Guitarist Floridis and cellist Jennifer Slayden to play benefit concerts
Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 1 day, 3 hours AGO
Missoula-based guitarist and singer-songwriter, John Floridis and cellist, Jennifer Slayden, will perform three benefit concerts Dec. 12, 13 and 14. (Courtesy photo)
Missoula-based guitarist and singer-songwriter, John Floridis, along with cellist, Jennifer Slayden, are scheduled to perform three concerts to benefit the Flathead Youth Home, Samaritan House and FAST Blackfeet.
Floridis and Slayden will be performing seasonal songs, both original and by other artists such as Bruce Cockburn, Patty Larkin, Ben Harper and John Gorka, with lyrics that “speak to the journey from darkness to light.” The duo will also perform material from Floridis’ two seasonal releases “December’s Quiet Joy” and “The Peaceful Season” both of which feature his fingerstyle acoustic guitar arrangements of traditional Christmas and winter-themed compositions.
The first concert, which benefits FAST Blackfeet, will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at the East Glacier Community Center, 416 US 2 East Glacier Park Village. The second concert to benefit the Flathead Youth Home will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 13 at Bias Brewing, 412 S. Main St., Kalispell. The final concert benefitting the Samaritan House is scheduled at 4 p.m. Dec. 14 at Whitefish United Methodist Church, 1150 Wisconsin Avenue in Whitefish.
Floridis, who received the 2024 Individual Artist Award by the Arts Missoula Awards, has performed benefit concerts across the state for 15 years, raising more than $150,000 for nonprofits, according to a press release.
He has shared the stage with Emmylou Harris, Derek Trucks, Shawn Colvin, Richard Thompson and Robert Cray and performed at music festivals such as the Targhee Bluegrass Festival, Folklife Festival and Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival.
Floridis released his 10th recording, “The Dimming Of The Day,” in 2024, which followed “Thankful,” released in early 2023.
Slayden is a 40-year veteran of the Montana music scene, having performed with the Missoula Symphony, the Helena Symphony and the Billings Symphony. She has also performed with popular Missoula groups such as Box of Squash, Tapas and the original incarnation of the popular bluegrass group, North Fork Crossing. She released a children’s recording of her own compositions titled, “Cellobies,” and was a featured performed on Floridis’ album “Thankful.” She is also a music teacher active in the Center for Music by People with Disabilities program in Missoula.
For more information, visit johnfloridis.com.