Bridge Music Project artists take their work to new heights with rooftop concert
Many young artists in Thurston County dream of performing in The Washington Center for the Performing Arts.
On Friday, musicians from The Bridge Music Project will be performing on the center.
“Live from the Rooftop,” featuring seven artists who’ve developed their talents with help from the nonprofit’s songwriting workshops, will be streamed on Facebook performing from on high.
“I wanted something that would feel like a spectacle,” said Bridge director Bobby Williams, who came up with the idea. “I wanted to do something epic.
“I’ve since learned that The Beatles did something where they were on a rooftop,” he added, “but I was unaware of that before I came up with the idea.”
It took some time to find the right roof. “I thought the Washington Center would be the perfect place because it’s connected to the arts,” he said. “It has a really high roof, and it turned out it was accessible.”
Another plus: The concert will happen in an area with a sweeping view of the skyline.
“I was elated,” said singer-songwriter Izzy Pierce, one of the featured performers. “I’ve performed before, but never on a roof.”
“We’re so excited,” said Jill Barnes, the Washington Center’s executive director. “I thought the idea was really cool. We did a rooftop tour to check out the spaces.”
Though the Bridge’s workshops aim to teach youth ages 14-21 about self-expression through hip-hop, Pierce and the others on Friday’s bill — Shanelle “Shady B” Berry, Nick Boizot, Noah Cain, Michael Jones, Trevor Muller and Wisdom Taylor — play in a variety of genres.
“These youth are kind of the all-stars of the Bridge,” Williams told The Olympian. “They are people we’ve worked with for a long time who have really developed as artists and who have some really strong music. Everyone who’s performing has earned a place on the stage — or on the roof.”
The concert also has national-level star power: Radio and TV presenter Charlamagne Tha God filmed an introduction for the show.
The rooftop concert — supported by the West Olympia Rotary, Olympia’s Parking and Business Improvement Area, Molina Health, Olympia Federal Savings and Timberline Bank — is the physically distanced version of the Bridge’s summer concert series.
“It totally gets rid of the concern that people will gather,” Williams said. “It’s safer for everyone performing, too.” The musicians will take the stage one or two at a time, he said, with just a few other people, including a film crew from Cabin Light Studios, on the roof.
The Bridge has continued to provide workshops aimed at empowering youth during the pandemic, with some being virtual and others including some in-person elements with physical distancing.
“The show is a statement of ‘We’re still here and serving youth,’ ” Williams said. “And for the youth, it’s a cool opportunity — maybe a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“It sounds like an amazing experience,” Pierce told The Olympian.
She has no fear of heights, she added. “Being up in the air makes me feel like I’m flying.”
The Bridge: ‘Live From the Rooftop’
- What: Musicians nurtured by The Bridge Music Project, which teaches youths about self-expression and self-awareness through songwriting, are live-streaming a concert from the roof of The Washington Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Olympia.
- When: 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21
- Where: Streaming on Facebook
- Tickets: Free, with donations appreciated
- More information: http://facebook.com/events/622849961965177/, bobby@bridgemusicproject.org