From the first time I heard John Denver sing 'Sunshine on My Shoulders', I knew that I wanted to sing, play guitar, and perform. For over 30 years, I've been involved with everything from performing...to producing acoustic events and concerts...to creating and presenting musical and educational programs...to stage presence coaching.
How to describe my original songs?
Landing somewhere smack dab in the middle of John Denver and the Indigo Girls ... where the coffee shop and the campfire meet ... that's where you'll find my music.
Acoustic --- Positive --- Uplifting
Gentle --- Easy on the Ears
Family --- Friends --- Community
Nature --- Animals
Connection --- Love --- Humor
Lots of Fingerpicking - A Little Strumming
Storytelling
Based out of Virginia Beach VA, I've had the pleasure of presenting my music and educational programs throughout the country. It's what I love to do!
From John Denver’s 33 studio albums came 13 songs that reached the Top 100 with four of them rising all the way to number one between 1971 and 1975. Yet beyond the hits lies a treasure chest of more than 280 songs filled with messages of peace, hope, and healing.
In this intimate, hour-long concert, Cottonwood Stone brings these timeless songs to life with just her guitar and her gentle, heartfelt voice. Whether singing of healing the Earth, our relationships, or our own hearts, these lesser-known gems invite listeners to reconnect with what truly matters.
Each song becomes a reminder of the beauty, compassion, and harmony that John Denver so deeply believed in ... and that still lives within us all.
What would our world feel like if we celebrated our commonalities and honored our differences?
What if music and the shared desire for peace became our starting point?
This interactive musical and educational program centers around the peace pole ... a universal symbol of hope and unity. Together, we decorate the pole while exploring themes from the four directions, the four elements, and The Four Agreements, discovering the common thread that connects them all and connects us to one another.
Through music, conversation, and creativity, we co-create a communal mandala that weaves together our individual moments of peace forming a beautiful symbol of possibility and the path forward.
Performances
- Tempe Center for the Arts (Songwriters Showcase - Arizona PBS program; In the Spotlight; New Year's Eve Celebration with Walt Richardson; Finally Friday)
- Higley Center for the Arts (opening act for Jim Curry; Christmas holiday concert)
- Zion Flute Festival (opening for Scott August and Peter Kater)
- Windstar Symposium (opening for Cassandra Denver)
- Windstar Connections Conference
- Scottsdale Public Library
- Theosophical Society of America
- Angel House
- Arizona Folk Festivals (Phoenix; Glendale; Prescott; Flagstaff)
- Arizona Songwriters Gathering
- Gainey Ranch Community Association holiday concert
- Spiritual Centers (Creative Living Fellowship AZ; New Vision Spiritual Center AZ; Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Surprise AZ; Center for Spiritual Living NV)
- Arizona State Fair
- plus a wide variety of coffee shops and house concerts
Event Productions - produced over 20 concerts and events to include:
- Musicians Roundhouse monthly concerts series sponsored by Scottsdale Public Library
- Musicians Roundhouse weekly song circles sponsored by Scottsdale Public Library
- Earth Day concerts
- Peace Day concerts
- John Denver Tribute concerts
- Peace and the Common Thread Musical & Educational Program (in AZ, CO, OH, IL)
- What Two Can Do (featuring duos)
- Arizona Women's Music Festival (featuring Native American Music Award winners and nominees Annie Humphrey, Radmilla Cody, and Delphine Tsinajinnie)
- RAW Music Awards
- continues to host open mics, showcases, and song circles
Cottonwood Stone (photo by Peter Tompkins)