COYLE — Kathryn Claire, the internationally known singer, fiddler and guitarist, doesn’t hold back when describing the last time she played here.
“It was such an amazing experience for me. Norm was an amazing host, and I loved meeting the community that came out that night,” Claire said of her May 2013 gig at the Laurel B. Johnson Community Center, where Norm Johnson hosts folk musicians at least once a month.
That evening stood out as “one of those great nights where the music and the audience inform one another,” Claire recalled, “and we create this shared moment in time.
“It was really beautiful, and I was excited to get to return with a whole new body of material to share,” in a matinee concert this coming Sunday at 3 p.m.
Admission is free to see Claire and her musical companion, multi-instrumentalist Don Henson, in this next episode of Johnson’s Concerts in the Woods series. As is traditional, donations to support the musicians are welcome, listeners of all ages are invited, and Johnson brings out free coffee and cookies at intermission.
Claire, who’s based in Portland, Ore., has taken her brand of folk music across the planet, traveling to the Netherlands and Belgium for five weeks this fall and then to Japan for two more weeks of touring. She’s happy to be roaming the Pacific Northwest again.
“Music is a universal language, and I look forward to sharing it,” Claire said, adding that Henson, as he plays beside her, is one of her favorite collaborators.
“He is an incredible pianist,” she said, “and one of the most creative percussionists I know. Have you ever seen anyone really play the typewriter, as an instrument, live?
“We are going to put on a really great show.”
Claire promises a variety on Sunday: “rip-roaring fiddle tunes, original, heartfelt songs, foot stomping sing-alongs,” all in a two-hour show.
“I have enjoyed performing in small communities all over the world the past few years, and every time I do, I realize that really we are all so connected through music and community,” she said.
To find out more about the artist, see kathrynclairemusic.com, and for details and directions to the Laurel B. Johnson Community Center, 923 Hazel Point Road, visit coyleconcerts.com. Norm Johnson can be reached too at 360-765-3449 and johnson5485@msn.com.
