WILLISTON – The Williston Music Intensive (WMI) returns for its third year, Oct. 6-10, with a new focus on singers.

This five-day event will culminate in a free public showcase at the James Memorial Art Center on Friday, Oct. 10, at 6 p.m.

Founded by local singer-songwriter Alma Cook, WMI was created to bring together local musicians of all backgrounds for high-quality training and performance opportunities.

“WMI started as a full-band pop/rock workshop, and we will keep serving both singers and instrumentalists in future years,” Cook said in a news release. “But we couldn’t ignore the fact that singers were always the largest group, so this year we’re focusing on them.”

This year’s program, titled “Mic Check,” aims to give singers center stage. Evening rehearsals and workshops will be hosted at Williston State College, offering instruction in vocal technique, stage presence, artistic identity, gigging and self-accompaniment.

Guest instructors include Emily Driscoll, one of Williston’s most accomplished singers and voice teachers, and Logan Rutledge, faculty member at WSC. Both instructors, along with Cook and other local collaborators, will perform at the showcase.

Cook, creator of the “5000 Candles” music video showcasing the Williston oilfield landscape, has been a staple performer at community events, such as the Chokecherry Festival and the Williams County Summer Concert Series. She created WMI, as well as its companion program, a monthly open mic called Spotlight, after noticing that musicians across the town’s churches, bars and high schools didn’t have many opportunities to cross-pollinate.

“WMI keeps evolving, and every year we try to meet the community where the energy is,” Cook said. “Right now, that energy is with singers, so we’re giving them the structure and the stage time to really show what they can do.”

The 2025 WMI is supported in part by the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Online registration is open for participants high school-aged and older. The workshop has both free and paid options, with paying participants given the opportunity to workshop a solo song for the Friday concert.