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June Issue 2004
Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone, NC, Announces 2004 Season Line-Up
The event which for two decades has magically combined beautiful mountain scenery and the friendly small-town setting of Boone, NC, with world renowned artists and some of the nation's most exciting artists of tomorrow, celebrates its twentieth anniversary this summer.
An Appalachian Summer Festival, the
acclaimed multi-arts celebration presented annually by Appalachian
State University, will again pack an ambitious schedule of music,
dance, theatre and visual arts into four weeks, from July 1-31,
2004. Artistic Director Gil Morgenstern has assembled a season
highlighted by several artists new to the festival, along with
artists whose work has shaped the festival over the past two decades,
and provided audiences with some of their best memories.
Whether it's orchestral, chamber music, or recital programs, An
Appalachian Summer Festival is truly the place to be for
classical music this summer, with performances by two of the world's
pre-eminent pianists, André Watts and Peter Serkin; the
celebrated Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra with guest conductors
Gerhardt Zimmermann and George Manahan (of the New York City Opera);
the North Carolina Symphony Pops, a festival tradition for twenty
years; PDQ Bach, classical music's answer to the Marx Brothers;
APPropos!, ASU's exceptional vocal ensemble; and the remarkable
annual concert series by the festival's resident Broyhill Chamber
Ensemble and a cadre of guest artists representing classical music's
brightest stars.
Offerings from the worlds of jazz, bluegrass,
folk, and "oldies" genres are also part of the festival's
varied musical menu. The festival welcomes the joyful and wildly
popular Preservation Hall Jazz Band-direct from New Orleans; singer
Wesla Whitfield in a unique evening combining dinner and music
at Coffey's Restaurant; traditional Appalachian music by American
folk legend Doc Watson and master fiddler and old-time banjo player
Dirk Powell; and Robin & Linda Williams and Their Fine Group,
musicians known for their robust blend of bluegrass, folk, old-time
and acoustic country; and the festival's popular annual tradition:
the Outdoor Fireworks Concert, featuring The Platters, Cornell
Gunter's Coasters, and Beary Hobbs' Drifters. Recruited from Broadway,
the talented casts of these three groups equal the high standard
set by the original artists, proving that the music the original
groups made famous will last forever.
The world of dance will be well represented in the festival's
2004 season. The Atlanta Ballet, the oldest professional dance
company in America, known for performing the most beloved ballet
classics and the most inventive originals from the world of contemporary
dance, will grace the stage of Farthing Auditorium, as will Hubbard
Street Dance Chicago, whose bold, powerful and entertaining works
have thrilled audiences worldwide and made the company a "festival
favorite" for years.
Two evenings of theatre are guaranteed to further enliven the
festival season. The first will juxtapose the genres of opera
and musical theatre with two important new works. In a highly
original production entitled When Samson Met Delilah, directed
by the brilliant Dutch director Corina van Eijk, Delilah is called
upon to utilize every possible form of feminine guile to seduce
a conflicted and helpless Samson into revealing the secret of
his great strength. The evening continues with a new musical,
In This House, telling the story of two couples in troubled
marriages, and their unexpected journeys toward forgiveness. A
second theatre work, in association with New York's 92nd Street
Y, consists of He felt, the world premiere of a new work
based on Eudora Welty's well known short story "Music from
Spain."
Visual arts programs will again comprise an important part of
festival programming. Entering its eighteenth year, the Rosen
Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition and its popular
annual Sculpture Walk will once again showcase the best of contemporary
American sculpture. The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts will
proudly feature a new exhibition in the Martin and Doris Rosen
Galleries, entitled Collaborations: Paintings and Performances
by Fern Shaffer and Othello Anderson. The project combines
ritual performances, stunning photography and painting to document
sites of extraordinary beauty, each of which is threatened by
a specific ecological concern. Featured in the Catherine J. Smith
Gallery will be an exhibition entitled Africa: From Eritrea
with Love: Paintings by Betty Laduke. In this series of vibrant
paintings, Laduke draws the viewer in with a blend of narrative
and cheerful color to reveal fascinating glimpses into the everyday
life of African communities.
A series of educational events round out the
festival's eclectic array of arts programming.
A Visual Arts Workshop Series will consist of a series for children
ages 8-12; two art workshop series for adults; and the popular
(and free) weekly "Lunch and Learn" program in the Turchin
Center's Rosen Galleries. The Appalachian Retired Family will
present its second annual summer seminar entitled, Appalachian
Traditional and Outsider Art, a day-long seminar at the Turchin
Center, focusing on a discussion of "outsider art" by
experts and artists, as well as visits to view the pottery, musical
instruments, collectibles and other exhibited items featured during
the seminar. Last but not least, the annual Belk Distinguished
Lecture will feature environmental historian Timothy Silver, whose
topic will be: Mount Mitchell: An Environmental History of
the East's Highest Mountain.
Ticket prices for most festival performances are $15-$25 for adults;
$9-$16 for students; and $2-$10 for children 12 and under. Several
events are offered at no charge.
Festival sponsors in 2004 include: Blue Ridge Electric Membership
Corporation, SkyBest Communications, Ford Motor Company, Mast
General Store, Charter Communications, Best Western-Blue Ridge
Plaza, Cheap Joe's Art Stuff, Footslogger's, Peabody's Wine &
Beer Merchants and Coffey's Restaurant & Bar.
For visitors to Boone during July, the festival offers an "Arts
Festival Getaway" package combining festival tickets with
lodging at one of four area hotels/inns, restaurant discounts,
and guides to a variety of other area arts attractions.
The festival's season brochure is available.
For details about the season, or to request a brochure, call 800/841-2787
(ARTS), or 828/262-4046 in the Boone area, or visit (www.appsummer.org).
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