Continuing a Cultural Conversation

By Kathryn Willis

The performing duo of Sue Henderson and Ray Dempsey have been selected as the artist exchange honorees for the Fredericksburg-Este Association’s 2026 artist exchange program. This honor provides for a three-week stay in Este—our Italian sister city—for the artists to share their work in Este, to perform, and to teach. The pair will be hosted by Este folks, and a number of gatherings with their sister city members will broaden the cultural exchange. The 2026 trip is slated for April.

Sue Henderson is well known for her vocal and photography talents, as well as leadership positions in culture and history programs, and volunteer services to many arts and cultural endeavors. Sue has more than fifty years of performance experience, including stints at Riverside Dinner Theater. For more than a decade, she served as a Vocal Director for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

Ray Dempsey has performed with Sue for over ten years. With Ray on keyboard and Sue delivering vocals, the two have played in many venues for non-profits, including for the Lafayette birthday celebration with the Fréjus sister city organization. Ray conducted community choruses with orchestra while teaching vocal music in schools.  He regularly performed at the Washington Hilton Hotel and at engagements on the Embassy and Museum circuit.  He later served as the organist at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.

During their Este stay, Sue and Ray will broaden our Italian friends’ knowledge of American culture by presenting tunes from The Great American Songbook, a canon of American music from the first half of the 20^th century. This era’s music is considered to be the pinnacle of jazz and Broadway contributions to American culture. 

 In addition, Sue will present a photography exhibit, A Place Called Este, featuring numerous images she captured in the city during a private three-month stay in 2025.  A Place Called Este will present the Italian city through an outsider’s lens, expressing visual insights that surprise and delight for their fresh originality.

On January 20, 2026, those images from her 2025 three-month stay will be the focus of an evening program. In addition, Sue will talk about how one can plan extended visits for cultural understanding and exploration. The presentation begins at 6:30 pm,  in the Theater of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library (CRRL), 1301 Caroline Street. The program is free and open to all.

At that presentation, the Fredericksburg-Este Association will launch a fundraising effort to help defer the expenses of the trip. Donors to the fundraising effort will be eligible to win one of Sue’s photographs. The donor drawing for the artworks will occur in fall 2026, at an event where Sue will also comment on her experiences during the artist exchange. All Este members and contributors will be invited to that thank-you program and donor drawing in fall 2026.

The Este Artist Exchange began in 2017, when potter Neal Reed was the exchange honoree. In 2018, painter Nadir Frizzarin was welcomed to Fredericksburg. In 2022, Cathy Herndon, painter and muralist, created a mural and mounted an art exhibit in Este. In 2023, international cultural photographer Franco Rubini exhibited numerous works around the Fredericksburg region, many at various branches of CRRL, our frequent partner in cultural programming. We thank them enthusiastically.

Artists for the Este Artist Exchange Program qualify, in part, by being well recognized in artistic circles for contributions in their chosen medium. The artists also should have substantially contributed to the cultural life of the greater Fredericksburg region. The program alternates between bringing Este artists here and sending Fredericksburg artists to Este on an occasional basis.

The duo of Henderson and Dempsey are the first performance honorees, and are the fifth to be chosen for the exchange.

A Place Called Este

Photography and Travel Insights

Sue Henderson, 2026 Fredericksburg-Este Artist Exchange Honoree

January 20, 2026

6:30 PM

Central Rappahannock Regional Library

1301 Caroline Street

Fredericksburg, VA 22401