Mid-Winter Singing Fest comes to E.L. Hannah Community Center

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Despite having several Grammy and Country Music awards, country singer Suzy Bogguss has not lost sight of what is most important to her — her interaction with her fans.

“I love the idea of people participating and loving it and enjoying it as much as I do,” she said.

Bogguss led an auditorium of 500 people in singing old folk songs on Friday at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road, as part of the 10th annual Mid-Winter Singing Festival.
The weekend event, coordinated by community center songleader Sally Potter and presented by Ten Pound Fiddle Coffeehouse, celebrates the concept of joining together as a community and singing along with various performers.

Although Potter herself is a former folk singer with local group “Second Opinion,” she emphasizes that the audience and the songs themselves are the stars of the show.

“(The people) share a bond,” she said. “They’re sitting in a room with 500 people, most of whom they don’t know, but they’re still sharing a part of themselves, and it’s very powerful.”

The event featured singing workshops led by community members, including MSU Spanish and Portuguese literature professor Miguel Cabanas.

Coming into the workshop, Cabanas said his goal was to have every participant leave with a smile on their face.

“I wanted them to leave feeling happy, feeling like they were part of a community and that we had a meaningful interaction as human beings,” he said.

Cabanas said the most important thing about the festival is the sense of belonging that music provides in the community.

“It brings people together from all over different careers and paths of life, and we all enjoy each other’s company,” he said. “The music is the vehicle for that.”

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