Kingham, of Toad the Wet Sprocket, to perform in Libby

Local students will be performing on-stage with acclaimed singer-songwriter Jonathan Kingham as he brings his talent to town as part of the Montana Arts Council’s Artists in Schools and Communities program.

Kingham, whose music has been described as a “soothing blend of folk, pop, country and jazz,” will arrive in Libby on Monday, Jan. 12 and work with music students from Libby and Troy schools. They will compose a song together and then perform it on-stage at Kingham’s concert at the Libby Memorial Events Center at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

Kingham, a California native, has shared the stage with a diverse group of artists. He has performed with Julio Iglesias, Jr., Shawn Colvin, Joan Osborne and Michael McDonald. He is currently playing steel guitar and keyboards with Toad the Wet Sprocket in addition to his solo activities.

Kingham won top honors at the National Telluride Troubadour Songwriting Contest and the Unisong International Song Contest. He has also placed in the top five two years in a row in the John Lennon Song Contest. His music has been featured in a wide variety of film and television programming.

The Artists in Schools and Communities program provides matching funds that help communities bring in performing artists to work with students and teachers to promote hands-on arts learning experiences. After Tuesday’s concert, Kingham will travel to Eureka to work with students in that community.

This is the first time the Kootenai Heritage Council has taken advantage of this particular program. In order to pull it off they partnered with Eureka’s Sunburst Foundation. “That’s how a lot of these bookings work,” said Gary Huntsberger, president of the Kootenai Heritage Council.

“We’re really excited,” said Huntsberger. “This guy’s a notch up. We don’t get guys of this caliber very often.”