Storytellers Project returns to stage on June 28

The act of taking to the stage will be familiar to most of the presenters at the Rochester Storytellers Project on Wednesday night. With titles that range from singer-songwriter to music therapist, performing is a way of life to most — but this time they'll leave their instruments behind.

A half-dozen local residents will take turns speaking to an audience from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on June 28, at the Geva Theatre Center, when the Democrat and Chronicle hosts its third rendition of the Rochester Storytellers Project, which launched in February of this year.

The event provides an opportunity for the Rochester community to listen to true stories, told by neighbors they wouldn't have heard otherwise. The theme of Wednesday's show is "The Sound of My Life," and presenters will tell first-person tales of the defining role that music has played in shaping who they are and how they express themselves.

Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door, $5 for students, and can be purchased online at: https://tickets.democratandchronicle.com/

More: Storytellers Project shares tales of landing in Rochester

Meet the Storytellers:

1) Brenda Tremblay

In a 10-minute tale, Brenda Tremblay will reflect on the vagaries of growing up in a musical environment, when she herself was never wildly motivated to play. She said that her father, a band instructor, had dreams of her playing the saxophone, but after four years of a half-hearted affair with the instrument, she switched to the bassoon, which she played throughout high school and college.

In her talk, titled "My brief and spectacular one-day career as an adult bassoonist," Tremblay explores discipline and what it really takes to be a virtuoso in any field.

Tremblay is the early-morning host of Classical 91.5 FM.

2) Hannah Weidner

At just 26-years-old, Hannah Weidner has made music her full-time career as a singer-songwriter, guitarist, drummer and venue manager.

Weidner's story is one of past and present, but has its origin in car ride sing-alongs as a child, during which she'd spend time harmonizing with her mother.

3) Trevor Lake

In a coming-of-age story, Trevor Lake discusses his split-career as a barber and a guitarist, and what it was like to grow up as an active observer of the Rochester music scene.

The Hilton native, who has since relocated to the city, will reflect on nights during his adolescence spent out at shows with friends, and the nostalgic qualities of certain songs that opened his eyes to a different category of music and lifestyle.

4) Angelo Rose

For Angelo Rose, music has proven to provide a sense of release through trying times and sorrow faced. In his song "Soleil," which was released earlier this year, Rose sings the Haitian Creole proverb "Lè gen lanmou, gen doulè," which translates to "Where there is love, there is pain. This, he said, best summarizes his musical career.

A singer-songwriter, pianist, bassist and guitarist, Rose will speak about the lineage of his music, as well as the role that personal loss has played inspiring him to write.

Since releasing his third album in 2010, Rose has used his music to raise money for St. Damien's Pediatric Hospital in Haiti.  

The most recent of Rose's albums, titled Afterglow, is currently available for purchase online and has already raised more that $20,000 for the children of St. Damien's.

5) Phil Marshall

Phil Marshall started his career as a guitarist with dreams of making it big, but as he approached 40, he made the decision to study music therapy, and his motives began to change.

Now a music therapist for hospice care patients, Marshall will tell a story about his transition from rock and roll and the lifestyle associated with it into a source of nurturance for the terminally ill, and what it means to provide comfort through music.

6) Cynthia Benjamin

Cynthia Benjamin is the community content editor for the Democrat and Chronicle.

From the time that Benjamin was a child, music mattered, particularly gospel music.

In a presentation on the influence that gospel played in her adolescence and continues to play in the present day, Benjamin will share a tale about the women who introduced her to their music and their stories, and how gospel music has inspired her through many of her toughest moments.

LPeace@Gannett.com