The Rural We: Sarah Kohrs
Sarah Kohrs is an up-and-coming singer/songwriter who has been appearing at numerous venues in the Berkshires, including Mission, Gateways Inn, Starving Artist Café and Chocolate Springs. A classically trained pianist, she received a degree from the Eastman School of Music, where she encountered jazz players and fell in love with improvisational jazz. After graduation from Eastman, she earned a law degree at Georgetown University Law Center and practiced law in Boston for several years. Currently she works part-time as an attorney at Cain, Hibbard & Meyers in Great Barrington but much of her time is devoted to her music. On August 3, she will present “Wanda Sings Sarah” at the Mahaiwe Theater in a program which will combine the Berkshires “first lady of song,” Wanda Houston, singing Sarah’s original songs.
I began singing and songwriting when I was in Boston working as an attorney. Before that, I would sing, but I never really trained for it. I’d been writing poetry, and when I started dating a musician, I thought I’d impress him by writing song. The first time I ever performed my original songs was three years ago at the Gypsy Join in Great Barrington. It was noisy, and I thought nobody was paying any attention. A couple came forward because they really wanted to hear me. That was Mark Tuomenoksa, a musician, arranger and composer, and his wife, Iris. From then on, Mark and I started working together.
I began performing at the Egremont Barn and other places, and recorded a CD, “All the Blues I Need.” But I have so many more songs now, and have been experimenting with different sounds and production elements. I’ve changed a lot since then, and after this concert, I want to get going on a second album.
For a long time, Mark kept telling Wanda and me, you have to meet. The first time she and I spoke on the phone, we just hit it off. I went to one of her shows at the Gateways Inn, and ended up having a vocal coaching from her. I played one of my songs for her. She really liked it, and suggested a way to sing a phrase that made a huge difference. I’ve learned so much from working with her.
When Wanda sings my songs, they become new creations. The concert at the Mahaiwe will be a whole program of my original work. Mark did all of the arrangements. We have a killer lineup, including three sax players who are out-of-this-world fantastic. To go from me singing and playing piano solo to having everybody add their high class playing…it’s hard for me to describe what it feels like. I made this thing, but then it becomes theirs as well. That combination is like a brand new life in the world. These musicians understand what I’m trying to say, and take it further than I can take it on my own.
I love exploring with sound and words. For me as a writer, I think a lot about structure, but really my end goal is to have the words and music go in the same direction so I can take the listener on a journey.
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