9th Annual Concert for Cancer Relief

Eliza Gilkyson and Don Richmond

Eliza Gilkyson will join Alamosa’s own Don Richmond for the 9th Annual Concert for Cancer Relief songwriter-in-the-round on Saturday, November 6th at 7:30 pm at Society Hall, 400 Ross Avenue in Alamosa. Doors open at 6:30 pm. The concert benefits the San Luis Valley Cancer Relief Fund. Tickets are $30.00 and can be purchased at The Green Spot in Alamosa, online at www.slvcrf.org or via email at [email protected] . This event has sold out the past six years so be sure to get your tickets early. Ticket holders will have an opportunity to stream the concert live online this year to watch from home near or far. More information will be available at the time of purchase.

Eliza Gilkyson is a twice Grammy-nominated (2006/2015) singer-songwriter and activist who is one of the most respected musicians in Folk, Roots and Americana circles. Her songs have been covered by Joan Baez, Bob Geldof, The Conspirare Choir, Tom Rush and Rosanne Cash and have appeared in films, PBS specials and on prime-time TV.  A member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame, and an inductee into the Austin Songwriter Hall of Fame, she has won countless Folk Alliance and Austin Music awards, including 2014’s Songwriter of the Year.

Eliza’s most recent release, “2020”, is a collection of songs that illuminates the emotional roller coaster ride of the year 2020, looking into the future to a world that is hopefully more just and sustainable.  Recently named the #1 Album of the Year on the 2020 FAI Folk Radio Music chart, the album features the political anthem “Peace in Our Hearts”, which was written as a rallying cry to be sung at gatherings and marches, and was the winner of the “Song of the Year” Award at the Folk Alliance International Conference in 2021.

Eliza’s upcoming album “Songs From the River Wind”, produced by Don Richmond, will be released in January of 2022 on Alamosa’s own Howlin’ Dog Records. Check out the single “At the Foot of the Mountain”, just released in October, written after Eliza bought her 100 year old rambling hacienda which sits at the base of the Sangre De Cristo mountain range in Taos. For more information go to www.elizagilkyson.com.

Don Richmond has been a professional performing musician for more than fifty years. He regularly performs and records on more than a dozen instruments including electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, violin, viola, dobro, pedal steel guitar, banjo, harmonica, accordion, trumpet and percussion and is an award-winning songwriter.

He has released 7 solo CDs, 4 other albums with the Colorado band Tumbleweed earlier in his career, 3 with the Taos, New Mexico based group Hired Hands, 6 with the New Mexico based group The Rifters, 2 as a duo with David Clemmer, and 2 with his older brothers as the Richmond Brothers.

Don owns and operates Howlin’ Dog Records, which has recorded and released hundreds of other recordings by many local, regional, and national artists. Don has also been an Artist-In-Residence and Aesthetic Institute instructor in Colorado Council of the Arts’ Art in Education program. Don created and recorded the music for the public television documentary Roy Bedichek’s Vanishing Frontier, the highly acclaimed civil-rights documentary film We Did It All Ourselves, and a film on the plight of Katrina refugees titled Still Waiting – Life After Katrina, which aired nationally in the fall of 2007.

In late 2004, Don published a book on performance psychology and creativity titled Getting Your Music Past the Fear. He is also a regularly featured contributor on creativity to the nationally-syndicated radio program The Art of the Song. Don is currently on the board of Crestone Performances, Inc., which produces the Crestone Music Festival, the Society Hall Foundation, which owns and operates the non-profit performance space Society Hall in Alamosa, and is a past board member of the Alamosa Live Music Association. He also volunteers for and supports numerous other local non-profit organizations. Don was awarded an honorary doctorate in musical performance from Adams State University in 2014 and in 2015 received the Governor’s Award for Creative Leadership in the state of Colorado. Don makes his home with his wife Teri McCartney a few miles outside of Alamosa, Colorado. Richmond has become a staple of the annual Concert for Cancer Relief, having been through the cancer journey himself.  For more information go to www.donrichmond.com.

The SLVCRF acts as a channel, collecting money through fundraisers and memberships, and then passing that on to local cancer patients through stipends of $300. Founded in 2006, the organization continues to grow more every year. SLVCRF has provided hundreds of valley patients with over $100,000 in relief.  The annual Concert for Cancer Relief is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

“It truly touches my heart being part of a wonderful organization like SLVCRF. It amazes me each and every time we issue one of our stipends that we are able to bring some relief and financial support to fellow members of our community that have been impacted by cancer. We greatly appreciate all of our donors for their continued support.” states Sophia Avila, SLVCRF President and board member since 2012. The SLVCRF is a totally volunteer organization with a dedicated 7-member board from across the valley who have themselves been touched by cancer and want to help others in that journey. The bulk of our funds raised comes from individual/family memberships and fundraisers like the Concert for Cancer Relief.

Individuals wishing to become members can send a check to the San Luis Valley Cancer Relief Fund, PO Box 1297, Alamosa, CO, 81101 or visit www.SLVCRF.org. Businesses that wish to become concert sponsors can contact Sophia at [email protected] or at 719.580.2042. The deadline for business sponsorship is October 30th.