(WOODSTOCK, N.Y.) – Simi Stone, Amy Helm, and two-time Grammy Award-nominee Elizabeth Mitchell headline “Ladies of the Valley,” an intimate evening with some of the Hudson Valley’s best women singers and songwriters, at the Bearsville Theater on Sunday, November 9, 2014, at 7pm. The concert, which also includes performances by Sarah Fimm, Lindsey Webster, Donna Lewis and Lisa Green, is a benefit for Family of Woodstock’s Crisis Hotline and Walk-In Center.
Each singer/songwriter will perform a song of her own and another by a female legend who has influenced her music. Attendees can expect to hear songs by Carole King, Carly Simon, Aretha Franklin and more. “I am thrilled to be helping Family of Woodstock directly in the way that I know,” says Simi Stone who, with the assistance of Mitchell, has stepped in as music coordinator. “I believe Family is the heart of this town (Woodstock). It’s been a refuge for so many. Its existence has nourished and clothed people for years. It’s kept that grit of the pioneer hippies… people helping people. I love it!”
Backing the performers will be Connor Kennedy and Minstrel. The roster of professional singers will be joined by rising young female talent from the Paul Green Rock Academy and some surprise guests, too.
“We are honored that these incredibly talented women are coming together to support Family’s work,” commented Tamara Cooper, Director of Family’s Woodstock Crisis Hotline and Walk-In Center. The idea for the concert came as Cooper and concert producer Lu Ann Bielawa were talking about how poverty and abuse affects the lives of women.
Bielawa has produced other benefit concerts, most recently the Bob Dylan Birthday Concert which also donated proceeds to Family’s Woodstock Center. “I’ve learned that so many requests for help come from women, whether they are mothers or daughters, victims of abuse or suffering from illness. And women make up most of the staff at the Hotline, too. It’s just a fact,” said Bielawa. “We wanted to do something that would celebrate women, highlighting both needs and strengths.”
All of the proceeds from the concert will be donated to the Woodstock Center located at 16 Rock City Road. It has been the hub of Family’s services since the agency’s beginnings in 1970. The Hotline handles all kinds of needs. “We play a key role as Ulster County’s crisis hotline,” reflected Cooper, “but you would be surprised how many people call us in the middle of the night because they may be feeling lonely or frightened. During the day, we might give someone a cup of coffee and end up helping her sort out how to pay an electric bill or move into a safer apartment. Or maybe a man will stop by and get a jacket from our Free Store and then trust us enough to ask for help with a medical problem. Our Food Pantry works twelve hours a day, seven days a week. As our motto says, ‘Any Problem Under the Sun.’ We are so grateful to feel the support of the community at these fund raising events. It makes a huge difference in so many ways.”
Tickets for Ladies of the Valley can be purchased by visiting Bearsville Theater or by phone: 845-679-4406. Ticket prices are: $75/First Row; $50/Golden Circle; Reserved: $35; General/Standing: $25.