Lojo Russo and Abbie Sawyer – The Goldfinch Room

Stephens Auditorium and Reiman Gardens are hosting The Goldfinch Room Songwriter Showcase at Reiman Gardens. This partnership brings together singers/songwriters from the Midwest in the Goldfinch Room tradition of storytelling with the stunning beauty of Reiman Gardens. Performances will take place in the Reiman Gardens’ Catalpa Courtyard. Season passes will be available as well as tickets to can be found here: https://www.center.iastate.edu/gfr-reiman-gardens/. Reiman Gardens members will receive free admission to the performances.

Lojo Russo: Lojo Russo has been making music along the ‘Big Muddy’ for most of her life. Born in California she likes to keep the river to her East and currently calls the Quad Cities (IA) home – performing mostly as a solo touring artist. But, most of her childhood and early adult years were spent in and around the Twin Cities (MN) music scene. Self-taught on guitar and voice Russo spent her formative years in different bands in the Twin Cities (MN) playing guitar, bass and mandolin in all sorts of folk, funk, jazz, jam, Irish and indie bands. The range of genres gave her a broader understanding of the music she played and a deeper understanding of the music she wanted to create. Those early years earned Russo a nomination for a “Mammy” (MN Music Award) for “Best Folk Artist” and the title of “Best Female Artist” from MN Women’s Press.

Abbie Sawyer: Abbie Sawyer is a Midwest singer-songwriter who uncovers meaning and beauty with her heartfelt lyrics, “unforgettable voice” (Little Village Magazine), and “stunningly intimate” sound (dsm Magazine). As a life-long performer and musician, Abbie captivates live audiences with a deeply-felt, intimate style using her acoustic guitar, voice, and original music, bringing warmth and wonder to her performances. Abbie has shared billings with The Righteous Babes, Rufus Wainwright, Leyla McCalla, Lake Street Dive, The New Mastersounds, and Fitz & the Tantrums. She has toured internationally and her projects have over 40 million streams on Spotify.

Reiman Garden members receive free admission to all the Songwriter Showcases. For non-members, Stephens Auditorium is offering season passes at $50 and Individual show tickets at $15 in advance and $20 day of show. Passes and tickets do include free admission to Reiman Gardens on the afternoon of the performance. The Goldfinch Room Songwriter Showcase at Reiman Gardens is supported by Ames Community Arts Council, Discover Ames Community Grant Award with additional underwriting support from Doug and Gwenna Jacobson and David and Bonnie Orth.