Duo with Earlham Ties Join to
Present Family Fun

For Immediate Release:
Nov. 19, 2008

Carrie Newcomer

RICHMOND, Ind. — Singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer joins author/musician Bill Harley for an evening of story, song, truth and tall tales on Wednesday, Dec. 3, in Earlham College's Goddard Auditorium.

"An Evening with Carrie Newcomer and Bill Harley" is part of the College's Artist and Lecture Series and begins at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and students and are available by calling 765/983-1373.

In addition to the evening performance, Newcomer and Harley present a free lecture entitled "That's My Job" during convocation at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3, also in Goddard Auditorium. The lecture is open to the public, and does not require tickets.

"Carrie and I will be doing some songs together and complementing each other's work," Harley says of the evening performance. "We've even written some new material for the show."

Bill Harley

Both performers have ties to Earlham; Harley's son is a current student and Newcomer's daughter is a 2005 graduate. The Earlham performance is the first show the two have presented together.

Newcomer says the show will explore the growing interest she sees in musicians and songwriters who are "honestly exploring the good questions without giving easy answers. … I find these types of questions are being seriously considered on college campuses, and I like being able to present them in an artistic format that welcomes deeper conversation," she says. "Earlham has always attempted to be an integral part of the community and welcomes everyone. I think this concert will be in keeping with that attitude."

The duo's afternoon convocation addresses calling and vocation.

"As a storyteller and songwriter, it's my job to talk about things that are important," Harley says. "I'm also an observer as part of my life's work, so the question of what people are called to do and how it affects their lives is an interesting one to me. I'm constantly having to address the issue of what my work is and how should I go about it."

Newcomer, who grew up in Elkhart, Ind., and now lives in Bloomington, Ind., says she is often asked how she can afford to follow her heart.

"I'm not trying to be flippant when I respond with ‘How can you afford not to?" she says. "There are many different kinds of costs in this life."

"My vocation and calling was not listed on the chalkboard on junior high school career day," she says. "If I thought that to be a successful musician I had to be the next Britney Spears, I would have bagged this whole thing a long time ago." 

 "I'm here to say there is a way to incorporate what you love into your daily work and life," she says. "It may not look the way you expect, but it will be interesting, surprising and allow you to give your most potent contributions."

These programs are supported, in part, by a grant from the Indiana Arts Commission's (IAC) Presenter Touring Program, which helps Indiana presenters book Hoosier artists. In addition to the IAC sponsorship, the presentations are also supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Holiday Inn of Richmond and Earlham's Artist and Lecture Series Endowed Fund.

— EC —

Contact:
Mark Blackmon, director of media relations
765/983-1256 — E-Mail Mark

Earlham College · 801 National Road West · Richmond, Indiana 47374-4095
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This page last updated: November 19, 2008