Joanne Bolles

With a voice nurtured in the cradle of youth Baptist choirs, Joanne Bolles masters multiple genres, including folk, jazz, gospel, pop, Americana roots, celtic and patriotic standards. Joanne's thirty plus years of training is indicative in her tremendous control of pitch and volume. She brings in the smooth with hits like "At Last" and then will lift your spirits with the tap of songs like "Lullaby of Broadway". Joanne is also a composer, as well as a disciplined acoustic guitar player. Her skills pay true compliment to her integrity as a polished performer.

References

Thanks, Joanne for some fantastic entertainment at our Resident Birthday Party today! Your music selection was great, with so many familiar songs that our residents knew & could sing along with. You are very talented as a Vocalist, as well as with having excellent guitar skills! Our residents were engaged - and the staff, as well. I look forward to having you here again in the near future.

Yours truly, Jeffrey “Jeff” Strunk ADC
​Ther. Activities & Vol. Services Director
"Our family can't thank you enough for your music ministry, Joanne, especially to the Elderly. Our mother, Vicky, passed away in May of 2022 @ Heart to Home. 
 
And she loved to sing & shake bells with you as you sang & played the guitar. Thank you for your HEART for people like "mom". We SO appreciate you".
 
Kim, Laurie, Tamara & Barb
"Our Memory Care Residents always have such a great time with Joanne. She has a special touch working with seniors, and she has so much compassion with those who have dementia. I truly appreciate the musical connection Joanne has made with our residents here at Sholom Home St. Paul over these many years."

11/2/2021 Heather Rhein, Activities Director/Memory Care @ Sholom Home East, St. Paul
Joanne is a ray of sunshine every time she steps into our Community. She is an excellent musician, and a good story teller. And, her love for music and art is displayed throughout her entire performance. Her song selection is always spot on. And, sometimes she even tailor-fits resident requests into the program. Our Community loves having Joanne Bolles perform music here at Cardigan Ridge! We're very grateful for how she inspires us, and brightens our day!!!

Bree -Activities Director @ Cardigan Ridge, Little Canada; 4/26/202
I am Carrie with Sholom. We just watched your live performance for our Happy Hour in our Phillip's Memory Care Center today. We all LOVED YOU! So many smiles, swaying, and singing.

You had us all singing when you played the National Anthem and "Take me out to the ball game". YOU WERE A DELIGHT TO WATCH! We all loved every moment.

Carrie Speidel; The Sholom Home; St. Paul/August 2020
"Dear Sherry, Lois and the Activities Committee.
 
We want to thank you for having Joanne Bolles do the YouTube Christmas/Holiday concert for Applewood Pt. of Mtka. for 12/3/2020. Margie and I really enjoyed her vibrant personality and performance.  It put us in the Christmas spirit.
 
It would be fun to have her do a concert at Applewood (after Covid) -  a concert for July 4th or Veterans Day, maybe?
 
Margie and Harlan; Applewood Pt. of Mtka"
"I just finished watching your YouTube Christmas/Holiday performance. And, I must tell you, I loved it!!! The music you chose was so good. And, your voice is lovely. You had me singing along, that’s for sure. I hope sometime in the near future we can have a real "live" concert with you. But, time will tell when that will be, due to COVID-19. In the meantime, stay safe, and keep singing. Thank you very much.
 
 Sherry Niles; Applewood Pt. MTKA, MN 12/3/2020"
Thank you for sharing your musical gifts with us for our Celtic-Themed Lunch Bunch party this past March 23, 2016. You made the Event so special with the joy in your voice. 
 
Barb/St. John's Episcopal Church; Linden Hills
Joanne is simply magnificent!!! It was a real joy working with her on March 12, 2016, when she was our featured monthly Musician. Joanne's music is so enjoyable, and her performance was a stellar experience! She also went a step above and beyond by "giving back" to the Community, by donating 50% of her CD sales to this months featured food shelf.

Chris Kliesen Wehrman - Pastor, Prospect Park UMC
Joanne Bolles is a great addition to our winery experience. Whether we have 100 people on a quiet day, or 1,000 people during harvest, Joanne's performances combine a wide variety of music. She also has a very engaging stage presence, and most of all, a very genuine desire to connect with people of all walks of life! Joanne is an important part of the fabric of what makes our winery Local, Authentic and Distinguished.

Steve Zeller - Winemaker/Owner, Parley Lake Winery (952) 201-9742 (cell)
Thank you for sharing your beautiful talent with our family at Bob's funeral, and thank you for your continued music at Heart to Home. 
 
The Bob Wood Family/Judy
I have so enjoyed working with you, Joanne. And, I wish you all the best in continuing to bring such a wonderful presence and beautiful music to our Residents. 

Nancy Saslow/Former Active Life Manager - The Waters on 5oth; Minneapolis, MN
Joanne Bolles is absolutely amazing!  Joanne shares her gift of music with our residents three times per month.  It is the highlight of many of our resident's week (staff too!).  She takes the time to engage and connect with each resident on a deep meaningful level and her musical talents are truly magical.  In the eight years that we have been open, we haven't come across anyone else quite like Joanne.  Her ability to lift your spirit and sooth your soul is a remarkable talent that is such a blessing to our residents. We highly recommend Joanne Bolles.

Josh Cesaro
Moxley Heart To Home Residences, Mendota Heights, MN
Joanne has played for us several times and we intend to have her come back more often than some of the other performers.  Why?  Because she is so versatile!
Her range of selections is amazing & her voice is a treat to listen to.  Joanne has even 'un-plugged" from the amps & strolled to various tables taking requests from the audience which makes having her here to sing & play such a Big Hit.  If you haven't hired Joanne Bolles yet, don't hesitate!  You will be glad to have her back again & again.

Denise Carlson
Activities Coordinator ​,West Ridge of Minnetonka
I would highly recommend having Joanne Bolles come to your facility!  We have had her at Sholom for several months now and she is often times requested by our residents and families.  Her music touches so many lives and she does such a fabulous job connecting and interacting with those attending her program.  Her personal touch is a great asset to our community!

Barbara Gutzmann
Campus Director of Therapeutic Recreation, Shalom Home
Our residents love Joanne Bolles music!  She has a special way of interacting with the residents, and you can see how much the folks love her guitar and vocals.  I have even had managers standing the program saying to me “make sure you have her back, she is wonderful!"

Donna Olsen
Recreation Director, Lake Minnetonka Shores (Presb. Homes)
Thanks to Joanne Bolles for performing at our Wedding in March of 2014. It made our day extra special! The Wedding was so much more with her singing.

K. Bylander and A. Manual
We have had the pleasure of having Joanne Bolles entertain our residents at Norris Square several times. After getting a letter in the mail, I spoke to her on the phone and she was so accommodating and warm, I thought, “even if she can’t sing that well, she sounds like a wonderful person to have come visit our residents!”, but we were pleasantly surprised…she played guitar and sang VERY well, too! We really enjoyed her music and easy-going attitude, as well. She was very professional and had a huge repertoire of music that our residents loved! She can relate to people of all ages and knows a lot about various types of music, that she shares during her performance. I highly recommend Joanne for any musical entertainment you might need or want and we plan to hire her again in the future.

Donna Bordner,
​Norris Square
After hiring Joanne for the first time, I knew she would be a perfect fit for our community! She has since been back several times and I recommend her to everyone who is looking for entertainment. She entertains for our memory care, assisted living, and independent living residents. She has such a caring spirit and the residents really enjoy her music!

Hope
​SummerWood of Chanhassen
We hired Joanne Bolles in February for our Friendship Social event. What a fantastic musician!! The residents really enjoyed her music. She has a great rapport with the residents. Communication was easy, she accommodated all the residents within her music choice. Joanne is also very prompt! We plan to have her back in the future for the Assisted Living Family Night!
I highly recommend Joanne Bolles for your next event!

Edina Park Plaza
Jo plays from the heart and sings like an angel. You could see our participants come alive with her
 magical presence and song.

Mt Olivet Day Services
We hired Joanne Bolles for an event this summer. She has a wonderful voice and everyone liked hearing their old favorites. She also sang a song she wrote; a beautifully written song by a talented artist. She has a great rapport with her audience and is always a hit.

Coon Rapids Senior Center
As a close follower of Jo Bolles, I've developed a deep understanding of her musical skills over many years of listening. Born with a rare voice reminiscent of KD Lang, Diane Schuur and Dianna Krall, Jo sings with effortless phrasing, and seems to find a natural tonal balance for each individual song she sings. When you add her guitar playing to her voice, you get an exceptional combination of voice as instrument and guitar as instrument combining to result in complimentary layers. Her playing is her own for sure, offering effortless, coherent chord progressions. Jo knows hundreds of classic songs from the American Songbook, and does amazing interpretations with new and vintage styles depending on her interpretation of each individual song. And the cherry on the sundae is her own originals mixed in where she demonstrates a talent for writing heartfelt and moving songs. As a performer, you get the full package as an audience member. Jo is a great story teller and jokester, which ties in all the facets she brings to the performance. An evening with Jo is one that won't be wasted.

​Theresa Ronning
It isn’t hard to tell about Jo and her music. It truly is a gift to be present when she creates music. It comes from the heart and the soul. Her rich voice always consistent and smooth, her humble  guitar captures our seniors and her many audiences. As she unfolds her songs from her 500 song repertoire our seniors one by one become engaged and touched by her personal way of connecting and making each one an important member of her gathering. She has a talent  to share but most of all a big heart to embrace it which makes her special.  Jo expresses her faith in God and in humanity without hesitation. Sometimes you can see her feet lift off the ground!  When she sings you know she is doing what she loves to do, and is meant to do. She also writes many of her songs which extends who and what she is all about. She definitely helps make our Earth a happier place.  

Marsha Kimble
Act. Dir. /Ginny Cullen Adult Dir.
Our Residents enjoyed the great variety of songs Joanne presented, with useful commentary. The audience appreciated her trained voice, humor, words and presentation, and professional guitar playing. Jo radiated her positive attitude, inspiring others to sing along. She gave a fine and truly enjoyable program!

Kit Minnihan
​Realife Cooperative of Bloomington

Venues Performed

Joanne shares music regularly with Seniors, (within all types of Senior Housing/Community Centers), as a Music Therapist and as a Ministry in Hospice settings.

​She also performs for Private Parties, Co-Ops, Bistros, Wineries, Memorial/Funeral Services​, Weddings/Commitment Ceremonies/Receptions, and as a Singing Telegram!!!