Minnesota Folk Festival

The New Songwriters Contest 2002 Winners

Sara Thomsen - Winner
Sara Thomsen is a singer, songwriter with a soulful voice, thoughtful lyrics and heartfelt melodies. Her music has grown organically from a life lived close to the earth and the community around her. Her performance style is easygoing, full of humor and depth, welcoming the audience's full engagement. Sara's music gently enfolds and unfolds the listener.

As opening performer, Sara has shared the stage with Dar Williams, Carrie Newcomer, Prudence Johnson and Alice Di Micele. She performs in such venues as coffeehouses, festivals, colleges, universities, community spaces, retreat places, homes and haylofts. Sara independently released two recordings, Fertile Ground (1999) and Arise (1995). In the role of song leader, Sara has shared music in all sorts of places: at the jail, in classrooms, at conferences, places of prayer, and on lines of protest.

Sara Thomsen grew up with a family that loved to sing. From listening to lullabies to singing at family gatherings and in church and school choirs, her life has been filled with music. She began piano lessons early and in the ninth grade was introduced to the guitar; the instrument that has become her constant companion. She is a staunch supporter of struggles for human dignity and ecological sustainability.

Justin Roth - 1st runner up
From an early age, singer/songwriter Justin Roth stood out as a musician. A very determined and independent child, in the 3rd grade he declined an invitation to sing with the St. Croix Valley Boys Choir because he did not want to miss Saturday morning cartoons. Since then, he has put that dedication to cartoons behind him and applied it to music. We can all be glad for that.

As his audience has grown, Justin has opened for many artists including: David Wilcox, Martin Sexton, LJ Booth and Cheryl Wheeler. After receiving a standing ovation at Swallow Hill Music Hall in Denver, CO while opening for Cheryl Wheeler, and receiving an encore at Big Top Chautauqua in Bayfield, WI while opening for David Wilcox, Justin keeps winning audiences' approval. Repeat performances are a common occurrence, returning time and time again by request of not only the fans, but also the venues themselves.

Blending intricate guitar work, smooth vocal melodies and a groove, Justin offers up a rousing potpourri of new acoustic folk. Knowing that he stands on shoulders of those who came before him, he's been compared to the likes of Michael Hedges, David Wilcox, Martin Sexton and Willy Porter. A fan once said that when Justin plays guitar, "it's more than just an instrument but an extension of himself." Seeing him perform, you see what they meant. Take an eye off him for a second, and you would swear that there were more instruments on stage. As a self-taught fingerstyle guitarist, Justin's inventive technique leaves people asking themselves 'how'd he do that?' as he expresses a new voice of the guitar. This voice is what creates his unique and engaging sound. You'll also catch him on percussion from time to time playing his djembe whether he's accompanying himself or backing up other artists as he has in the past (Chris Cunningham, LJ Booth). His songwriting style is an artful mix ranging from insightful metaphors, to clever stories with a twisted sense of humor, to the familiar imagery of the world around us.

Patrick McGuigan - 2nd runner up
Greg Klyma - 3rd runner up
Nora Lynn Paoli - 4th runner up