BeUVT Celebration of LGBTQIA+ Musicians and Advocacy June 24 @ Zen Barn
Musical Evening at Zen Barn in Waterbury Features Vermont Musicians and LGBTQIA+ Leaders
(WILDER, VT) — Music to Life is pleased to announce today it will co-host BeUVT, a community-driven celebration in collaboration with Big Heavy World to honor Vermont's place in civil rights history and in support of local LGBTQIA+ musicians and activists.
The Smittens.
The musical evening on June 24 at 5pm PT / 7pm CT / 8pm ET will feature a hybrid model of in-person musicians and live audience at Zen Barn in Waterbury, Vermont, as well as other artists and remote attendees on Zoom. Live performers include DJ Craig Mitchell and the pop/folk group The Smittens. Joining by Zoom will be national recording artist Maggie Szabo and “psychedelic cowboy chick” Steph Pappas. Guests of honor include Taylor Small, Vermont’s first openly transgender representative in the state’s General Assembly and Darren Perron of WCAX (Channel 3) who will present historical news footage of the civil union movement in Vermont. Doors open at 5pm; Zen barn has a dinner menu.
Taylor Small.
Taylor Small notes, "I dream of a day when queer representation is more accessible," she says. BeUVT represents an opportunity for Small to encourage artists and allies in this space; she last supported rural libraries across the state to be more inclusive by providing Drag Queen Story Hour via her drag persona, Nikki Champagne.
Craigen.
"In looking back on my life,” says one of the BeUVT performing artists, Craig Mitchell of Craigen, ”I've always been a social justice warrior — recording music and touring for years with shows that dealt with race, religion, sexuality and more. Vermont has given me the space, strength and patience to develop my evolving voice and craft as an artist; I have been honored to help organize BeUVT and can’t wait to share the stage with such an amazing roster of talent. BeUVT helps us all celebrate and support a future where EVERYONE has the freedom to express their true selves and identities and shape their own destinies.”
Having called Vermont home since 2000, Liz Stookey Sunde is delighted to be partnering with Big Heavy World. “We’ve worked around the country with musician change agents and turning our attention to my home state helps us bring our learning closer to home, hone the skills of local artists, and broadcast our pride for Vermont with a national audience.”
James Lockridge, Executive Director of Big Heavy World says, “Our music community reflects Vermont’s aspiration to make a better world. It sets an example for others of self-empowerment and message-making that leads us to positive change. Big Heavy World is grateful to work with Music to Life to highlight and bring more strength and capacity to our activist musicians; they light our way.”
Steph Pappas.
BeUVT is a new movement and annual event series that showcases Vermont-based activist artists. This first event celebrates World Pride month by focusing on LGBTQIA history and advocacy. BeUVT aims to inspire and engage LGBTQIA allies, and amplify the voices of local LGBTQIA musicians who are bringing change to their communities. Funds raised will help Music to Life launch Vermont’s first Activist Musician Accelerator in collaboration with Big Heavy World — an incubator for Vermont-based musicians of all genres, connecting them with the resources, training and partnerships they need to develop effective community-based programs.
Maggie Szabo at the Santa Monica Pride Festival.
The show kicks off at 8pm ET. Tickets are just $10 in-person ($12 at the door) OR live streamed. More information and tickets are available at Music to Life’s website, Zen Barn or via Eventbrite. Proceeds from the event will raise funds for a new collaboration between Music to Life and Big Heavy World to create Vermont’s first Activist Musician Accelerator, supporting social change musicians as they develop music-driven programs to help revitalize our neighborhoods.
The event is wheelchair accessible and made possible with the support of Mascoma Bank, Winooski Strong, 105.9FM The Radiator and others to be announced. Special thanks to Darren Perron and his team at WCAX.
MEDIA CONTACT: Liz Stookey Sunde - info@musictolife.org — (802) 683-9212
About Music to Life: Music to Life is a national nonprofit, co-founded by civil rights icon Noel Paul Stookey (of the 60’s folk trio, Peter, Paul & Mary) and his daughter, Liz Sunde to empower musicians to become catalysts for change in the areas of civil and human rights, climate advocacy, poverty and health. Music to Life’s Activist Musician Accelerator, the first incubator of its kind for activist artists, facilitates innovative partnerships between musicians and communities-in-need. Music to Life is based in Wilder, Vermont. For more, visit www.musictolife.org
About Big Heavy World: Big Heavy World is an independent nonprofit music development office working to archive and promote the original music of Vermont. With a crew of volunteers it publishes information about Vermont’s music industry, archives thousands of Vermont-made recordings, photographs and artifacts, and operates 105.9FM, a radio station highlighting the region’s creative community. In 2020 it was awarded ‘Best Global Music Office’ by an international jury.
