Downtown Wilmington , North Carolina is the place to be in September to experience arts and cultural events that complement the destination’s history, culture, and natural beauty. The inaugural ARTblast Festival makes its debut September 8-12. During the five-day festival, a host of musical, theatrical, and dance performances, as well as art, literary, and film events will be staged at various Downtown venues. The 9th Annual Downtown Wilmington ArtWalk & Parade (Sept. 11), one of Downtown Wilmington’s signature events, also takes place during ArtBlast.

The ARTblast Festival includes theatrical performances at Cape Fear Playhouse at Newcastle (“Shadowlands,” Thurs.-Sun.), Front Street Brewery’s Beam Room (“Murder on the High Seas,” Thurs.), Nutt Street Comedy Room (“The Nutt House” Wed. & “Quarter Life Crisis Comedy Tour” Fri.-Sat.), and Thalian Hall (“The Secret Garden,” Thurs.-Sun.). There will also be a Danceblast (Fri.) and a Contra Dance (Sat.) at the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center. Live music will be featured at Bellamy Mansion (jazz, Fri.), The Soap Box Laundrolounge (Fri.-Sat.), as well as other restaurant and nightlife venues. Film screenings will take place at Thalian Hall (Wed.) and The Beam Room (Wed.). Art galleries with special events include Projekte (Thurs.), Opera Room Bar & Gallery (Thurs.), Bottega Gallery (Fri.), and New Hanover County Public Library (Sat.). Events are still being added to the lineup, so be sure to check out the complete ARTblast Festival schedule at www.artblastwilmington.com .

This year’s Downtown Wilmington ArtWalk & Parade takes place during ARTblast on Saturday from 10am until 5pm. The ArtWalk features local and regional artists who display their treasures along six blocks of Front Street . Here you’ll find one-of-a-kind paintings, photographs, handmade jewelry, and sculptures. This day-long event draws over 10,000 people. Back by popular demand, The Grand Procession of Peculiar Pets (an art parade) will take place on Saturday during the ArtWalk at 1:30pm (corner of S. Front St. and Orange St. ), making its way north along Front Street . This year’s parade theme is “peculiar pets.” Participants are invited to make their costumes in advance during four free costume-making events: Aug. 27 at Art Box (255 N. Front St., 2nd floor, 6pm-8pm); Sept. 2 at Wilmington Children’s Museum (116 Orange St., 3-5pm), Sept. 4 at Riverfront Farmers Market (Water & Market sts., 9am-11am); and Sept. 4 at Projekte Gallery (523 S.3rd Street, 4pm-6pm). Workshops include art supplies. Participants may also create costumes using their own supplies. Art Blast and the Downtown Wilmington ArtWalk & Parade are presented by Downtown Business Alliance (DBA), Do It Downtown, and CoolWilmington.Com Productions. For details and vendor applications, call 216-374-8884, email: artandantiquewalk@hotmail.com or visit website www.dbawilmington.com.

Another important news reminder – Arts Blast Juried Art Exhibit: Projekte is pleased to host the first Annual Arts Blast Juried Art Exhibition at 523 South 3rd Street in downtown Wilmington . This juried exhibit will focus on the many talented Wilmington artists, so any subject and/or theme is acceptable. Artists are encouraged to submit 1-5 .jpeg images of 2D work in any medium for consideration. Requirements for entry are:
· Artists must be at least 16 years old
· All work must be original
· All work must be recent within past six months
· Artists must reside within 100 miles of Wilmington
· Any theme/subject is acceptable
· Deadline for submission is Sept 1, 5pm.
Winners to receive recognition, ribbons and prizes. Arts Blast events will take place September 8-12 with the Juried Art Exhibit Reception on Thursday September 9, 6p-9p at Projekte.

Please call Bonnie England for further information at 910.352.0236 and submit artwork to theprojekte@gmail.com.

More Important News – Call to Authors/Poets

Art Soup, a non-profit arts organization in Wilmington , NC is currently seeking published or self-published authors and poets to participate in an annual, large outdoor arts festival, Saturday September 11th in downtown Wilmington . The Wilmington Art Walk is an artist market throughout the streets of the historic downtown area, featuring visual artists, crafts, music and more. Literary participants are welcome to sell and sign copies of current or previous work at individual booths in a special section of the festival dedicated to writers. Spaces available at a discounted rate of $35 per participant. Call 910.620.2047 or email info@artsoup.org for more information.

For those of you coming in from out of town, I have two hotels that are offering discounts to any one coming in for the Art Blast festival. Check the accommodations page of the Art Blast website for more details.
Art Blast & ArtWalk2010
A CoolWilmington.Com Production
P.O. Box 208
Wilmington , NC 28402
artandantiquewalk@hotmail.com
www.artblastwilmington.com
216-374-8884

On sale NOW in Raleigh! Performances Begin September 28 for 8 shows at Memorial Auditorium

Squonkaphones

After the global success of their unique take on rhythm and physical theatre, STOMP co-creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, have taken their concept to a new level with PANDEMONIUM: THE LOST AND FOUND ORCHESTRA which will begin a North American tour on September 16 in Miami. Tickets to the Raleigh engagement are $20 – $61 and are on sale now through Ticketmaster, the Progress Energy Center Box Office or by calling 800-745-3000. All tickets on Tuesday night, September 28 are $31.

Where STOMP creates rhythm with everyday objects, PANDEMONIUM transforms everyday objects into a plethora of invented instruments.  Performed by the LFO (Lost and Found Orchestra), PANDEMONIUM recreates every section of a symphony orchestra, using musical saws, bottles, whirly toys and traffic cones.  Out of chaos is found an orchestra.

Reworked for 2010 with a dazzling array of homemade instruments, a 25-member mix of veteran STOMP performers, classical musicians, physical comedians and aerialists, PANDEMONIUM climaxes with the human voice being added to the mix: what begins with simple melodies plucked, blown, thumped and brushed into life ends in a complex symphonic and choral celebration. In each city a 30 member local choir will contribute vocals.  Concert Singers of Cary has been selected to join the show for the eight performances in Raleigh. Luke Cresswell serves as onstage conductor of the 50+ member company and will perform in PANDEMONIUM.

Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas were approached by The Brighton Festival (UK) commissioning a new work for its 40th anniversary. In only six months, instruments had to be invented and reinvented from scratch, and an entire score composed. With the help of a crew made up of experienced STOMP personnel, expert instrument designer Paul Marshall advising, and with UK musicians who were prepared to abandon their instruments and learn how to play saws and hosepipes, LFO premiered there in May 2006. Since then LFO has broken box office records at Sydney Opera House, and played extended runs at London’s Royal Festival Hall and Amsterdam’s Carre Theatre.

Critics have raved:

“Exhilarating and strangely beautiful, unpretentious, infectious and great fun” – The Guardian
“A celebration of energy, rhythm and inventiveness” – The Independent
“Utterly amazing and not to be missed” – Sunday Express
“A joyful celebration of the power of noise and human invention” – Daily Telegraph
“What hit me hardest is its sheer poetry, but nobody could miss the entertainment value here, and its world premiere was greeted with a full throated ovation.” Financial Times

STOMP bio: Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the first Stomp production; it has been running in New York for 16 years and in London for eight years.  STOMP has toured the globe almost continuously for 15 years and has been seen by over 15 million people in 48 countries on five continents. It is the winner of numerous awards including an Olivier Award for Best Choreography (London’s Tony Award); an Obie Award; and a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatre Experience. Cresswell and McNicholas have received an Academy Award nomination for the short film Brooms, four Emmy nominations and one Emmy Award for their acclaimed HBO special Stomp Out Loud, a Grammy nomination, and their IMAX films have garnered numerous awards internationally. STOMP has been seen in on shows ranging from The Academy Awards (produced by Quincy Jones) to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and in venues including The Acropolis in Athens, Greece.  STOMP has parodied on Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, and been an answer on Jeopardy!

CITIES: PANDEMONIUM: THE LOST AND FOUND ORCHESTRA will play the following cities beginning September 16, with more dates and cities to be announced: Miami, Chicago, LA (Costa Mesa), Raleigh, Toronto, Hartford, Boston, Philadelphia.

Bios:

LUKE CRESSWELL is a self-taught percussionist from Brighton, UK. His session work as a drummer and rhythm programmer includes Beats International, Bette Midler, Elvis Costello and Bryan Ferry. After working for several years as a street musician and performer, he first created STOMP in 1991. His work as a performer in Stomp includes the Oscars, the Emmys and Quincy Jones’ album, Q’s Jook Joint. He has directed, with Steve McNicholas, several award-winning commercials and short films. He received an Oscar nomination for the film BROOMS, an Emmy nomination for STOMP OUT LOUD and co-directed the award winning giant-screen films, Pulse: a STOMP Odyssey and Wild Ocean 3D as well as the STOMP inspired feature VACUUMS. He has also received a special achievement award from the Chicago Human Rhythm Project.

STEVE MCNICHOLAS, from Yorkshire in the UK, has worked as an actor, singer, musician, and writer with various theatrical and musical groups, starting out with the Bradford Theatre Group in 1973. Through the eighties he worked with Cliff Hanger, Covent Garden Community Theatre and Pookiesnackenburger. Despite also being an original member of the accapella group, the Flying Pickets and a final appearance in Mr. Bean, Steve no longer performs. He shares directorial credits with Luke Cresswell on STOMP based films and commercials. With Luke, he composed the soundtrack to the Showtime movie, RIOT, and shares the Oscar and Emmy nominations for his work on BROOMS and STOMP OUT LOUD and co directed the award winning giant-screen films, Pulse: a STOMP Odyssey and Wild Ocean 3D. Luke and Steve are currently in production for two new 3D movies, THE LAST REEF and GREAT WHITE SHARK 3D.

www.pandemoniumtheshow.com

The concert debuts outdoors at New Bern’s historic Tryon Palace as part of the city’s 300th anniversary celebrations on Friday, Sept. 17, at 6:30 p.m. The Symphony then presents encore performances in Kenan Auditorium on the UNC-Wilmington campus on Saturday, Sept. 18, and in Memorial Hall on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus on Sunday, Sept. 19. Both weekend concerts begin at 8:00 p.m.

Headlining all three evenings are the world premiere performances of Gareth Glyn’s Enduring City: Portrait of New Bern. One of Britain’s most respected and celebrated living composers, Glyn was commissioned by the New Bern 300th Anniversary Committee and the City of New Bern to mark this year’s 300th anniversary with a symphonic nod to New Bern’s unique history and optimism for the future. The piece, played in one continuous movement, remembers the adventurers who established the city and the places and roles that allowed it to flourish.

“He is a fantastically sincere and genuine and inspired composer,” says Llewellyn of fellow Welshman Glyn, with whom Llewellyn has frequently collaborated. “Just a fantastic craftsman. I can’t wait to see this. It’s sure to be wonderful.”

Evoking within its first three sections fife and drum music, classical minuets, street masquerades, celebratory fanfares and fireworks, among other influences, Enduring City ends with “a steady, lively rhythm,” writes the composer, that “underpins the final section, Confidence, in the present and for the future.”

Mirroring the piece within the concert lineup are two celebratory British anthems. Sir William Walton’s colorful “Orb and Scepter,” written for the coronation of Elizabeth II, evokes New Bern’s legacy as a colonial capital. Then the musical reimagining of the Thames in Handel’s Suite from Water Music perfectly translates to this celebration of New Bern, evoking the vital role North Carolina’s waterways have played in the city’s distinguished history.

The Symphony also presents two American favorites in Copland’s inventive An Outdoor Overture and North Carolina native and Symphony member Terry Mizesko’s Sundays at Shackleford Banks, which paints a vivid portrait of the Outer Banks as seen through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy. Finally, Tchaikovsky’s exhilarating 1812 Overture brings a grand valediction to an evening of powerhouse compositions.

The outdoor concert in Tryon Palace on Friday, Sept. 17, is free and open to the public. Tryon Palace is located at 610 Pollock St. in New Bern

Regular tickets to the Wilmington Series performance on Saturday, Sept. 18, range from $25 to $50. Kenan Auditorium is located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington at 601 S. College Road.

Regular tickets to the Duke Medicine Classical Series Chapel Hill performance on Sunday, Sept. 19, range from $30 to $45. Memorial Hall is located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on E. Cameron Ave.

For tickets and more information, visit the North Carolina Symphony Web site at www.ncsymphony.org or call 919.733.2750.

Concert/Event Listing:

North Carolina Symphony

Ceremonial Splendor

Grant Llewellyn, Music Director

September 17, 2010, 6:30pm

• Tryon Palace, New Bern

September 18, 2010, 8pm

• Kenan Auditorium, UNC-Wilmington

September 19, 2010, 8pm

• Memorial Hall, UNC- Chapel Hill

Program Listing:

The Star-Spangled Banner
John Stafford Smith/arr. Damrosch/Sousa

Schweizer Psalm (The Swiss Psalm)*
Leonhard Widmer

Orb and Scepter (1953)
Sir William Walton (1902–1983)

Suite No. 2 in D Major from Water Music (1717)
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Enduring City: Portrait of New Bern (2010, World Premiere)
Gareth Glyn (b. 1951)
Founding – Tryon Palace – Conflict and Reconciliation – Confidence

An Outdoor Overture (1938)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

Sundays at Shackleford Banks (2006)
Terry Mizesko (b. 1946)

Overture 1812, Op. 49 (1880)
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)

* September 17 concert only.

The Philharmonic Association is pleased to announce a new Director for the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble, now based in Raleigh.

Dr. Greg Gelb is a recipient of a Jazz Fellowship Award from the North Carolina Arts Council. In addition to leading his Jazz Quartet, 8-piece Swing Band, BIG BAND, Latin Jazz Band and other small groups, he is founder and director of the Heart of Carolina Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Society, and co-founder and player with the North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra. He is an Assistant Professor of Music at Francis Marion University and he teaches Introduction to Jazz online for Central Carolina Community College, and a Jazz Improvisation Workshop and private lessons at Marsh Woodwinds in Raleigh. He has a Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, a Master of Music degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts, and a DMA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He was a Visiting Artist in the North Carolina Community Colleges and has taught music in universities and public schools throughout North Carolina. The Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble is for advanced high school musicians who want to develop the skills to perform a wide range of jazz compositions. The ensemble provides an opportunity to study and perform the best of big band and small ensemble jazz in a professional setting.

Auditions for the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble will be held September 11 at Marsh Woodwinds. Visit www.philharmonic-association.org or call 919-645-8434 for more information.

The Vivaldi Project is a premier period instrument ensemble, based in Washington DC, and dedicated to presenting 17th- and 18th-century string repertoire. The name, The Vivaldi Project, refers not only to the group’s core repertoire—the extraordinary works of the virtuoso violinist and composer, Antonio Vivaldi—but also the project of probing into the roots of Vivaldi’s distinctive musical style, as well as his role as the most influential Italian composer of his generation. Vivaldi’s innovative contributions to string writing, the concerto genre, and programmatic orchestral music place him as a pivotal figure between earlier baroque composers and later classical composers. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, in addition to being the leading keyboard player and teacher of his day, was also recognized as a composer with innovative and revolutionary ideas—the six sinfonias for strings containing some of the most audacious and dramatic material he wrote. Bach’s sinfonias illustrate how the art of violin playing as advanced and developed by Vivaldi directly influenced orchestral violin writing, increasing the technical demands placed upon the players and raising the standard of their playing.

Harmonization of the family name, B-A-C-H, autograph by C.P.E.

Maestro John Hsu

John Hsu is the Old Dominion Foundation Professor of Music Emeritus at Cornell University, where he taught for 50 years (1955-2005). As an instrumentalist and conductor, he has toured throughout this country and Europe, and made award-winning recordings. Among them are his CD of Haydn Baryton Trios (with violist David Miller and cellist Fortunato Arico), which was chosen Winner in the Music Retailers Association’s Annual Award for Excellence in London, 1989; and his CD Symphonies for the Esterhazy Court by Joseph Haydn (with the Apollo Ensemble), which was nominated for the 1996 International Cannes Classical Music Award. In May 2000, the government of France and its Ministry of Culture bestowed the high honor of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres on John Hsu in recognition of his life-long commitment to French Baroque music as a scholar, performer, and teacher. He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, which awarded him the Honorary Doctor of Music degree in 1971, and the Outstanding Alumni Award in 2003. He currently lives in Chapel Hill, NC.

Thursday, September 16, 2010
7:30 pm
First Presbyterian Church
305 East Main Street | Durham, NC

Tickets: $20/ $15 students with ID and First Pres. members. Tickets also available at the door.

For more information and tickets please go to www.thevivaldiproject.org.

“Pops in the City,” Sept. 12

Raleigh has a new outdoor amphitheater, and the North Carolina Symphony will be there this September to help break it in. The orchestra, led by Maestro William Henry Curry, will wave goodbye to summer and kick off its bold new concert season with “Pops in the City,” a free concert in Raleigh Amphitheater, Sunday, Sept. 12, at 7:00 p.m.

William Curry conducts the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra

Families and friends can bring a picnic, grab a lawn seat in the heart of downtown Raleigh and prepare for a musical world tour. First, in collaboration with the Independent’s Hopscotch Music Festival, Minneapolis-based multi-instrumentalist Dosh opens at the performance beginning at 5:45 p.m. with his electronic blends of folk keyboard and experimental sampling. Then the Symphony takes over with a globe-trotting symphonic showcase.

The lineup first transports concertgoers to the golden age of classical music, including Handel’s joyous Overture to Music for the Royal Fireworks—a powerhouse selection to launch the Symphony’s debut in the city’s newest venue. The fireworks don’t stop there, as Curry turns to the trumpet section to bring two Latin-flavored brass showcases to life: Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona’s “Andalucia” and his legendary jazz standard, “Malagueña.” Henry Mancini’s classic serenade “Moon River” then paves the way for a charming tribute to Mancini’s legacy and selections from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. With a closing note by John Williams, as well as “America the Beautiful,” this free concert offers Raleigh residents an unforgettable night on the town.

Hopscotch brings over 120 bands in more than a dozen genres—from indie rock and alternative country to free jazz and hip-hop—to ten venues in downtown Raleigh, Sept. 9-11. Complete information is available online at hopscotchmusicfest.com.

The North Carolina Symphony’s 2010-11 season opens in downtown Raleigh’s Meymandi Concert Hall with renowned guest artists Navah Perlman, Giora Schmidt and Zuill Bailey joining the Symphony to perform Beethoven’s “Triple” Concerto on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 24-25.

Single tickets, subscriptions or special packages to the Composer Portraits and Orchestra Showcases, two unique series within the Symphony’s 2010/11 concert season, are now on sale. Visit ncsymphony.org or call 919.733.2750 for more information.

Concert/Event Listing:

North Carolina Symphony

• Pops in the City
• William Henry Curry, Resident Conductor
• Sept. 12, 2010, 7pm
• Raleigh Amphitheater

Program Listing:

North Carolina Symphony

Pops in the City
William Henry Curry, Resident Conductor

Overture to Music for the Royal Fireworks
George Frideric Handel/arr. Baines, Markerras

“Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 61
Felix Mendelssohn

Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor
Otto Nicolai

Amparito Roca
Jaime Texidor

“Andalucia” from Andalucia Suite
Ernesto Lecuona/Morton Gould

Malagueña
Ernesto Lecuona/Ferde Grofé

Moon River
Henry Mancini

A Tribute to Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini/arr. Custer

Selections from West Side Story
Leonard Bernstein/arr. Mason

Superman March
John WilliamsAmerica the Beautiful
arr. Carmen Dragon

Featuring Erik Deutsch (keys), Jon Gray (trumpet), David Soler (guitar), Benjamin Rubin (bass), Tony Mason (drums), and special guest vocalists Jans Ingber and Sunny Ozell

Keyboardist Erik Deutsch is as busy as anyone in the music business. Currently a resident of Brooklyn, NY, the pianist has recently worked with Norah Jones, Trevor Dunn, and Ben Allison, and Jim Campilongo (to name a few). He just wrapped up three years in the Charlie Hunter Trio (recording Mistico and Baboon Strength), and has split time on the road Kristina Train, Erin McKeown, Jessica Lurie, his own band ever since. Once upon a time, his Colorado-based jam band Fat Mama was a fixture in the Raleigh Triangle.

Erik has recently completed work on a new album: Hush Money. Released the past November, the music reflects a unique balance between the chamber-esque cinematic composition of Deutsch’s previous record, Fingerprint, with the rhythm and blues esthetic of Charlie Hunter. Throw in a heavy dose of Erik’s extensive arsenal of analog synthesizers and Hush Money is surely the most wide-ranging recording of his career.

For this evenings event, Erik will be joined by an all-star band: Tony Mason on drums (paula cole, charlie hunter); Benjamin Rubin on bass (jonah smith); David Soler on guitar (jonah smith); Jon Gray on trumpet (devotchka, fat mama); and special guest vocalists Jans Ingber (karl denson, charlie hunter) and Sunny Ozell (benevento/russo duo).

“Once upon a time, there was such a thing as an instrumental pop hit. If the charts still had room for the likes of the Allman Brothers’ “Jessica” and Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit,” not to mention the JB’s and MG’s, then Erik Deutsch would be assured a place atop them.” –Philadelphia City Paper

“Erik Deutsch, a pianist with a taste for tuneful provocation, is an especially valuable resource as a solo commentator and accompanist.” – NY Times

” (Deutsch has) cemented his reputation as one of the most in-demand sidemen of Brooklyn’s nascent jazz renaissance.” –Jazz Times Magazine

• Friday, October 22nd @ Marsh Woodwinds
• Raleigh, NC
• 8pm $12

Website: www.hammerandstring.com

Jeremy Preston, Violin; Karen Strittmatter Galvin, Violin

New Music Raleigh, Raleigh’s most adventurous performing arts group will begin it’s second season on Sunday, September 12th at the Murphy School Theatre (224 Polk St.) with an evening of music that explores textural sonic landscapes ranging from serene to dense and electric. In just one year, New Music Raleigh’s dynamic, classically trained musicians have filled a void in Raleigh’s vibrant music scene, serving as a catalyst for creation and presentation of new music. NMR creates concert experiences that challenge tradition, engage and inspire diverse audiences, and give voice to today’s most innovative and relevant new music. Tickets will be available at the door ($10.00 cash only).

Shawn Galvin, Percussion

David Marschall, Viola; Brian Howard, Cello

Every artist is influenced by their surroundings, whether it be the vast Alaskan tundra or the busiest street corner in Tokyo. Composer John Luther Adams recently said, “My music is going inexorably from being about place to becoming place.” NMR’s September 12 show features selected works that directly compare space and place in music, journeying from a feeling of openness to the influence of urban, electrified places. The program will include Paul Lansky’s Dancetracks for improvised electric guitar and electronic sounds, the percussion music of Raleigh composer Cameron Britt, and the Alaskan serenity of John Luther Adams’ music.

Performers will include Karen Strittmatter Galvin, Violin; Emily Rupp, Bass; John Noel, Piano; DJ Sparr, Guitar; Julia Thompson, Percussion; and Shawn Galvin, Percussion.

Baked goods by Just Crumb will be available for purchase before the show and during intermission.

New Music Raleigh

• Sunday, September 12, 2010, 7PM
• Murphy School Theatre
• 224 Polk St. Raleigh
• $10 cash at door

For more information visit us at www.newmusicraleigh.org

• Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010 @ 3:00 pm *
• Fletcher Theater
• Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts
• 2 E. South Street, Raleigh NC 27601

* 2:15 pm–pre-concert talk by Dr. George Gopen, Duke University Professor of Rhetoric and Director of the Durham Chamber Arts Society, followed by a student chamber ensemble for the Mallarme Youth Orchestra

PROGRAM:

Komitas: Armenian Folk Songs
Colin Jacobsen: Sheriff’s Lied, Sheriff’s Freude and Brooklesca
Dvorak: String Quartet in F Major Op. 96 (“American”)

TICKETS:

General admission: $25; $10 students.  Season tickets also available.
www.rcmg.org;  (919) 821-2030

Artsplosure announced today that Donna the Buffalo is scheduled to headline the 20th annual First Night Raleigh celebration on New Year’s Eve. The feel-good mountain-music infusion band will perform on the main stage at 10:30 pm Friday, December 31, 2010.

Their performance will lead up to the annual Acorn Drop and fireworks at midnight to ring in 2011.

Blending Cajun, rock, folk, reggae and country with traditional mountain music, Donna the Buffalo’s eclectic and often socially conscious music has made them one of the most respected brands in the world of touring roots acts. Their dedicated fan base, self-named The Herd, follows the band with zeal and has created a unique and supportive community online and at Donna the Buffalo shows across the nation. Together for over 20 years, the band released their seventh record, Silverlined in 2008 on Sugar Hill Records.  Previous releases include Life’s a Ride (2005) and Positive Friction (2000).

First Night Raleigh admission buttons will be available at Triangle-area Harris Teeter stores, as well as other local retailers, beginning December 1. Buttons are $9 in advance for adults and children ages 6-12. Children five and under are admitted free. At the event, buttons are $10 for children ages 6-12 and $12 for adults.

Since December 31, 1991, First Night Raleigh is annually held as a weather-proof New Year’s Eve celebration of the arts and community featuring performances in 25 indoor and outdoor venues throughout downtown Raleigh. The festival includes the early afternoon Children’s Celebration, early & late countdowns, the People’s Procession, music, dance, theatre, the giant Acorn Drop, and fireworks.