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May Issue 2005
An Appalachian Summer Festival in Boone, NC, Offers 2005 Season
A star-studded season will launch the third decade of An Appalachian Summer Festival, western North Carolina's annual multi-arts celebration which magically combines 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.
An Appalachian Summer Festival will again pack an ambitious schedule of music, dance, theatre and visual arts into four weeks, on the campus of Appalachian State University, from July 1-30, 2005. 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.
Opening the festival in grand style will be "An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin" starring one of America's foremost comediennes, who continues to venture across an ever-widening range of media, starring in television, theater, motion pictures, animation, and video.
Whether it's orchestral or chamber music, An Appalachian Summer Festival is truly the place to be for classical music this summer, with performances by two symphony orchestras, The North Carolina Symphony Pops with Resident Conductor William Henry Curry (a festival tradition for the past twenty years), and the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra. Appearing as guest artist with the Philharmonic is one of the world's pre-eminent classical musicians, pianist Peter Serkin, who has been described as "one of the supreme musicians of our time" by New York Magazine. 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 will include six performances throughout the festival season.
Rounding out the festival's varied musical menu are performances spanning the worlds of jazz, swing and Motown, as well as artists representing Celtic, African, and Latin musical traditions.
In collaboration with the Grandfather
Mountain Highland Games, western North Carolina's magnificent
celebration of history and tradition - which observes its 50th
anniversary this summer - the festival will present Leahy, the
Irish-Canadian octet of fiddling brothers and sisters. This whirlwind
triple threat of fiddle-driven music, dance and vocals - augmented
by keyboards and percussion - leaves onlookers breathless from
the moment the group hits the stage.
Big band music will also take center stage in July, as the festival
welcomes the return of the ever-popular Glenn Miller Orchestra.
The group's appeal is timeless, with music that is indelibly etched
into the American consciousness, representing the essence and
memories of a bygone era.
Also on the schedule is the Grammy Award-winning Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band which has, for the past two decades, unswervingly preserved a bedrock style of Afro-Cuban Latin jazz pioneered half a century ago, while infusing it with their own fresh and engaging interpretations.
The a cappella singers of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who have come to represent the traditional culture of South Africa and who are widely regarded as a national treasure, will also perform. The group's music became widely known when the Ladysmith singers joined Paul Simon on his Graceland album.
Jazz guitarist Russell Malone,
a member of Diana Krall's studio and live band who has also appeared
with a "who's who" line-up of today's most talented
jazz recording artists, will perform with his quartet in a unique
evening combining dinner and music at Coffey's Restaurant.
The festival's popular annual tradition, the Outdoor Fireworks
Concert, will feature The Legendary Lead Singers of the Temptations
and the Sounds of the Supremes. Recruited from today's contemporary
Broadway stars, the talented casts of these groups equal the high
standard set by the original artists, proving that the music the
original groups made famous will last forever. The Outdoor Concert,
which has become a permanent part of the High Country's summer
scene, never fails to deliver an evening filled with music, dancing,
fireworks, community spirit, and pure fun.
As always, the world of dance
will be well represented in the festival's 2005 season. The Paul
Taylor Dance Company, entering its 50th year, is one of the world's
most exquisite ensembles, whose breathtaking choreography and
artistry have thrilled festival audiences on several past occasions.
Laura Shapiro once wrote in Newsweek, "Short course
in modern dance: in the beginning there was Martha Graham, who
changed the face of an art form and discovered a new world. Then
there was Merce Cunningham, who stripped away the externals and
showed us the heart of movement. And then there was Paul Taylor,
who let the sun shine in."
Garth Fagan, the 1998 Tony Award-winning choreographer of Broadway's
The Lion King has been called "a true dance original"
(New York Post) and his dancers have been described as
"unforgettable soaring through space with demonic energy"
(New York Magazine). Garth Fagan Dance will bring its unique
combination of modern dance, Afro-Caribbean forms, balletic speed
and precision, and jazz to the festival stage.
Theatre readings, presented as
part of the festival's Works in Progress Series, further enliven
the season. In This House, a reading of a new musical produced
by the Melting Pot Theatre Company of New York City, will feature
music by Mike Reid, words by Sarah Schlesinger, and Broadway performers.
The story revolves around two couples - one young, one old - who
find themselves spending the night together in a deserted house.
Both marriages are in trouble, but the quartet takes an unexpected
journey toward forgiveness, trading their illusions for compassionate
understanding.
Visual arts programs will again comprise an important part of
festival programming. Entering its nineteenth year, the Rosen
Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition and its popular
annual Sculpture Walk will once again showcase the best of contemporary
American sculpture. A second national juried visual arts competition
program, the Halpert Biennial, is designed to recognize
new works by emerging and established artists residing in the
United States. Entries into both competitions are on exhibit throughout
the festival season. Rounding out the visual arts exhibition program
will be a new exhibition at The Turchin Center for the Visual
Arts, entitled Where There's Smoke Ceramics and Glass.
A series of educational events provide an important element of
festival programming. "A Visual Arts Workshop Series"
will consist of a series for children and adults, and the popular
(and free) weekly "Lunch and Learn" program will provide
a fascinating glimpse into the Turchin Center's Ceramics and
Glass exhibition program.
The Appalachian Retired Family will present its third annual one-day
seminar devoted to Appalachian culture, art, and literature. This
year's seminar is entitled, The Art of Appalachian Narrative:
The Uses of Mountain Story-Telling, and will feature two of
the legendary narrative artists in the Appalachian region: Johnson
City playwright Jo Carson and Watauga County yarn-spinner Orville
Hicks. The annual "Belk Distinguished Lecture" will
feature Romulus Linney, well-known author and playwright with
roots in Boone and at Appalachian State University. His presentation,
entitled, Teacher, will be centered around his experiences
at the university in the summer of 1951.
Last but not least, the Fourth Annual Wine Tasting will offer
an evening of fine foods and wines, while serving as an important
fundraiser for the festival.
Ticket prices for most festival performances are $18-$25 for adults;
$10-$16 for students; and $5-$10 for children 12 and under. Several
events are offered at no charge.
For visitors to Boone during July, the festival offers vacation packages combining festival tickets with lodging at area hotels/inns, restaurant discounts, and guides to a variety of other area arts attractions.
Tickets are on sale for all festival performances. For tickets, or to request a festival brochure, call 800/841-2787 (ARTS), or 828/262-4046 in the Boone area - or visit (www.appsummer.org).
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