June Issue 2001
Stars Shine at An Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone, NC
Beautiful mountain scenery, a relaxed and friendly small-town setting, affordable ticket prices, world renowned artists, and some of the nation's finest emerging artists combine to make An Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone, NC, a rare gem among summer arts festivals.
Tickets are now on sale for twenty-five music, dance, and theatre programs which comprise An Appalachian Summer Festival - along with a series of visual arts exhibits, lectures, and workshops for both adults and children. Appalachian State University's annual arts celebration is scheduled for June 29 - July 28, with events held on and around the university campus.
Individual tickets, as well as season tickets are available. Vacation packages in conjunction with Blowing Rock's Chetola Resort and Boone's Broyhill Inn are also offered.
For the past seventeen years, the festival has offered first-rate artistic programming at ticket prices substantially below other comparable festivals, coupled with a steadfast commitment to building new audiences of all ages for the fine arts. For nearly a decade, the festival has been named one of the "top twenty events in the southeast" by the Southeast Tourism Society.
The festival's "Mainstage Series," available by subscription or individual tickets, consists of nine performances held in the 1700-seat Farthing Auditorium. Classical concerts in the series include the ever-popular NC Symphony with conductor William Henry Curry, while introducing the celebrated Eastern Music Festival Orchestra (EMF), comprised of outstanding musicians selected from leading symphony orchestras and music schools across the nation, who also serve on the faculty of EMF's training program for young musicians. In its two concerts, the orchestra will feature guest artists Gary Hoffman, cello, Cho-Liang Lin, violin, as well as Eastern Music Festival Artistic Director and pianist André-Michel Schub. Recitals by the world renowned soprano Dawn Upshaw, regarded by many as America's most versatile and important singer, and internationally acclaimed pianist Garrick Ohlsson, winner of the Chopin International Piano Competition, will also be highlights of the series.
Other Mainstage Series events include the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the jazz orchestra in residence at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History which has been called "the best jazz repertory band in the country" by The New Yorker, and some "greats" from the world of acoustic string instrumental music: the world renowned David Grisman Quintet (hailed as "the Paganini of the Mandolin" by the New York Times, performing with American folk music legend (and Deep Gap's Own) Doc Watson (sponsored by SkyBest Communications). Two of the nation's stellar contemporary dance companies round out the Mainstage Series: the dazzling Ballet Hispanico - recognized worldwide as the foremost dance interpreter of Latino culture in the United States, and Philadelphia-based Philadanco - termed a "miracle of skill and energy, representing the possibilities of the human spirit through dance" by Dance Magazine.
Blue Ridge Electric proudly sponsors the festival's enormously popular Outdoor Fireworks Concert, featuring one of the most popular new female country singers performing today: Jo Dee Messina, with Grammy Award-winning bluegrass artists Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. The Outdoor Concert (held at the conclusion of the festival, on July 28) is a celebration of both music and community spirit, and has become an annual tradition in the High Country, for thousands who anticipate its unique combination of music, picnics, fireworks, and fun. An afternoon "community fair," hosted by Blue Ridge Electric, will precede the evening concert.
Yet another festival highlight is its Recital Series, available by subscription or individual tickets. The series features the extraordinary Ford Motor Company Chamber Music Series (six concerts by the internationally acclaimed musicians of the Broyhill Chamber Ensemble), as well as a performance by organist and harpsichordist Brian Bailey, and a duo recital by violinist (and Artistic Director) Gil Morgenstern and pianist André-Michel Schub.
Other music and theatre performances include: Master fiddler and old-time banjo player Dirk Powell, sharing the stage with the preeminent Cajun ensemble Balfa Toujours; The prodigiously talented jazz singer Wesla Whitfield, referred to by Tony Bennett as "this wonderful singer who thrills me when I hear her"; an innovative family matinee performance entitled "Junk Man/Junk Music" featuring percussion music made from recycled objects; NC-based performer and storyteller Milbre Burch in a family matinee program entitled "The World is the Storyteller's Village," featuring fables and folktales from around the world; Theatre readings, based on cutting-edge collaborations among some of the country's finest playwrights, musicians, choreographers, composers, and directors: Guest From the Future (set during Stalin's Reign of Terror, with an unusual love story at its core); and Wolfpit, based on English poet Glyn Maxwell's verse play.
The visual arts, a prominent and dynamic part of every festival season, will be represented by the national 15th Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition with juror (and internationally renowned sculptor) Richard Hunt. Two-dimensional works by some of the nation's finest established and emerging artists will be on display at the Catherine Smith Gallery, as part of the highly acclaimed Halpert Biennial Visual Arts Exhibition, with juror Alan Eaker. A series of exciting Visual Arts Workshops (for both adults and children) will also be offered, including "Comics and Kids" (for Children 5-12); "Artist or Writer: Why Not Both?"; "Study the 3Ds: Dimension, Depth and Dog-Gone Fun!" and "Jewelry-Making." In addition, a creative writing workshop series for children and teens will be offered.
The festival's annual Gala Celebration, scheduled for June 30, will serve as an important (and fun) benefit fundraiser for An Appalachian Summer Festival.
Tickets for most events are $12-$24 (adults);
$10-$16 (students); and $2 (for children age 12 and under) - with
special pricing for the Outdoor Fireworks Concert. For tickets,
or to request a season brochure, call the Festival Box Office
at 800/841-2787, or 828/262-4046 in the Boone area. The festival's
website address is:
(www.appsummer.org).
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
Subscriptions are available for $18 a year.
Carolina Arts
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Copyright© 2001 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston
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