Superbloom – 2023 Season Finale

Set 1

Wild Goose Chase Cloggers

Band

  • Clayton Schanilec – Fiddle
  • Eric Lind – Fiddle
  • Rachael Sexton – Banjo
  • Sarah King – Guitar
  • Sean Roderick – Bass

Dancers

  • Amanda Yourd, Anna Mason, Anne Hake, Emily Phillips, Gunther Wolff, John Njoes, Julia Nissen, Katie Kelly, Laura Fritz, Laura Hammer, and Nico Ouslant 

Set 2

Prairie Fire Lady Choir

Settle Down

  • Written by Kimbra and François Tétaz
  • Arranged by Rachel Buchberger and Sara Tinklenberg
  • Solos by Anna Miller and Dani Hans

All My Little Words

  • Written by Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields
  • Arranged by Valerie Kahler

Picture in a Frame

  • Written by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan
  • Arranged by Valerie Kahler
  • Solo by Stephanie Kitzhaber

Shake It Out

  • Written by Paul Epworth, Thomas Hull, and Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine
  • Arranged by Karla Kapaun and Klair Hans

No Roots

  • Written by Alice Merton and Nicolas Rebscher
  • Arranged by Stefan Flügel, adapted by Klair Hans 
  • Klair Hans on Cajon
  • Accompanied by Anna Mason, John Njoes, Julia Nissen, and Laura Hammer of Wild Goose Chase Cloggers

Enter Mr. Sandman

  • Mashup of Enter Sandman, written by James Hettfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett of Metallica and Mr. Sandman, written by Pat Ballard, performed by The Chordettes
  • Arranged by Laura Borgendale and Annette Schiebout 

The Chain

  • Written by Fleetwood Mac, in the style of The Highwomen
  • Arranged by Ashley Webb and Lisa Heyman

Oh Lovely Sun Child

  • Medley of Here Comes the Sun, written by George Harrison of The Beatles, Lovely Day, written by Bill Withers and Skip Scarborough, and O-o-h Child, written by Stan Vincent, performed by Five Stairsteps
  • Arranged by Nichole Pelerine 

Electric Bird

  • Written by Sia and Henry Binns
  • Arranged by Meghan Phadke, Kim Bahmer, Caly McMorrow, and Fiona Kelly

Smile

  • Written by Maisie Peters
  • Arranged by Caly McMorrow

Hide and Seek

  • Written by Imogen Heap
  • Arranged by Merrilee Brown 

Floodplain Ballad

  • Written by Molly Balcom Raleigh
  • Arranged by Richard Rasch
  • Solo by Sarah Callahan

Sisters Roar

  • Medley of I Am Woman, written by Helen Reddy and Ray Burton and We’re Not Gonna Take It, written by Dee Snider of Twisted Sister
  • Arranged by Alissa Jones, Kelley Hinze-Francis, and Andrew Berkowitz 

Hot Knife

  • Written by Fiona Apple
  • Arranged by Molly Bloom
  • Caly McMorrow on Cajon

Everything is Awful

  • Written by Colin Meloy of The Decemberists
  • Arranged by Kara Greshwalk, with Samuel Ahern and Caly McMorrow
  • Kara Greshwalk on Cajon

Burn the White Flag

  • Written by Natalie Closner, Meegan Closner, and Allison Closner of Joseph
  • Arranged by Valerie Kahler
  • Nora Riemenschneider on Cajon

When the Party’s Over

  • Written by Finneas O’Connell, performed by Billie Eilish
  • Arranged by Stephanie Kitzhaber and Sara Tinklenberg

Anthem

  • Mashup of Anthem and Hallelujah, written by Leonard Cohen
  • Arranged by Valerie Kahler 

Run to the Window

  • Written by Matt Latterell
  • Arranged by Rachel Buchberger 

Thank You for Being a Friend

  • Written by Andrew Gold and Cynthia Fee
  • Arranged by Ashley Webb 

Superbloom

  • Written by Ben Darwish, Frans Mernick, Cal Shapiro, and Mandy Lee of Misterwives
  • Arranged by Merrilee Brown
  • Solo by Annie Schiferl

Prairie Fire Lady Choir Members 2023

Holly Amaya, Tawnya Artisst, Molly Beahen, Molly Bloom, Jen Broden, Merrilee Brown, Sarah Callahan, Marijke Decuir, Leah Drury, Erica Edwardson, Brenna Everson, Ellen Farnham, Janna Fitzgerald, Kristina Fjellman, Gretchen Gallagher Weinstein, Kara Greshwalk, Dani Hans, Klair Hans, Catherine Hastings, Lisa Heyman, Lizzy Hinman, Kelley Hinze-Francis, Claudia Holt, Kinzy Janssen, Kate Johnson, Alissa Jones, Valerie Kahler, Karla Kapaun, Fiona Kelly, Nicole Kitzhaber, Steph Kitzhaber, Amber Larson, Laura Lindsay, Heidi McFadyen, Caly McMorrow, Anna Miller, Emily Murphy, Keelin Nave, Sheena Nelson, Nichole Pelerine, Christina Perfetti, Anna Raudenbush, Katie Reed, Nora Riemenschneider, Erin Rohne, Annette Schiebout, Annie Schiferl, Jori Shore, Byrd Shuler, Laura Sleck, McKenna Stackhouse, Amy Stomberg, Haley Van Cleve, Laura Vance, Heidi VanDixhorn, Erin Walsh, Ashley Webb, Amy Wilkerson, Kelly Wolford

Family Tree Clinic

We’re delighted to share a portion of proceeds from this year’s finale with Family Tree Clinic, a change agent cleverly disguised as a sexual health and education center. Since 1971, Family Tree has been cultivating a healthy community through comprehensive sexual health care and education. We believe everyone is deserving of not only high-quality and affordable services, but also affirming, individualized, and respectful care. And that’s exactly what they deliver. From person-centered medical care and specialized LGBTQ services, to comprehensive sex education and authentic community engagement, no other clinic in the upper Midwest provides the unique combination of services they do. Family Tree provides the gold standard of sexual health care and education to over 20,000 people each year. And we know they can ensure this standard for many more with your support.

Thank you for your support!

🎉 Announcing our 2023 Season Finale: SUPERBLOOM

We can’t wait to welcome you to our 2023 season finale in November!  We’ll be singing many of our familiar classics and also introducing new favorites, like Florence + The Machine’s “Shake it Out,” a fun mashup of the Beatles, Bill Withers and Five Stairsteps, a sweet arrangement of a beloved television theme song, and, inspiring this season’s show title, “Superbloom” by Misterwives.

Our Collaborators: Wild Goose Chase Cloggers

We are so excited to share the stage with our friends the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers!  You’ll get to enjoy their traditional Appalachian clogging to open the show, and we’re working on a couple of songs we plan to perform together! 

The Venue: The Cedar Cultural Center

And we’re thrilled to return to one of our favorite performance spaces, The Cedar Cultural Center.  Tickets for this all-ages show are $22 in advance or $27 at the door.  A 20% discount is available for groups of 10 tickets or more at one time.

We’re delighted to share a portion of proceeds from this year’s finale with Family Tree Clinic, a change agent cleverly disguised as a sexual health and education center. Since 1971, Family Tree has been cultivating a healthy community through comprehensive sexual health care and education. We believe everyone is deserving of not only high-quality and affordable services, but also affirming, individualized, and respectful care. And that’s exactly what they deliver. From person-centered medical care and specialized LGBTQ services, to comprehensive sex education and authentic community engagement, no other clinic in the upper Midwest provides the unique combination of services they do. Family Tree provides the gold standard of sexual health care and education to over 20,000 people each year. And we know they can ensure this standard for many more with your support.

🔥 Upcoming Gigs!

Summer so far…

Those in the Twin Cities know this summer has been full of record breaking heat.  Well, PFLC can’t say we’re responsible for the scorching temps but we can’t say we’re NOT responsible either due to all the amazing shows we’ve had!  We’ve been having so much fun at our gigs this Summer. In case you missed them, fret not…. here are some highlights.  And there are more chances to see us this summer into fall; keep scrolling to see more upcoming gigs below.

Stone Arch Bridge Festival

Twin Cities Pride Festival

Summer Girls at the Turf Club

Coming Up
We’re fired up about these upcoming shows and hope to see you there!

Bands on the Bluff
Friday, August 11, 7:00pm
Historic Fort Snelling at the Klas Overlook (map)
More Information

Minnesota State Fair!
Sunday, August 27th
Set 1 – 1:00 – 1:30 pm
Set 2 – 2:30 – 3:00 pm
Cosgrove Stage (map)

Music in the Parks
Friday, September 1, 7:00pm
Minnehaha Falls Bandshell (map)
More Information

Center for Performing Arts – Centennial Event
Saturday, September 23, 6:00 – 10:00 pm
PFLC Performance time TBD
Center for Performing Arts (map)
More Information
Save the Date!
Our 2023 Season Finale will take place on Friday, November 3rd.

Stay tuned for more details!
Merch!
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Show your support with MERCH!

Join Prairie Fire Lady Choir at an upcoming show!

Dear friends,

It’s hard to believe that we’re already nearing the end of summer! Prairie Fire Lady Choir has had a busy season of gigs, learning new music, and reconnecting after a couple of challenging years. We’ve performed quite a few times already in 2022 – at the Art Shanty Projects, the Mall of America, Art-a-Whirl, Lake Harriet Bandshell, and Twin Cities Pride. It’s been fun to perform, but even better to gather and sing with one another.

We have some exciting gigs coming up in the next few months. We’d love to see you there!

Upcoming Shows

August 17 (tonight!): Amphitheater at Lyndale Gardens

  • 7:00 pm
  • Lyndale Gardens Amphitheater: 6400 Lyndale Ave S., Richfield, MN 55423 (map)
  • More information
  • NOTE: There is a chance of rain tonight. Watch Facebook and Twitter for updates.

August 27: Minnesota State Fair

  • Three performances: 3:30, 4:30 and 5:30
  • Minnesota State Fair Cosgrove Stage (between Wright Ave and Dan Patch, near the 4-H building) (map)
  • More information

September 17: Linden Hills Fall Festival

October 8: 2022 Finale!

  • 7:00 pm
  • Como Dock and Paddle Pavilion, 1360 Lexington Pkwy N, St. Paul, MN 55103 (map)
  • More information coming soon!

Auditions!

We WILL be holding auditions in 2023! If you’re interested in auditioning for Prairie Fire Lady Choir, stay tuned to our Facebook page for all the details. We’ll also send out an email as the audition date approaches.

Follow us on FacebookInstagram, Twitter and TikTok  to stay updated on upcoming shows, auditions, and other choir shenanigans. We hope to see you at a show!
xoxo,
Prairie Fire Lady Choir

 

🔥 Prairie Fire Lady Choir is Back! 🔥

The members of Prairie Fire Lady Choir rehearsing

 prairiefireladychoir.org

Dear friends,
After nearly 18 months of virtual rehearsals, Prairie Fire Lady Choir is singing together once again! We had fun on Zoom, but are grateful to be rehearsing in person instead of virtually. (Note: we are continuing to put safety at the forefront, requiring our members to be vaccinated and to wear masks at rehearsals.)

Looking Ahead to 2022

What’s more exciting than rehearsing together? Performing together! We are thrilled to announce that we’re performing at the Art Shanty Projects in early 2022.

The Art Shanty Projects

The Art Shanty Project was our last performance in 2020 before Covid struck, and we’re excited to get back into live performances at one of our favorite events. We hope you join us for this full circle moment!

PFLC performs on January 29. Exact time TBD. Watch our website or the Art Shanty Projects website for more information.

Give to the Max!

Give to the Max image

Like many arts organizations, the pandemic significantly disrupted our operations and finances. As we head into the 2022 season and *fingers crossed* more regular rehearsals and performances, we’ll gratefully accept any donations that are sent our way. We’re participating in Give to the Max Day on November 18 – visit our GiveMN page for information or to donate!

Auditions

As much as we love welcoming new members into the choir, we have decided not to hold auditions for the 2022 season. With so many current members who have yet to experience a regular season, and with the uncertainty of the pandemic, it makes the most sense to wait until the world is a little less…unusual.

Finale Retrospective

The PFLC season finale is not just a showcase of our repertoire, but an opportunity to collaborate with our local music scene. Each year, we reach out to our dream collaborator and hope that they too, want to work with us. Together, we come up with a vision and at the end of the year we execute that vision, one time only, before a live audience.

It’s been two years since our last finale performance and we’re missing it, deeply.
Take a trip down memory lane with us and enjoy some epic songs and amazing local talent from years past!

2013 Season Finale
While Prairie Fire lady choir has been around since 2010 and performing finale concerts since 2011, this is the first performance to be caught on camera. Here we are at The Cedar Cultural Center singing our rep as well as Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love” with Matt Latterell and “Birds Are Always“, an original song by Haley

Song Birds
In 2013, PFLC received a Metropolitan Regional Arts Council grant to work with Aby Wolf on an original song-writing project. During the off-season, choir members wrote 14 new songs! These songs, along with many others, were performed at the 2014 finale concert held at the Cedar.

Sound Waves
Our 2015 collaboration with the delightful dudechoir Murder of Bros took place at The Cedar Cultural Center and included a rowdy rendition of “Women and Men” by They Might Be Giants and “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill. In fact, we loved the latter so much that we incorporated it into our repertoire!

So Contagious
Our friend Matt Latterell joined us again in 2016, this time at McNally Smith, for a reprise of “Satellite of Love as well as “Busby Berkeley Dreams” by The Magnetic Fields. Lyrics from Matt’s original song “Run to the Window generated our show title So Contagious and boy does that have a different meaning today!

Anthems and Monuments
2017 was a big year with lots of new music made possible by another MRAC grant. We joined forces with Chris Koza, who wrote an entire suite of music inspired by water. We performed this set only twice. Once, at the intimate North Garden Theatre followed by an encore performance at Grace Trinity Community Church.
Set 1 with Chris Koza
Set 2 PFLC

Heart Break Open
Back at the Cedar for our 2018 season finale! This year we performed a soulful rendition of “River” by Leon Bridges with our collaborator Sarah White.

Months of Moon
We had so much fun in 2019 at our last finale performance! We always feel at home at the Cedar Cultural Center and our collaborator PaviElle was on fire! Highlights from the show include Heart’s “Magic Man“, and “Under the Bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Check out our website for the latest details on all our activities or keep track of our doings on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We miss you and hope you are well!

XOXO
Prairie Fire Lady Choir

Staying Connected in 2020

Dear friends,

How we have missed you and each other in these strange times!  Though we’ve made the difficult but prudent decision to not rehearse and not perform for all of you this year, we are staying connected to one another and cannot wait for times ahead when we can share our songs with you again.  You can see us being our silly selves in the above picture of one of our virtual Zoom rehearsals, featuring some of our 16 new members’ beautiful faces!

A Look Back at 2019

We were honored to collaborate with local powerhouse PaviElle in our 2019 finale Months of Moon, held last November at the Cedar Cultural Center.  We premiered two new pieces: Under The Bridge originally performed by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Magic Man, originally performed by Heart.  Check out our performance here and don’t blame us if you can’t get this music out of your head!

“Magic Man” – PaviElle and the Prarie Fire Lady Choir
“Under The Bridge” – PaviElle and the Prairie Fire Lady Choir

                

photo credit: SisuPhoto

Making Meaningful Change in 2020

As a local arts nonprofit, we are very aware of and grateful for the impact art has on individuals, communities, and the world around us. Art can be an expression of pain, it can be a collective healing, and it can be a battle cry.  In the last few weeks it has felt like all three.

In the face of current events, and in the shadow of centuries of unspeakable violence against our Black communities, it feels impossible to know what to say.  But this much is clear: Black lives matter, structural and individual racism is a plague in this nation and must be ended by the people who benefit from and perpetuate it, and immediate action must be taken to ensure justice.  

These actions will take many unique forms, and our PFLC board is working on what that will look like for our choir.  Some first steps will be:

  • Working with our Social Justice and Inclusion Committee to examine the ways in which white supremacy shows up in our organization

  • Donating to Juxtaposition Arts, a North Minneapolis-based art and design center for young urban artists that has been making Minneapolis’ creative economy more equitable for the last 25 years

  • Encouraging our fans to reroute any donations they might have given to our organization to Juxtaposition Arts instead

To be successful, this work must be authentic, consistent, and continual.  We look forward to doing the work with you.

Check out our website for the latest details on all our activities or keep track of our doings on FacebookInstagram, and Twitter. We miss you and hope you are well!

XOXO
Prairie Fire Lady Choir

2020 Auditions Coming in February!

Prairie Fire Lady Choir is excited to announce that we will be holding auditions for the 2020 season in February. To learn more about the audition process, how to register, and what it’s like to sing with us, please visit our Audition information page.

Thanks for your interest!

Announcing Prairie Fire Lady Choir’s 2019 Season Finale

We hope you’ve enjoyed the many “seasons” of our gigs this year. Whether singing outdoors at a frosty 331 Club for Art-a-Whirl this spring, sweating it out at the Aquatennial Lock and Dam or Como Lake Pavilion this summer, or staying warm at an unseasonably cool late-August night at the Lake Harriet Bandshell, we’ve been bringing our trademark heat!

As we close out our 2019 season, we wanted to share with you the exciting details of our upcoming finale collaboration with local powerhouse PaviElle. Mark your calendars, you won’t want to miss it!

SEASON FINALE
Months of Moon
Prairie Fire Lady Choir Season Finale with Special Guest PaviElle
Friday, November 1, 2019
Doors: 7:00pm / Show: 8:00pm
Cedar Cultural Center
TICKETS / all ages

We are thrilled to return to the Cedar Cultural Center for our finale, Months of Moon, featuring special guest PaviElle! We’re inspired by her multidimensional talent, genuine enthusiasm, dedication to music and the deeper purpose that drives her. We are excited to premiere two new collaborative pieces at the finale, and are grateful for the opportunity to make music together.

TICKET GIVEAWAY
We have one highly sought-after pair of tickets available for two lucky fans! Send an email to hello@prairiefireladychoir.org by Sunday October 27, 2019 at midnight sharing your favorite Prairie Fire Lady Choir moment and you’ll be entered to win! The winner will be notified via email once the contest has ended. We look forward to hearing your memories!

Lady of the Week – Heidi McFadyen


Heidi McFadyen

Soprano 1

How long have you been in the choir?
This is my first season!

What’s your favorite PFLC song?
I celebrate the entire catalog, but Sisters Roar, Rebel Girl, Hive and Burn the White Flag are really fun to sing.

What’s your favorite thing about being in this choir?
I’m in awe of this community of women. Reconnecting with music is great. Working with intelligent, funny, and talented women with high standards to create that music is what makes the choir a special experience.

What do you like to do outside of choir?
I like going to the movies, concerts and theater. I like to learn, and I learn through art.

Who are your favorite local bands/musicians?
I’m from Eau Claire, Wis., so I’ve been an acolyte for Bon Iver/all Justin Vernon projects since forever. Lizzo, Polica and Cloud Cult. My Atmosphere fandom once helped me connect with kind skateboarding youths when I was lost and alone in Honolulu after too many Mai Tais. Minnesota music brings people together!

 What’s your go-to karaoke song?
I do a very intense rendition of 9 to 5. I feel those lyrics hard.

Describe yourself in three words
Overthinking this question.

If there was a movie about your life, who would play you?
Beanie Feldstein as young me, and J. Lo as older me. Where It’s At by Beck would play in the background of the opening scene while I repeatedly hit the snooze bar on my alarm. But…it’s not like I’ve thought about it much.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Oprah.

Lady of the Week – Merrilee Brown


Merrilee Brown

Tenor II 

How long have you been in the choir?
This is my first season 🙂

What’s your favorite PFLC song?
Right now it’s Bikini Kill’s Rebel Girl. Its punchy, upbeat and unapologetic. 🙂

What’s your favorite thing about being in this choir?
When I joined this spring, I gained more than a hobby once a week. I gained a community. The ladies in this choir share their skills, time, and friendship, in and out of rehearsal. There’s no director so every member has their ideas considered equally. Also I love performing and we do about 2 gigs month. WIN. WIN. WIN.

What do you like to do outside of choir?
People+Beer+Patios/Games/Biking/Listening to Podcasts/Karaoke

Who are your favorite local bands/musicians?
Pavielle. Can’t wait to collaborate with her for the finale.

What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Heartbreaker, Pat Benatar

Describe yourself in three words
That loud Texan

If there was a movie about your life, who would play you?
Amy Poehler

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Betty White