Young musicians invited to show their chops during Newgrass Hoot Camp concert

The end of this story comes at the beginning, but the organizers are hoping something better becomes the real beginning.

This week’s Debutants’ Newgrass Hoot Camp at Purdue University Fort Wayne concludes Friday with an off-campus concert at Baker Street Centre, formerly known as C2G Music Hall, 323 W. Baker Street. Starting at 7 p.m., the show allows more than 40 campers in grades 4-12 to show off what they’re learning this week, followed by another concert by the Debutants band, which will be recorded for PBS Fort Wayne’s Summit City Music Series. Doors open Friday at 6 p.m., and tickets cost $10.

Debutants formed in 2019 and consists of Lynn Nicholson, John Swain, Michael Earl Newsome, Lauren Blair, Colin Taylor, Ellen Coplin, and Sean Hoffman. The hoot camp theme comes from their owl mascot and the fun of a hootenanny, Coplin said, which is defined as an informal gathering of folk musicians.  

The camp kicked off Monday morning as part of PFW’s Community Arts Academy. It was promoted as a chance to explore ear training and improvisation in an acoustic string band setting. Campers could register for instruction in violin/fiddle, viola, guitar, mandolin, banjo, upright bass, cello, played in various folk styles including Irish, Bluegrass, and old-time dance.

But there was a larger goal.

“We ran into this band once who had formed during their school days and were playing into their 20s,” said Coplin, the Debutants’ cello player. She serves as the camp co-director with Hoffman, her husband, who’s also the group’s fiddle player. “That’s kind of what I’m hoping will be the dream of this camp; if we have these kids start playing together and form their own bands that later on may still be playing as adults.”

The scene this week may somewhat resemble the sandlot baseball version of a garage band jam session. Everybody shows up with their instruments, teams get selected, and then the participants figure out what kind of music they can make. There’s adult coaching and instruction in various disciplines, but the objective is to find out what can happen when everyone gets inspired. Maybe something special starts to grow.

When not playing with the Debutants, Coplin and Hoffman have been touring across the country as the duo Bobcat Opossum. Both acts specialize in newgrass music, which is defined as a subgenre of bluegrass that incorporates elements of rock, jazz, and world music. It often features a broader range of instruments, resulting in a more modern, progressive sound.

Coplin previously taught lessons as part of the Community Arts Academy. This camp came from a brainstorming session that included Molly Papier, the academy director, who is also the couple’s friend.

“Fort Wayne has been so good to Debutants, supporting and coming out to shows, and we were trying to figure out a way we could reinvest in the community,” Hoffman said. “We were able to apply for some grants for scholarships and some sponsor support to bring a lot of people together.”

Coplin and Hoffman also have experience performing at PFW with four adult sing-alongs that took place last winter.