives in the Minneapolis metro area,
where he is an in-demand multi-instrumentalist, session musician,
producer, and writer, for top Twin Cities and national artists such
as Soul Asylum, The Proclaimers, Jonny Lang, Robby Vee, GB Leighton
and others. His commercial credits include TV and radio spots for
BMW, MTV, ESPN, Chipotle, United Airlines, Alamo, Walmart, John
Deere, Harley, Culvers, Gedney, Target, Staples, and others.
Cheryl Leah Vocals
Cheryl is a vocalist, composer, and a published poet and lyricist. Known in the music world for her staunch adherence to the pursuit of originality, she has gained the respect of a stunningly wide array of prominent musicians. Her voice is one of a kind. Cheryl also performs with Ed Willet as Chance.
Dr. Severin Behnen Vocal Director, Keyboard, Accordion, Vocals
Severin Behnen is a free lance jazz pianist and performer from the Minneapolis area. He has taught jazz piano performance, theory, composition and improvisation at the McPhail Center for the Arts in Minneapolis. Severin
has completed several residencies at MN and WI high schools, working
with students to write and arrange their own songs. Has toured and
performed in Europe and Asia.
Sally Kessler Vocals, Actress
Sally is a regular performer in many of Big Top Chautauqua's
Original Shows. She is a talented actress, singer and mime. For the past 22 years her day job has been an Educational Specialist for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Cal Aultman Bass guitar This Grand Rapids, Minnesota native began playing the bass and
guitar in 1965. In 1979 he moved to Madison, Wisconsin, to join
Warren Nelson and Don Pavel and form the trio that would become the
Lost Nation String Band. Other career highlights include a
1991 summer tour of Soviet Georgia with the Racine Theater Guild and
a U.S. tour with Shotgun Red, a Nashville based band.
Betty Ferris Visuals Director/Projectionist
As a creative partner in the Nelson-Ferris Concert Company, Betty Ferris has collaborated in the development of numerous illustrated musical histories for live performance and museum installation. She is a Communications Specialist and website editor for University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries.
Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua (sha-ta-qwa) is a year round non profit
performing arts organization with a rich history. We operate an intimate
900-seat, all-canvas, state-of-the-art tent theater, producing and
presenting a seventy-plus night summer season of concerts, plays, lectures,
and a highly acclaimed professional local troupe which performs original
multi-media musicals in the tent and on tour. Tent Show Radio, a weekly one
hour program which showcases live performances from the Big Top Stage, is
aired on public radio stations throughout the country.
We are nestled at the base of Mt. Ashwabay Ski Hill, 3 miles south of
Bayfield, Wisconsin, overlooking Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands
National Lakeshore. Our summer schedule includes performances by renowned
national, regional and touring musicians and runs from mid June to early
September. On balmy summer nights the tent sidewalls can be lifted and
people may sit outside and even up on the hillside. The sound is superb and
on clear nights you can see the Milky Way and sometimes even the Northern
Lights!
I didn't even know I was friends with you guys on here.
This is Alex Sutherland (Calling September is my solo acoustic project) My I know Cal through my dad. It was great watching that event ya'll had down in Minneapolis for the PBS recording. Seeing it live was a great time. Love what ya'll do.
We had a blast at Celebration Of The Song. We made new friends, connected with old friends, and found the workshops exciting. The venue and the whole area are beautiful.
Former Ashwabay neighbors, I am so deeply saddened with the news I received tonight of the passings of Mark and Don. I've cried all night! They were two really great guys with a whole bunch of talent. When my family and I use to volunteer at the tent Don always had a good time teasing my daughters and son making them laugh. My memory of Mark and his wife was at Patsy's. They both were so incredibly nice. Mark I remember him playing with the band, he was really really good! My heart breaks for you all and I'm so sorry I never got to see them both again. Peace to you all. Sincerely, Sue Johnson
I always liked working with Don when I worked at the Big Top. He had a small town charm and big time talent. One of the best guitar players I ever got to witness in any musical setting. Big Top definately loses an asset but the band will play on. The comment about playing on seems to very much fit Don and he would have wanted it that way. My prayers are with him, his family and loved ones. Thank you Don!
The Blue Canvas Orchestra & Singers
