ALISON YOUNG AND HER UNIQUE PATH THROUGH MUSIC AND NATURE<\/p>\n
Alison and I have more in common than I expected going in. We both play the flute. We both became professional musicians, although we took completely different paths. We also both talk for a living. We shape stories with our voices, whether that\u2019s on the radio, behind a microphone, or through audio projects that invite people to slow down and really hear what\u2019s happening around them.<\/p>\n
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ALISON’S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY<\/p>\n
Alison has a Master of Music Degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music<\/a>, where she graduated, and has a 20-year professional music career that includes playing Principal with the Boston, Atlanta, and Houston Symphonies, as well as recording solo albums and touring.<\/p>\n MAKING LIFE DECISIONS AFTER A NEUROLOGICAL CONDITION<\/p>\n Here professional music career ended after she developed Dystonia<\/a>, which is a neurological condition that kept her from being able to move her hands in the way that it takes to play the flute at a highly skilled level.<\/p>\n So she switched things up! She found new ways to express her love for music, and eventually started working for MPR as a classical music presenter and was a host for many professional orchestras that she used to be a part of.<\/p>\n OTHER STORIES:\u00a0Meet The 2026 Winter Olympians with ties to Minnesota<\/a>THE BLISSFUL HIKER<\/a><\/p>\n But one thing that has tied her talents to her current project has been her LOVE of hiking. She told me she has been infatuated with walking since she was a little girl and could watch her toes as they walked along paths and through grass. That turned into an almost obsession. She has always loved hiking out in nature, has found music out in the wilderness, and shares all her passions in this latest project.<\/p>\n Alison said,\u00a0\u201cMinnesota reveals itself through sound \u2014 warblers returning to their summer homes, boots on slushy snow, waterfalls changing timbre as you move. These aren\u2019t background details to me, they\u2019re the story. My audio narratives invite listeners to enter these places through their ears first and let memory and imagination do the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n A GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS<\/p>\n Alison Young is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the\u00a0Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature, and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. <\/p>\n Through this grant, she created immersive audio narratives using field recordings and personal essays, in what she calls \u201cessays-in-sound.\u201d Think birds singing, footsteps on a trail, wind through trees, layered with reflection and storytelling. It\u2019s not just listening to nature. It\u2019s listening with intention.<\/p>\n DON’T MISS THIS EVENT<\/p>\n At this in-person event at the Great River Regional Library, on Wednesday, January 28th at 6 pm, she\u2019ll share her new audio narratives and take the audience behind the scenes of how they were created. She will share how she decided what to record, what to leave out, and how to let a place speak for itself. The event is FREE to attend, so bring the whole family.<\/p>\n If you love storytelling, radio, creative audio, or Minnesota\u2019s state parks, this is one of those events that feels tailor-made for you. And if you\u2019ve ever believed that listening can be just as powerful as speaking, you\u2019ll walk away inspired.<\/p>\n You can learn more about Alison’s incredible journey by clicking HERE<\/a>, and you can also listen to her podcasts called “The Blissfull Hiker.”<\/a><\/p>\n LOOK: The top small towns for taking in America’s fall foliage<\/p>\n Stacker takes a look at leaf-peeping hotspots across America.<\/p>\n Gallery Credit: Stacker<\/a><\/p>\n RANKED: Here are the most popular national parksTo determine the most popular national parks in the United States,\u00a0Stacker<\/a>\u00a0compiled data from the\u00a0National Park Service<\/a>\u00a0on the number of recreational visits each site had in 2020. Keep reading to discover the 50 most popular national parks in the United States, in reverse order from #50 to #1. And be sure to check with individuals parks before you visit to find out about ongoing, pandemic-related safety precautions at\u00a0www.nps.gov\/coronavirus<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gallery Credit: Hannah Lang<\/p>\n