Jenny Bienemann's "Virtu-Haiku Milieu" Concert on Facebook Watch on April 24, 2020
CHICAGO: Illinois-based poet, photographer, and touring singer/songwriter Jenny Bienemann launches the Haiku Milieu YouTube channel with more than 75 videos of original songs and spoken word pieces inspired by her book, Haiku Milieu: Photos and Haiku For You, Everywhere You Are.
Haiku Milieu has grown from Jenny Bienemann's daily social media posts into a movement that fosters creativity and collaboration by finding the extraordinary in the everyday, with a book, audiobook, and soundtrack, and now, the Haiku Milieu YouTube channel.
The April 24, 8 pm "Virtu-Haiku Milieu" Concert, now being held on Facebook Watch, celebrates the launch of the YouTube channel, with more than 75 videos of original songs inspired by Haiku Milieu.
At the "Virtu-Haiku Milieu" concert, 20 new projects will be screened live via video, showcasing the strength and diversity of the artists in the Chicagoland area. Jenny Bienemann serves as host and VJ for the virtual concert event.
"Finding the extraordinary in the everyday is my mission as an artist," says Bienemann. "Especially in these unprecedented times, bringing new creative work into the world, in collaboration with others as well as on our own, restores our sense of wonder, confirms our connections with each other, and invites us to find the greater meaning in what we are experiencing."
The concert features 25 outstanding artists sharing music, visual art, poetry, and spoken word pieces inspired by Haiku Milieu. For the first time ever, many of these projects have been built in collaboration.
The Haiku Milieu YouTube channel goes live right after the concert. Many of the videos were captured by photographer David Sameshima, and edited by industry veterans Mike Janowski and Bob Ness. Some of the videos were created directly by the artists themselves.
The talented singer/songwriters who created an original piece based on a photo and haiku from Haiku Milieu include: Naomi Ashley, Robin Bienemann, Pat Brennan, Sue Demel, Rachel Drew, Kate FitzGerald, Julie Proft Gurga, Anne Harris, Klem Hayes, Heather Horton, Rebecca Jasso, Dag Juhlin, Deb Lader, Ron Lazzeretti, Aaron Mitchell, Chris Neville, Jake Peterson, Jay Sebastian, Cheryl Tomblin, Jodi Walker, Colleen White, Terry White, Jon Williams, and The 80 Foots.
Haiku Milieu was supported in part by a generous grant from the Illinois Arts Council. The book, audiobook, and soundtrack are available for streaming.
