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An American Songline

Journeys in Vintage Music with Cecelia Otto

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2020

Reflections on “The Songs of World War One” Program

November 11, 2020 by Cece

July 2017 performance at the Hayesville Opera House (built 1886) in Ohio, on the National Historic Register, taken with in-house hand-painted historic backdrops. Photo by Mike Hocker.

In March of 2017, two years after I performed my first Lincoln Highway concert, I debuted my second big concert program titled, “The Songs of World War One”. I knew that people would learn and enjoy the program, but I had no idea how it would be received. It was a wonderful surprise to find out not only that people enjoyed the concerts, but that I performed the music well past the 100th anniversary of the Armistice – all the way to November of 2019.

In those two and a half years of performing those songs, I met and connected with so many people nationwide who had their own stories and songs to share. And those stories made me think of all of the programs in a whole new way, and they changed me. It’s been a year since I last wore my re-created uniform, and I felt impelled to share some of what I saw and learned with you all.

  1. I had people of all backgrounds come to hear me sing and learn about this moment in history. The First World War is often a footnote in American history for your average person in the US. They didn’t learn about it (much) in school, and that’s more often than not because we really weren’t the “heroes” as we were in World War Two. And with the 1918 flu pandemic, Prohibition, The Great Depression and more, the Great War often takes a backseat in some history books and lesson plans. I was a part of a WWI marker dedication in Boise, Idaho in 2018. Because of the aforementioned circumstances, they never had a memorial put up in their Veterans’ Park, and were finally able to commemorate it a century later.
  2. Because of this war being overlooked, the roles that women played in the WWI are often forgotten or unknown here. My uniform as a contract Army surgeon was often a topic of discussion; people either thought I was “playing a non-American woman” onstage (French or Russian), or they assumed that it was not a “real costume”. I deliberately chose to re-create a surgeon’s uniform because of two reasons: 1) To highlight roles beyond what most people know (i.e. a nurse or a “Hello Girl”) and 2) To show modern audiences that some women who had special expertise were hired for their knowledge versus taking on a volunteer role (women were not allowed to enlist at the time).
  3. People often ask me if any contentious things happened at my shows. “Do things get political during your concerts?” they would ask. My answer: Never. People leave their personal beliefs at the door, they come to learn, sing along and have a laugh. I take my responsibility as a performer and historian to hold and create a space where they can come back in time with me without present-day judgements. And that shared experience builds community in the best way possible.
  4. Hearing the stories of veterans after shows – I still have no words that can express how much these moments have changed me. In two and a half years, I met lots of vets who served in World War Two, Korea, Vietnam, and in later wars. They would come up to me and share their stories with me. Stories of family members who served, stories of things that happened while they served. Things they learned while doing historic research on their own families or soldiers who served in their towns. It honored me that they felt so moved by the music to come to me afterwards to share these things with me, and it’s informed how I continue to sing and show up for people today.

One of the most important comments I received from a Vietnam veteran after a 2019 performance that has stayed with me ever since was, “I wanted to let you know I fought in Vietnam, and tonight’s concert made me think about war in a way I’ve never thought about before. Thank you.”

Every time I think about that moment in time, time stops for me. I can still see the look in his eyes when he shared this insight for him. I can still feel the adrenalin that courses through my body after a show drop immediately and his words took my breath away. While I share America’s history through these concerts and I’m grateful to be able to do so, it’s in those connections and spaces where everything moves into a life of its own which is the most important thing not only for you as an attendee, but for me as well.

For the veterans who are reading this, thank you for your service. I would not be able to share my songs and knowledge with the world without you, and I’m grateful for that. For those who have lost a friend or family member who served, I am truly sorry for your loss and every time I bring these songs back to life, I am thinking about them hold them with the highest honors in my heart. I hope to perform the World War One program again someday in the future, but in the interim I welcome your thoughts and your stories, either in the comments or reach out to me privately via email or the contact page. Thank you.

Filed Under: 2020, History, Music, Travel-General, World War One Tagged With: Historic Music, Living History, Music, veteran, Veterans Day, World War One, WWI

2020 Update – What Have I Been Up to, and How Can You Support American Songline?

October 7, 2020 by Cece

Hello all!

I can’t believe it’s October of 2020 as I’m writing this. I’m sure you are all asking the same question I’m asking — where has this year gone? It’s honestly not the best turn of phrase, as many of us know where this year has gone, but the passage of time has been so odd these past several months. But back to the main question at hand, what have I and American Songline been up to this year? Surprisingly, it’s been much more interesting than I thought!

What I’ve Been Up To This Year

Prior to lockdown in mid-March, I was extremely busy and having an amazing year. Typically, my performance and touring season runs from May-November, but this year my calendar was booked from February-November. You can even read about it in this article that was published on March 10th by ArchivesAWARE. I had performed my Women’s Suffrage program a couple of times, and I had presented at two living history conferences talking about suffrage music and the Lincoln Highway. I was in Illinois in mid-March, and it was very tense flying home to Portland as there were concerns the airports could shut down and I’d be stranded there.

Some concerts were immediately cancelled while I was on the road, while other cancellations trickled in over the weeks. I got some postponements to 2021, and some organizations asked if I had recorded suffrage music they could use for their own virtual events, which was pretty cool. Like you, it was a lot of waiting to see how things would evolve in the coming weeks.

But then I couldn’t wait anymore. Finally, a suffrage performance in August that had been booked in 2018 had decided we would go ahead and do it as a virtual concert for their patrons. As a person who prides themselves on being as authentic as possible, it was tough to wrap my head around conveying historic music to any empty room and through a camera lens. The final verdict – it WORKED! Over 15 US states and two countries attended my very first virtual concert. It was a different experience for both me and the audience to be sure, but I could perform this music and do it justice in a virtual setting.

That one performance also opened up doors for me to think about my work in the world, and how I could perform outside of in-person concerts or presentations. ArchivesAWARE! asked me back to reflect on my performances six months later, and I shared how I envision my work with American Songline in this recent post. Given that it will take time for me to perform in front of live audiences again, people are yearning for quality entertainment, and budgets for many places will be limited, I am offering options that would work for many places and people all over the world.

The one thing I want to share with you all is that the Women’s Suffrage program will not disappear when 2020 is over. I’ve worked too long and hard on this program to not have it be heard, and the stories and songs of these women need to be shared. Susan B. Anthony’s birthday is still celebrated every year, Women’s History Month will be just as important in the coming years, and as long as voting rights are debated in the US, I feel it’s important that this concert is a resource for people. So it is my hope that I can and will perform this music next year (currently taking bookings for both 2021 and 2022) and beyond.

How Can One Support a Touring Musician Like Me During This Time?

People have been asking me how they can support me during this intense time in our world, and there are several options, some of which don’t cost a cent but help me get seen. Consider doing these for other independent musicians you follow too!

  1. Join my Patreon Community. I do special events and behind-the-scenes updates for all Patrons, and Patrons also get first access to new music, including the Prohibition program I’m currently working on.
  2. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel. I’ll be releasing more videos of concert footage that’s never been seen, and this is the main platform I’ll use when I livestream concerts, AMA events (Ask Me Anything), and more.
  3. Subscribe to my email list at the bottom of this page. As people grow weary of social media, I’m going back to connecting with people via email. The newsletters will come twice a month, and I plan on sharing both historic and music updates.
  4. Follow my Facebook and Instagram pages. I won’t totally jump ship on these platforms and will share updates there, but people on my email list, Patreon and YouTube pages will see them first.
  5. Write a positive review on my Facebook page or for my merchandise on iTunes, Amazon or CD Baby, as this helps drive my visibility up and new people can find me. The big “ask” I have for you is that when you write these reviews, pretend like you don’t know me personally (i.e. “the author does a great job of” or “Cecelia’s shows are…”). Don’t use any of these sites? Send me a written or video testimonial instead.
  6. Last but not least, consider making a general donation or buying books and CDs from me as holiday gifts for others or yourself. You can buy them via Amazon, CD Baby/various websites, or you can buy them directly from me. There are books and CDs for the Lincoln Highway, World War One, and Suffrage programs still available. I will no longer be carrying all of my merchandise with me when I’m touring in the future, so if you want any of those items this is your best way to get them.

No matter where you are reading this, I hope you are safe and well and I hope you continue to stay healthy. Please say hi, ask questions, and comment below!

Filed Under: 2020, Business Update Tagged With: 2020, Business updates, Centennial of Suffrage, COVID, Historic Music, Living History, Patreon, Prohibition, vintage music, Virtual Performing, Votes for Women, Womens Suffrage

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