Sara Boots has been a seeker of truth for the past 30 years of her life. A lifelong resident of northern WI and MN she has traveled the globe learning from the wisdom of ancient civilizations, cultures, and from their ancestors of the present and modern world, of how to reconnect to the wisdom within. 

She has studied for the last 8 years with indigenous medicine women in North, Central, and South America. She has congruently studied with a Buddhist teacher learning the art of compassion, and the practice of midwifing the dying. Sara is a midwife to those in transition, a guide to those who have lost their way, and a wholehearted supporter of women to awaken and to remember the depth of who they are within. Sara is also an artist, a water protector, an activist, and a warrior of heart. 

Title of her talk: Who Lives Within

John Schneider

Lifelines collide – brought together by friends, an open mic night & a shooting star, Bel Canto Duo was
founded in 2016 by looping artist & cellist, David Downing, and multi-instrumentalist, Darci Gamerl. Bel
Canto’s mission is to create meaningful connection and community by creating world-class music that is
accessible to audiences of all ages. Their compositions combine lyrical, poignant lines with a rich, orchestral
sound.
Offering immersive live music paired with evocative imagery, reviewers have described Darci & David’s
performances as ‘magical’, ‘music that speaks to my soul’, with a ‘unique and emotive sound’.
Bel Canto Duo has grown organically, focusing on the science of healing music modalities, community
building and accessible live music. Darci & David’s work has shifted into the preservation and highlighting of
American culture & heritage with new original music for the films, Nebraska Flatwater, Willa Cather:
Breaking The Mold & an upcoming residency highlighting the work of American sculptor, Daniel Chester
French.
As members of the Nebraska Arts Council Touring Artist Roster, the pair received the Outstanding New Artist
(2023) award by Omaha Entertainment Awards, Best Wedding Music by Nebraska Wedding Day
(2023, 2024) & the finalist award for the American Prize in composition & the Ernst Bacon Prize for the
performance of American music (2023).