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THE NORTH CAROLINA
TOURING ARTISTS
DIRECTORY
2008-2010
www. n c a r t s . o r g
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
About The North Carolina Touring Artists Directory……………………………….................…
Message to Educators………………………………………………………………..............................………
About the North Carolina Arts Council…………………………………………………......................
Dance………………………………………………………………………….......................................……………
Literature …………………………………………………………………………......................................……
Multi-Disciplinary…………………………………………………...................................……………
Music
Bluegrass, Blues, Country, Folk, Popular, and World Music………………………...............
Classical Music……………………………………………………………………....................................……...…
Jazz…………………………………………………………………………........................................…………......……
Puppetry………………………………………………………………………….......................................……….
Storytelling………………………………………………………………......................................……………
Theater and Mime………………………………………………………………….................................
Visual Art…………………………………………………………….......................................………………….
North Carolina Heritage Award Artists .......……………….....……………......
Index
Index of All Artists…………………………………………................................………….…………………….
Index of Artists in Schools………………………………...........................…………………………………..
Index of Teaching Artists………………………………………………............................……………………
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WELCOME TO THE
NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY
ABOUT THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY
The North Carolina Arts Council is pleased to present the 2008–2010 edition of the Touring Artists
Directory. We are proud to produce this diverse resource of artists from across the state and hope that it will
help you design inspiring, entertaining, and educational programs that meet the needs of your community.
As you browse through this document, you will see that each artist and group is represented by a brief
biography, description of the work, and photograph. We have provided this basic information so that you
can decide if the artist or group is likely to fulfill your programming needs. You can learn more about the
artists by visiting our Web site and contacting the artists directly to plan and explore possibilities together.
The screening process that each artist went through to be included in the directory is not meant to replace
the research that you as a presenter do before hiring an artist. We encourage you to speak to references and
to us if you need additional information about an artist you seek to hire.
Think of this as more than just a catalogue of touring artists; think of it as your wish list, full of possibilities
for inspiring, entertaining, challenging, and rewarding programs. The artists are ready and available. Now
bring your passion and creativity together with their talent to make wonderful things happen in your
community.
All of the artists included in this directory were screened and approved by a North Carolina Arts Council
panel, who evaluated the artists for artistic merit, touring history, and communication skills.
Our aim is for the directory to serve both presenters and artists as a tool for introduction and a means to
start conversation and collaborative planning. The book is organized by art form to help presenters find the
type(s) of artists you are looking for. When you identify an artist with whom you might like to plan a
performance, workshop, or other event, in most cases you may go to the artist’s Web site for detailed
information. You may also contact the artist directly at the phone number or e-mail address provided. Also
available is the online version of the Touring Artists Directory at www.ncarts.org, which includes additional
information, work samples, updated contact information, and any revised offerings and fees.
Our Web site also contains other resources for programming, including tip sheets for each discipline and a
Residency Planning Guide.
The print version of the directory is published every three years. Applications will be available in January
2010 for artists who wish to be included in the next issue of the directory. Contact the North Carolina Arts
Council via www.ncarts.org or (919) 807-6500 for more information.
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A MESSAGE TO EDUCATORS
Many of the artists in this directory are designated as Artists in Schools and Teaching Artists. These are
professional, practicing artists and companies who have substantial experience working in school settings
and who went through a special screening to receive these designations.
Artists in Schools are those artists who share their art form with pre-kindergarten through grade 12
students through such programs as the following:
• Performances
• Lecture-demonstrations
• Readings
• Question-and-answer sessions
• Single classroom visits
• Exhibits
These programs can occur in school or community settings. They are single, short-term activities that are
designed to entertain, inform, enlighten, inspire, and/or introduce students to an art form without engaging
them in hands-on activities or the creation of art. Even though they are short in duration, activities include
a teacher’s guide and relate to some area of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.
Teaching Artists are those who are both skilled artists and experienced educators who work in depth with
pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students, teachers, and/or families. Activities conducted by
teaching artists are experiential and actively engage the participants in extended learning and the process
of creating art. Frequently the activities involve multiple days working with the same group of individuals
in a school or community. All of the activities involve in-depth exploration and hands-on learning, lesson
plans, and other educational materials. They relate to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and can
include any of the following:
• Multiple-day residencies during which time the teaching artist works with the same group of
learners for an extended period of time
• Hands-on professional development workshops for educators that develop their artistic skills and/
or increase their ability to integrate the arts into other curriculum areas
• Participatory family workshops that engage families and students in activities working together
• Master classes or clinics
• Arts-integrated workshops and residencies for students and/or educators
Artists approved as Artists in Schools have next to their description and approved Teaching Artists are
identified with a symbol. Artists with both designations are identified by . Additionally, Artists
in Schools and Teaching Artists indexes are located in the back of the book.
North Carolina Arts Council grant support is available for schools to hire Teaching Artists for extended
programs and residencies. For information contact Linda Bamford, Arts in Education Director at (919)
807-6502 or linda.bamford@ncmail.net.
ABOUT THE NORTH CAROLINA ARTS COUNCIL
The North Carolina Arts Council works to make North Carolina a better state through the arts by building
vibrant communities, creating opportunities for citizens to be more creative and productive, and ensuring
that the state’s culture remains strong and vital. The Arts Council accomplishes this in partnership with
artists and arts organizations, other organizations that use the arts to make their communities stronger,
and North Carolinians—young and old—who enjoy and participate in the arts.
The Arts Council provides leadership, guidance, planning assistance, information resources, technical
support, and funding to artists, arts and civic organizations, learning institutions, government agencies
and the general public. The Arts Council promotes excellence in the many forms of artistic expression,
supports the exemplary artists and organizations that make up the state’s robust arts industry, builds
sustainable place-based economic development strategies, enhances student learning by placing artists in
the classrooms and in after-school programs, works throughout the continuum of lifelong learning, and
expands the range of opportunities for North Carolinians to experience the arts.
The Arts Council achieves its mission through four main programs:
Artists and Organizations: Works directly with artists and arts organizations in film, literary,
performing, and visual arts to build capacity and encourage development of high quality artistic
productions and services. This program provides funding, resources, and technical support. Staff develop
and administer opportunities, such as the Poet Laureate program, that highlight the state’s artistic assets
and provide new models for educating the public about different art forms and expressions. This program
fosters creative endeavors for the thousands of talented artists in our state by offering fellowships,
residency center grants, and other opportunities to improve the lives of professional artists.
Communities: Integrates arts and living traditions into local and regional planning efforts statewide,
working from the grassroots level up to design and implement initiatives that showcase local arts and
cultural resources, strengthen community identity, and support sustainable place-based economic
development. Staff consults in a variety of technical assistance areas including organizational
development, strategic planning, community design and public art, folklife resources including immigrant
and refugee arts traditions, cultural tourism development, facility planning, exhibit conceptualization and
design, and partnership and resource identification.
Participation: Creates opportunities for citizens to participate in the arts by providing programs and
technical and financial resources to arts organizations and learning institutions. An exceptional array of
arts organizations in the state provide ample opportunity for participation in all forms of art including
visual arts, dance, theater, music, literature, folklife, and more. This program advances life-long learning
experiences through arts in education for pre K-12, adult learning, accessibility for people with
disabilities, and audience development.
Marketing: Provides citizens and visitors opportunities to learn about the state’s rich arts and cultural
assets and encourages participation through themed driving tours of the state, such as Blue Ridge Music,
Cherokee Heritage, performing arts, literature, and other arts attractions. The program manages a primary
resource on arts in North Carolina for artists, arts organizations, and the general public at www.ncarts.org
to ensure an integrated, free resource on the state’s arts industry. Technical assistance in communications
and marketing is provided to individual artists and to arts organizations.
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About our Grant Program
The North Carolina Arts Council provides more than 1,200 grants each year to organizations and artists for
arts programming throughout the state. Annual grant funding totaling more than $7.4 million is provided by
the North Carolina General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Grant support is available to nonprofit organizations that hire professional artists for activities such as
performances, residencies, workshops, readings, and after-school and summer programs.
The annual grant deadline is March 1 for projects that occur in the next fiscal year of July 1–June 30. A
complete description of the North Carolina Arts Council’s grant categories, requirements, and application
process is available online at www.ncarts.org.
Contact Information
North Carolina Arts Council
Department of Cultural Resources
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699–4632
(919) 807–6500
(919) 807-6532 (fax)
ncarts@ncmail.net
On the Web at www.ncarts.org
The Arts Council is a division of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Cultural Resources, a
state agency, is dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history, and culture. For
more information, visit www.ncculture.com.
Accessibility
Arts Council staff can arrange to meet with people with disabilities either in our office, which is wheelchair
accessible, or in another location which may be more convenient. We can arrange for a sign language
interpreter to be present. Grant guidelines can be made available on request through Braille, cassette tape,
CD, reader services, or language interpreter.
African American Dance Ensemble ... ................................................................
alban elved dance company/KAROLA LÜTTRINGHAUS ...........................................
Apple Chill Cloggers ......................................................................................................
Baroque Arts Project—Paige Whitley-Bauguess ......................................................
Jody Cassell .............................................................................................................
Jan Van Dyke Dance Group ..........................................................................................
Martha Connerton/Kinetic Works Dance .......................................................
North Carolina Dance Theatre ..........................................................................
Carlota Santana ..................................................................................................
DANCE
THE ARTISTS
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Carlota Santana Spanish Dance Company Photo by: Carol Rosegg, 2005
The African American Dance Ensemble celebrates more than 24 years as an
international professional touring company of dancers and musicians,
conveying its message of “Peace, Love, Respect for Everybody” to audiences
across the U.S. and abroad. The company’s repertoire of traditional African and
contemporary African American works is guided by its artistic director, the
highly acclaimed, internationally renowned choreographer, Chuck Davis. The
ensemble seeks to preserve and share the finest traditions of African and African
American dance and music through research, education, and entertainment. The
ensemble reaches more than 300,000 people each year with its concerts,
lecture/demonstrations, workshops, and cultural activities. In addition, Chuck
Davis travels to Africa on an annual basis to study African dance, music, and
culture.
Performances include a 90-minute to two-hour full concert with colorfully costumed dancers and musicians. Repertoire includes
traditional and contemporary African and African American dance. Fee: $3,500–$6,500, plus expenses.
In-School Educational Programs
Additional activities for schools and communities include lecture/demonstrations incorporating dance, music, and cultural
history, and movement sessions, master classes, specialized workshops, and curriculum-based core class residencies of three to
five days with culminating participatory performances. Fee: $500–$1,000 for single educational activity; $4,500–$10,000 for
residencies.
AFRICAN AMERICAN DANCE ENSEMBLE
P: (919) 560-2729 E: aadedance@earthlink.net W: www.africanamericandanceensemble.org
Since 1999 alban elved dance company has presented the innovative works
of Berlin/German choreographer and director Karola Lüttringhaus to
audiences across the United States. Lüttringhaus, recipient of the 2006
N.C. Arts Council Choreography Fellowship, creates athletic contemporary
dance works, which seek to shape meaning from the rich array of
emotional experience. Her work is fiercely physical, tracing the changeable
electricity of thought and sensation that underlies human interaction
and interpersonal relationships. The interdisciplinary nature of alban elved
dance company’s works—which frequently incorporate visual art, digital
media, aerial work, and new technologies—expands the boundaries of dance
performance, creating startling and evocative psychological landscapes.
The company travels with a cast of four members for most
touring productions but also offers solo or larger group programs.
Site-specific works or aerial works can be performed indoors or outdoors.
The repertoire includes programs for younger audiences. alban elved dance company encourages presenters to contact the
company with questions and ideas to tailor a program to their individual needs. Fee: $1,000–$15,000 depending on program and
circumstances (including Q&A after performances), plus travel, lodging, and per diem.
The company offers a broad range of community outreach activities including lecture demonstrations on topics such as company
introduction, the creative process, and balancing art and business careers in dance; dance and science collaborations; aerial
works; site specific installations; workshops; and master classes. Fee: $150–$2,000 depending on program and circumstances,
plus travel, lodging, and per diem.
alban elved dance company/KAROLA LÜTTRINGHAUS
P: (336) 409-5096 E: albanelved@albanelved.com W: www.albanelved.com
DURHAM
WILMINGTON
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Photo: Jeff Cravotta
APPLE CHILL CLOGGERS
The widely-acclaimed Apple Chill Cloggers from Chapel Hill are a nonprofit
folk dance troupe dedicated to the preservation and promotion of
Southern Appalachian clogging. The group formed in 1975 as an
outgrowth of the University of North Carolina Clogging Club.
The Apple Chill Cloggers perform at festivals and in communities
throughout North Carolina. Performance venues range from small private
functions to senior centers to stadiums. In addition to performances, the
group offers classes, demonstrations, and workshops at festivals,
museums, and in other settings. Tar Heel fans have enjoyed their
foot-stompin’, high-kickin’ dances across the state from the mountains to
the coast.
The Apple Chill Cloggers have performed at major folk festivals throughout
North America, including the Chicago Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk
Festival, Canadian festivals in Ontario and Manitoba, and North Carolina’s
own Festival for the Eno. In addition to their performances throughout North Carolina and North America, the Apple Chill
Cloggers have represented the United States at International Folk Dance festivals in Europe and South America since 1977,
sharing their dance arts with over a dozen countries from England to France to Ecuador.
Performances range from 30 to 90 minutes and are accompanied by live music. Shorter and longer performances are also
available. Fee: $400–$1,700; $800 for a typical one-hour performance.
P: (919) 929-4624 E: dance@applechillcloggers.org W: www.applechillcloggers.org
BAROQUE ARTS PROJECT—PAIGE WHITLEY-BAUGUESS
Baroque Arts Project presents dance and music of the 17th and 18th centuries performed
in period style and on period instruments. Based in historic New Bern, this group was
founded by Baroque dancer Paige Whitley-Bauguess and Baroque trumpeter Barry
Bauguess in 1999 to bring the rich dance and musical arts of the Baroque period to life.
The artists present fresh and enlightening performances that delight young and old, enrich
the arts landscape in communities, broaden the understanding of our heritage, and spark
curiosity. Core members from North Carolina are frequently joined by impressive dance
and music artists from around the world to present enchanting concerts and engaging
educational programs.
Since 1999, Baroque Arts Project has performed concerts in New Bern and touring
programs across North Carolina. The group has partnered with other organizations such
as the East Carolina University Early Music Ensemble, the Concert Singers of Cary,
Chatham Baroque, and the New Bern Dancing Assembly. Baroque Arts Project musicians
also collaborated with Paige Whitley-Bauguess in the production of two Baroque dance
DVDs.
Two-hour concerts feature an entertaining variety of dance and music. One-hour workshop/demonstrations are also available
and may be combined with performances. Fee: $1,750–$3,000 (depending on number of dancers and musicians) for
performances; $1,000 and up for workshop/demonstrations; $2,500-$5,000 for concert and one day of
workshop/demonstrations. Expenses additional.
P: (252) 636-0476 E: paige@baroquedance.com W: www.baroquedance.com
CARRBORO
NEW BERN
DANCE 07
Photo: Apple Chill Cloggers
Photo by: Forrest Croce
JODY CASSELL
Jody Cassell is a teaching and performing artist in dance, dancing
storyteller, and children’s author. She holds an MFA in Dance from New
York University and an MS in Dance/Movement Therapy from Hunter
College. She specializes in the integration of curriculum and dance/
creative movement in classroom and professional development settings
from pre-school through elementary school. Cassell is a Master Artist for
the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts. Her work has
been sponsored throughout the Southeast, Maryland and Connecticut.
Her professional development work has been presented through the Wolf
Trap and The Kennedy Center Professional Development Series.
Cassell makes stories come alive through sound and creative
movement for youngsters and adults. Her children’s book Where’s Leon?
is a resource to be read and danced. A reader’s guide on CD-ROM
explains how to introduce basic dance elements to young readers. Cassell
dances books by Denise Fleming and Eric Carle, as well as folk stories and her own stories. Her dancing stories for adults draw
upon the idiosyncrasies of life experiences. She encourages participation on whatever level feels comfortable for those who
attend her performances, workshops or classroom visits.
In-School Education Programs
Workshops and residency programs for pre-school children, elementary schools, after-school programs, and libraries focus on
teaching through dance. Programs meeting N.C. Standard Course of Study objectives are available in literacy, mathematics,
social studies, and science. Additional activities include teacher and administrator workshops integrating movement into the
classroom. Fee: $150–$2,000, depending on length of activity.
P: (919) 338-8052 E: movingtolearn@nc.rr.com W: www.movingYOUtolearn.com
JAN VAN DYKE DANCE GROUP
Active since 1989, the Jan Van Dyke Dance Group performs a repertory
of Van Dyke’s choreography, which is at once athletic, poetic,
contemporary, and accessible to a variety of audiences. Jan Van Dyke’s
dancers are known for dynamic energy and rhythmic precision as well as
compelling expressivity. The choreography seems to live within its
musical form, bringing both the movement and the music to a new plane.
Van Dyke’s dances are highly structured and meticulously crafted while
the movement vocabulary is quick, vigorous, and driving. The Washington
Post describes Van Dyke’s use of form as “…immaculate. Thematic
variation and recapitulation, counterpoint and consonance occur so
naturally that one is hardly aware of the strict structure until the end.”
Dance Magazine writes, “Van Dyke builds intense anticipation and
escalating climax through interwoven designs of rhythmic movement and
variations in timing, ending each work powerfully on a single image of
finality.”
Ninety-minute to two-hour performances normally include the entire company. Shows can be either formal or informal, and can
feature discussion between dances, or before or after the show. Lecture/demonstrations are also available. Fee: $3,000–$5,000
for formal concerts; $1,000–$1,500 for lecture/demonstrations.
Additional activities include 90-minute master classes in creative movement, modern dance, and ballet. Fee: $150 per class.
P: (336) 370-4819 E: vandykedance@hotmail.com W: www.janvandykedance.org
DURHAM
GREENSBORO
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Photo: Catherine Carter
Photo: Steve Clark
MARTHA CONNERTON/KINETIC WORKS DANCE
Martha Connerton/Kinetic Works Dance is a multifaceted organization whose
mission is to foster awareness and appreciation of dance as an art form that
impacts lives in a direct, positive, and evolving process. The company was
founded in 2000 by Martha Connerton, a Charlotte-based choreographer.
Connerton’s range of experience in the field is outstanding. She has performed
with and choreographed for ballet and modern dance companies nationwide.
She is also highly acclaimed in the field of arts education, which is a strong
focus of Kinetic Works programs.
Kinetic Works offers a repertory season and touring performances and also
works with opera companies and other organizations. Lectures and master
classes available. Fee: $5,000 per day to $17,000 per week.
In-School Educational Programs
KINETYX Active Learning Performances are one-hour programs designed to
address specific curriculum goals for grades K–8. Fee: $950 for one show;
$1,600 for two shows. Block booking rates available.
KINETIKids Residencies are one- to two-week residencies for K–12 students, custom-designed through planning with teachers,
based on learning goals and objectives in any area. Fee: $1,200 per week.
KINETIConnect Teacher Workshops are one- to three-hour workshops that engage teachers in teaching through movement,
using kinesthetic intelligence as the basis for experiential learning. Fee: $150 per hour.
P: (704) 338-1533 E: marthacon2@aol.com W: www.mckineticworks.org
NORTH CAROLINA DANCE THEATRE
The North Carolina Dance Theatre is committed to enriching lives and ensuring the
vitality of its community. The company’s classically-trained dancers are
finely-tuned artists who bring passion and personality to every performance. Their
talent, coupled with the internationally-acclaimed leadership of Jean-Pierre
Bonnefoux as president and artistic director and Patricia McBride as associate
artistic director, makes NC Dance Theatre one of the country’s most successful
professional dance companies. NC Dance Theatre’s impressive reputation is based
on superb dancers with high energy, precision and speed, and their ability to
perform a versatile repertory ranging from full-length classical ballets to bold
contemporary works.
Touring performances include Blues & Jeans, celebrating the music and traditions
of the South, and American Masterpieces, featuring choreography by the
legendary Alvin Ailey, George Balanchine and Twyla Tharp. Fee: Please call to
discuss.
In-School Educational Programs
Educational opportunities feature a one-hour narrated performance featuring
classical and contemporary excerpts from the company’s current repertory, including audience participation, and a
question-and-answer session with the professional dancers. Fee: Please call to discuss.
Main-stage education performances, residencies, and master classes are also available. The company supports classroom
teachers by developing curriculum resources, activity guides, and teaching tools, and by offering dance-related professional
development. In-school dance residencies, taught by professional teaching artists, are offered to elementary, middle, and high
schools. Fee: Please call to discuss.
P: (704) 372-0101 E: nmcgaha@ncdance.org (performances) or aberry@ncdance.org (education) W: www.ncdance.org
CHARLOTTE
CHARLOTTE
DANCE 09
Photo: Jeff Cravotta
CARLOTA SANTANA
Carlota Santana Spanish Dance Company (also known as Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana) was
founded in 1983 with the following mission: to foster recognition of the art form of flamenco
as prominent in the performing arts and as an integral part of the Hispanic heritage; to create
quality traditional and cutting edge new works and arts education programs that catalyze
connections among people of different cultures; to enhance education by utilizing the
expressive power of the arts; and to nurture the next generation of Spanish dance artists.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2008, Carlota Santana’s thriving Spanish dance company
is known for its innovative performances, extensive community-based initiatives, and
in-depth arts education programs. Artists from the U.S. and Spain make up the company and
reflect its core values: fostering a cross-cultural form of expression, preserving the tradition
of Spanish dance, and guiding this art form’s modern evolution.
Performances include full-evening performances featuring 8‑12 artists, as well as
smaller-scale 50-minute performances by four artists. All shows feature live music and are
appropriate for all ages. Fee: negotiable.
In-School Educational Programs
Multi-week, community-based educational residencies teach Spanish/Hispanic history,
culture, and language using flamenco dance as the focal point, and are accompanied by curriculum materials. Age-specific residencies
for grades K–12 are taught by one teaching artist, and include a guitarist for two sessions, a performance by four professional artists,
and a final student performance. Residencies usually include ten 45-minute sessions per class for three classes. Additional activities
include lecture-demonstrations, participatory family or student workshops, and master classes. Fee: varies, based on length and scope.
P: (919) 479-9940 E: carlota@flamenco-vivo.org W: www.flamenco-vivo.org
BAHAMA
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Anjail Rashida Ahmad ........................................................................................................
Malaika King Albrecht .........................................................................................................
Michael Beadle .........................................................................................................
Catherine Carter ...................................................................................................................
Charisse Coleman ................................................................................................................
Frances O’Roark Dowell .......................................................................................................
June Guralnick ......................................................................................................................
Mimi Herman ...............................................................................................................
Richard Krawiec ...................................................................................................................
Amy Rogers ..........................................................................................................................
Lynn Salsi ..............................................................................................................................
Susie Wilde ..................................................................................................................
James Young .........................................................................................................................
LITERATURE
THE ARTISTS
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Michael Beadle. Photo by: Jon Bowman. 2005
PINEHURST
DR. ANJAIL RASHIDA AHMAD GREENSBORO
Award-winning poet and Director of the Creative Writing Program at NC A&T
State University, Dr. Anjail Rashida Ahmad delivers moving and transformative
workshops and readings. Her personable and heart-centered style encourages
participants to find their own authentic poetic voices. As a blind poet, Ahmad
supports participants in “seeing” themselves within the stream of history and
helps them write historically and culturally inspired poems drawn from photos,
family history, and tradition. She believes in the power of one’s own story and its
catalytic ability to transform our unique lives. Participants often remark on how
powerfully her individualized approach lends confidence to their writing.
Ahmad is published widely in journals such as African American Review, The
Washington Square Review and The Black Scholar. She was a 2007 recipient of the
Headlands Center for the Arts Fellowship and was nominated for the Human
Rights Medal in 2006. She has authored two collections of poetry, the color of
memory and necessary kindling. Ahmad has been featured on college and
university campuses across the country, and has lectured and been a panelist and
competition judge at numerous festivals and conferences.
Poetry readings of 30-60 minutes are available. Ahmad is also available for workshops, festivals, and longer programs.
Fee: $400 for reading. Other activities negotiable. Travel and accommodations additional.
P: (336) 272-4053 E: arahmad@ncat.edu
MALAIKA KING ALBRECHT
Malaika King Albrecht is primarily a narrative poet, with work published in many
online and print literary journals, books, and anthologies. Her manuscript, Never
the Same River, was a semi-finalist at Elixir Press. She has worked in a variety of
settings including psychiatric facilities, battered women’s shelters, rape crisis
centers, churches, and national conferences.
Her poetry writing workshops include discussion of poetic techniques, the writing
of individual poems, and the sharing of poems through readings. She has written
and performed on subjects ranging from “Sacred Poetry” to “Adventurous Poetry”
and has led poetry therapy groups for addicts and survivors of sexual assault.
Readings and events are approximately one hour long, and include question-and-answer
sessions. Fee: negotiable.
P: (910) 255-0646 E: pomegranite8@hotmail.com
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
P: (828) 400-6374 E: beadlepoet@yahoo.com W: www.beadlepoet.com
P: (828) 227-3931 E: ccarter@email.wcu.edu W: paws.wcu.edu/ccarter
CATHERINE CARTER
Catherine Carter’s poems span a wide range, from lyric poems about cleaning out the mold
beneath the refrigerator (from the mold’s point of view), to killing the rabbit after the cat
botched the job, to more familiar subjects like falling in (and out of) love. Her poems
examine the interface and connection between human and nonhuman, and have been well
received in the biological and conservation communities. Her first book, The Memory of Gills,
was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, a Kate Tufts Prize and a Norma
Farber First Book Award, and won the NC Literary and Historical Association’s Roanoke-
Chowan Award. Her work has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Carter is Director of
English Education at Western Carolina University.
Readings range from 25 to 40 minutes in length, and can be followed by a question-and-answer
session. Guest lectures, small-group poetry workshops, and “What’s It Like to be a
Poet?” sessions are also available. Fee: $100-$500, negotiable.
CANTON
CULLOWHEE
MICHEAL BEADLE
Michael Beadle is a performance poet, author, and award-winning journalist
living in Canton, N.C. Since earning his BA in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill
in 1994, he has worked for community newspapers across North Carolina and
has published more than 1,500 articles. Over the past decade, he has read and
produced radio commercials, acted in community theater, directed library
literacy programs, taught high school English and creative writing, and led
staff development workshops on arts integration as part of the A+ Schools
Program, based at UNC-Greensboro. In 2004, Beadle published his first poetry
collection, An Invented Hour, and he was chosen twice in 2006 as “Poet of
the Week” by NC Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer. His poetry has been
published in The New Southerner, Kakalak, and the Raleigh News and
Observer’s Sunday Journal. He currently spends his time as a teaching artist,
performance poet, and contributing writer and copy editor for the Smoky
Mountain News.
In-School Educational Programs
Poetry performances for grades K-12 include Beadle’s original poetry along with classical, contemporary, and children’s
poetry. Audience participation, dramatic gestures, and spoken word dramatize the power of poetry. Fee: $250-300 for first
show; $200 each additional show. Maximum of three shows per day.
Poetry writing workshops emphasize the writing process from generating ideas to putting words on the page to editing and
revising. Workshops for teachers and students in grades 3-12 include “I Am Poetry,” “Sound, Surprise and Shape: an
Introduction to Poetry,” “Performance Poetry,” “The Art of Advertising,” and “News as a Muse: Turning Nonfiction into Poetry.”
Fees: $300 for a one-day student workshop, $800 for a three-day student residency and $1,300 for a one-week student
residency. Maximum of four class periods per day. Staff development workshops are $400 for a three-hour workshop.
LITERATURE 13
Photo by: Jon Bowman. 2005
P: (919) 402-1582 E: cydwrite@hotmail.com
CHARISSE COLEMAN
Charisse Coleman’s creative nonfiction has been published in anthologies, national
literary magazines, and newspapers. For over twenty years, she has helped people
fully engage their creative powers. Her workshops focus on deep exploration of self
and subject, imaginative and critical thinking, and increasing participants’ abilities to
tell their stories clearly and vividly, in their truest voices. As one student said, “I am
astonished by the breadth and depth of Charisse’s understanding of creative
nonfiction. She consistently provided the framework for us to do it well. The
workshop was powerful, moving, and revealing.” Coleman holds a BFA in Acting from
New York University and an MFA in Writing and Literature from Bennington College.
In New York City, she created and led the multi-discipline group, Artists in Discussion.
The North Carolina Arts Council has twice awarded her a N.C. Arts Council Literature
Fellowship.
Coleman has read from A Bad Goodbye, her memoir about the difficult relationship
with her murdered brother, in a variety of settings including churches, libraries, and
an art gallery. As the sister of a murdered man and a death penalty opponent, she is
a sought-after speaker at press conferences, town meetings, and rallies. Her vivid,
articulate accounts of her experience and perspective have engaged audiences all over North Carolina, opening their minds
and hearts to new directions of thought and feeling.
Performances include readings with Q&A, and talks on craft and the writing life. Fee: $350, plus expenses.
Additional activities include creative nonfiction writing workshops; “Writing Extravaganza,” a workshop to generate ideas for
fiction or nonfiction writing projects; and how-to seminars on revising, publishing, and making effective presentations.
Fee: $225 per hour, plus expenses, for writing workshops; $500-850, plus expenses, for “Writing Extravaganza”; varied fees
for seminars.
P: (919) 489-7114 E: fdowell@mindspring.com W: www.francesdowell.com
FRANCES O’ROARK DOWELL
Frances O’Roark Dowell is a children’s book author whose works are aimed at readers ranging
in age from eight to fourteen. Her first book, Dovey Coe, was published in 2000 and she since
has authored six additional novels. All of her books have been published by Atheneum Books
for Young Readers, a division of Simon and Schuster. Her novels have won a number of
awards, including an Edgar Award, the William Allen White Award, an NCTE Notable Book
citation, and an American Library Association Notable Book citation. She has spoken to many
audiences about her books and writing process.
Workshops and presentations on the writing process, including “The Top Five Myths about
Being a Writer,” range from 45 to 90 minutes. Fee: $500 plus expenses for half day, including
two sessions plus lunch and a book signing; $1,000 plus expenses for full day, including four
sessions, lunch, and a book signing. Travel and lodging additional.
DURHAM
DURHAM
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Photo by: Ted Corvette. 2005
Photo by: Clifton P. Dowell. 2006
APEX
DURHAM
P: (919) 280-3486 E: june@juneguralnick.com W: www.juneguralnick.com
JUNE GURALNICK
For the past 25 years, writer and director June Guralnick has created original
works primarily for the stage, presented at theaters, colleges, and museums
throughout the country. Dedicated to exploring different forms of narrative,
Guralnick recently completed Ashes From The Heights, a collection of poetry
with dialogue. Her work as an artist has been complemented by the creation
of large-scale community outreach programs, including successful projects
such as “Dreams-of-Flight” and “Growing Up In America.” Additionally, she has
worked as a nonfiction author, writing articles for various journals and
magazines.
Guralnick’s work as both a theater director and writer has earned her national
recognition, including a National Endowment for the Arts grant and the Silver
Medal-Pinter Drama Review Prize. A former North Carolina Visiting Artist
and N.C. Arts Council Literature Fellowship recipient, Guralnick was selected as a Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writer at
Appalachian State University in 2007.
Performances feature readings from Guralnick’s plays and other writings. Fee: $500.
Additional activities include lectures and participatory workshops on playwriting and creative writing, as well as
community outreach workshops on “Celebrating Community History: Writing Our Stories.” Fee: negotiable, depending on
length of program and travel.
P: (919) 286-4622 C: (919) 606-7686 E: mlherman@aol.com
MIMI HERMAN
Mimi Herman has taught over 30,000 students and teachers—many of whom
would rather scrub a bathtub than write a poem—to fall in love with
writing. Herman’s teaching style catches the imagination of her students and
creates a supportive learning environment. As one student says of her time
with Herman, “It is an experience that I will hold with me throughout
my whole life.” As a national faculty member for the Lesley University M.Ed.
program, Herman travels the country, teaching educators to use poetry
throughout the curriculum. She also designs and conducts hands-on
workshops and institutes for teachers, administrators, parents, and teaching
artists on integrating the arts and the curriculum. She is an associate editor for
Teaching Artist Journal and has participated in the Kennedy Center’s seminar,
“Artists as Educators: Planning Effective Workshops for Teachers.”
Herman’s performance readings will make you laugh, cry, and laugh again. Performances include Sophie and Solly, whose
children want them to leave Brooklyn (where the streets are paved with gold) to retire to Florida (where the streets are lined
with pink stucco). Also available are poetry and humorous essays including such gems as “A Love Letter to Kitchen Aid,” “The
Entropy of Housework,” and “The Last Piece of Chocolate Cake on Earth.” Fee: $500-$1,000 for one- to three-hour readings,
plus expenses.
In-School Educational Programs
Writing workshops and residencies are available for grades 4-12 and adults. Herman provides staff development workshops
in “Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum,” “The Geography of Your Life,” and “Teaching Tough Kids.” Custom-designed arts
integration institutes are also available. Fee: $500 per day plus expenses for student workshops; residencies, teacher
workshops, and institutes fees negotiable.
LITERATURE 15
Photo by: John Yewell. 2007
RALEIGH
CHARLOTTE
RICHARD KRAWIEC
Richard Krawiec has published novels, short story collections, poems, feature articles,
plays, sports biographies, and a chapter book for children. He has won awards from
the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council (twice).
He is a first-place winner in the 2007 North Carolina Poetry Society Competition.
His work has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and Best American Short Stories.
Krawiec’s sports biography on Yao Ming was awarded a “Top 40 Books of the Year”
award from the Pennsylvania Librarians’ Association. He offers fun, energetic, and
interactive workshops in fiction, poetry, non-fiction, theatrical plays, and screen
plays. Using a multi-art, multiple-intelligence approach, Krawiec teaches critical and
creative thinking skills through writing. Krawiec’s workshops are effective with all
groups, from homeless shelters to community centers. His training workshops for
parents and social service personnel are in demand statewide and nationally.
Performance activities feature readings from Krawiec’s award-winning novels, short
stories, poetry, and his book for children. Fee: $500 and up, depending on length.
Various workshops are also available. Fee: $500-$1,000 per session, depending on length.
P: (919) 859-9297 C: (919) 810-2863 E: rkwriter@gmail.com W: http//home.mindspring.com/~rkwriter/
AMY ROGERS
Amy Rogers is a founder and the publisher of Novello Festival Press, an award-winning
literary project that publishes books of excellence from Carolina writers, and she is a
regular commentator for NPR station WFAE. Rogers is an accomplished nonfiction
author, editor, and publisher whose engaging, interactive workshops have helped
hundreds of writers improve their work and learn how to navigate the publishing world.
As an author, Rogers introduces writers to the tools of nonfiction writing. She provides
expertise to writers who need direction in sharpening or tailoring their work for specific
publications or audiences. As an editor and publisher, she shares her “insider’s view” of
how publishers choose which books to produce, and she helps writers avoid many
common pitfalls when submitting work for publication.
Programs offered include “Welcome to the Real World: Writing Nonfiction,” “Ask an
Editor,” and audience-specific writing workshops for adults. Programs vary in length
from two to four hours. Intensive day-long workshops or project-specific retreats also
available. Fees: $350-$500 for programs, plus expenses; workshop and retreat fees
negotiable.
P: (704) 335-0944 F: (704) 335-0944 E: ATRogers@aol.com
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
GREENSBORO
CHAPEL HILL
P: (336) 547-9315 E: bsalsi@triad.rr.com
LYNN SALSI
Lynn Salsi began working as a storyteller and playwright in 1990. As the director of the
North Carolina Youth Touring Theater, she wrote plays for children to perform in
classrooms and on the stage. Since then, she has worked with other performers,
appearing in children’s museums, folk festivals, and libraries. In addition to performances
throughout North Carolina, Salsi has presented in New York City, Washington D.C.,
Baltimore, and Richmond, and has performed in cultural arts centers and schools in
London, England.
Salsi’s first book was published in 1999. Since then, 19 more books have followed.
Most of her books feature North Carolina history and folklore.
Presentations include “Writing Presentation,” “Jack Tales,” and “The North Carolina
Storytelling Quilt.” All programs include artifacts appropriate to the presentation, such
as photographs, quilts, china, old keys, hand-carved toys, teacups, and musical
instruments. Author workshops are structured to meet the needs of the audience.
Fees: $375-$500 for up to two 45- to 60-minute programs; $900-$1,200 per day for
daylong appearances.
P: (919) 932-3300 E: susiewilde@bellsouth.net W: www.wildewritingworks.com
SUSIE WILDE
Susie Wilde is an author, teacher, children’s book reviewer, columnist, consultant, and
presenter who loves to share her passion for books and writing with children, families,
and teachers. Wilde has published a children’s book, a writing book for teachers, and
hundreds of articles and columns. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master
of Education degree with an emphasis in reading from Tulane University.
In-School Educational Programs
Wilde offers a half-day reading methods professional development series with
interactive classroom modeling, and “On-the-Job Professional Development Literacy
Workshops.” Teacher workshops unite reading, writing, talking, and N.C. Standard
Course of Study objectives in a playful, meaningful, and student-centered process.
Fees: $1,000-$3,000 for professional development workshops; $750 per day for
“On-the-Job” workshops.
She also offers writing residencies for grades 3-12 and book talks and writing adventures
for parent and family workshops. In addition, Wilde collaborates with visual artist
Peg Gignoux on multiple-day “Story Quilt” residencies that combine writing with visual art activities, and on professional
development workshops in reading methods and bookmaking. Fees: $1,200-$4,000 for writing residencies; $500 including
bibliographies and free book giveaways for parent and family workshops; $15,000-$30,000 for “Story Quilt” residencies;
$2,500-$3,000 for Wilde/Gignoux professional development workshops.
LITERATURE 17
Photo by: Suzanne Greenslade. 2006
JAMES YOUNG GREENSBORO
As an author and illustrator, James Young has worked primarily in the field of children’s
books, creating picture books and easy readers. Since 1987 he has written and illustrated
11 books and illustrated an additional 11 books by other authors. Young’s books have
been published by Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Little Brown, and Price
Stern Sloan, and one of his books, Everyone Loves the Moon, has been translated into
French. His work has been adapted for radio, television, cantata, and ballet. Young is a
member of the international Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators.
Young offers writing and publishing workshops, which he adapts to the interests of his
audience. Sessions begin with a reading from his work and then can include a
discussion of the creative process, a drawing demonstration, and an explanation of the
publishing process. He also offers more in-depth creative writing workshops for youth
and publishing workshops for adults. Fees: negotiable.
P: (336) 218-0687 E: mopiter@yahoo.com W: www.mopiter.com
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Susana and Timmy Abell/Silver Trout Arts ..............................................................
Laura Boosinger .........................................................................................................
Jerry Harmon ........................................................................................................................
The Healing Force ............................................................................................................
The Magic of African Rhythm/Djembe Fire ..................................................................
Faye Stanley ..............................................................................................................
Connie B. Steadman/Miss Connie B ....................................................................................
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY
THE ARTISTS
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The Healing Force
ASHEVILLE
ASHEVILLE
SUSANA AND TIMMY ABELL/SILVER TROUT ARTS
Silver Trout Arts is a fresh collaboration of two highly-respected
teaching artists whose concerts and residency work blend the
diversity of four art forms together with beautifully-played
music on seven different instruments. Combining storytelling,
poetry, puppetry, and original music, Susana and Timmy Abell
bring out the idea that there are many different ways to share a
story.
Susana Abell is a bilingual puppeteer, writer, and singer, who
holds a graduate teaching degree. Prior to moving to North
Carolina in 1998, she worked as a performer and teaching artist
in South America, Europe, and New York, with sponsorship that
included Carnegie Hall and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
With 25 years of touring experience, Timmy Abell is one of the
Southeast’s most popular family entertainers. His recordings
have won the highest national awards (ALA, “Parents’ Choice”
Gold, NAPPA) and he has received the prestigious N.C. Arts Council Songwriting Fellowship. He has performed at the Kennedy
Center, The National Theater, and in countless schools and concert halls across the country.
Susana and Timmy Abell are available for concerts in any venue where families and young folks are gathered: schools,
libraries, museums, community concert series, and festivals. Fees: $600-$700 for schools and libraries; $1,000-$2,000 for
other venues.
In-School Educational Programs
Silver Trout offers a broad spectrum of programs to suit the needs of schools and communities, including curriculum-relevant
performances, student workshops, staff development workshops, and one- to five-day residencies which include
performances. Fee: $1,500-$5,000.
P: (888) 253-7225 E: fishing@silvertrout.org W: www.silvertrout.org
LAURA BOOSINGER
Laura Boosinger is a traditional musician focusing on the music of the Southern
mountains. She plays several stringed instruments including old-time clawhammer style
banjo, finger-picked autoharp, mountain lap dulcimer, and Carter Family style guitar. She
also teaches shaped-note singing from the Christian Harmony and offers residencies
featuring traditional folk dance.
While a student at Warren Wilson, Boosinger took advantage of courses taught by
traditional folk artists in the Appalachian Music Program. As her interest grew, she
focused her degree on Appalachian music and culture. Upon graduation, she continued
to pursue her study by attending folk festivals, fiddlers conventions, and concert
performances throughout the Southeast, accompanying traditional fiddlers including
N.C . Folk Heritage Award winner Luke Smathers, Mack Snoderly, and Ed Michaels. In
addition to her solo work, she currently tours with David Holt and the Lightning Bolts
and bluegrass pioneer and N.C. Folk Heritage Award winner, George Shuffler. Her work
occurs in settings including schools, Elderhostels, and festivals in the U.S. and abroad.
Concert performances are available for grades K-12, college students, and community
audiences, and include a variety of folk instruments, age-appropriate material, and audience participation. Fee: $450 for one
school performance, $700 for two in same location; $600-$1,000 for community concerts.
In-School Educational Programs
Additional activities include school residencies on traditional folk dance, shaped-note singing, and North Carolina musical
traditions. Fee: $1,200 for 3 days (5 contacts per day); $400 for each additional day.
P: (828) 285-0899 E: lboosinger@charter.net W: www.lauraboosinger.com
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Photo by: Silver Trout Arts. 2006
Photo by: Warner Photography. 2006
OTTO
WINSTON-SALEM
JERRY HARMON
Deep in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Appalachian mountain chain in North
Carolina, Jerry Harmon was born into a family rich in the tradition of
storytelling and music. His great-great-great grandfather, Council Harmon,
was the first to introduce Jack Tales to America from England. These tales,
the origin of Appalachian Mountain storytelling, have been passed down
faithfully through the generations. Jerry Harmon is the only direct descendant
of Council Harmon to continue this tradition.
Harmon launched his musical career at an early age, strumming a banjo
fashioned from wood and groundhog hide made by his uncle. Radio programs
featuring Hank Williams Sr., Flatt and Scruggs, Ray Price, and others proved a
lasting influence. At the age of 12, with his Sears Roebuck True-tone guitar in
hand and an earnest determination, he tackled his first music lessons from a
book.
Harmon was first invited to appear at the renowned MerleFest in 2000, where he shared the stage with Ricky Skaggs, Tony
Rice, Marty Stuart, Earl Scruggs, and Dolly Parton. He has gone on to perform at many noted festivals, including the Winnipeg
Folk Festival and the White Horse Festival in Canada, gaining recognition as an accomplished guitarist and gifted songwriter
as well as storyteller. Harmon has toured the United States, Canada, and Europe, with a compelling stage presence that shines
as brightly as his talent.
Performances include music, Jack Tales, and mountain entertainment for all. Fee: negotiable.
P: (828) 734-3232 E: jerry_harmon35@yahoo.com W: www.jerryharmon.com
THE HEALING FORCE
The Healing Force offers a celebration of African culture through storytelling and
music. This family of artists brings arts to the community through high-energy
performances at schools, churches, festivals, colleges, libraries, and community
events. Whatever the venue, The Healing Force affirms values, celebrates culture,
sparks creativity, and enlightens young and old.
The Healing Force has performed professionally full-time since 1990, receiving
grants each year from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County for
arts-in-education programs, and from the N.C. Arts Council for organizational
development. The group appears in artist directories across North and South
Carolina.
Founded in 1975 by the husband and wife team of Joseph and Gail Anderson, they
are joined by their daughter Sonji and son Karim, making their work a family affair.
Together this performing family presents programs designed to encourage positive
behavior, provide creative opportunities, and enrich the school curriculum. The
Healing Force weaves a message from the heart!
In-School Educational Programs
The Healing Force’s most popular performance, “The Rhythm of the Drum,” consists of storytelling, African dance, singing, and
instruments for grades Pre K–12, and is performed with four artists for 30–60 minutes. Other performances include “The Griot
Past and Present” for grades 6–12 and “Celebrate Kwanzaa” for grades K–8. Fee: $650 and up, plus travel.
P: (336) 767-2724 E: TheHealingForce@aol.com W: www.thehealingforceonline.com
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY 21
CHAPEL HILL
THE MAGIC OF AFRICAN RHYTHM/DJEMBE FIRE! PITTSBORO
Baba and Mama Shabu, who have spent nearly 20 years studying and
performing all over Africa, originally established this group in Africa
as “Ngoma Sasa.” The group grew with the addition of their children,
Mabinti, Teli, and Taji, whose talents shine through the drums, various
African keyboard and stringed instruments, storytelling, song, and
dance. The group’s form of artistic expression is “ngoma,” the blending
of all the art forms into an organic whole.
In performance, Djembe Fire! presents a dynamic combination of
amazing skill, energy, and drums. Six to eight master drummers and
dancers share with you the fire of the djembe program with the
authentic instruments, music, dance, and drama that bring the African
spectacle to life. Djembe Fire! incorporates professional drummers and dancers who have performed with locally and
nationally known groups such as the African American Dance Ensemble and the Broadway version of “The Lion King.”
In-School Educational Programs
School performances include Djembe Fire!, two-instrument BalanKora performances, and “Feet and Hands Can Talk!” Djembe
Fire! encourages input in advance of the performance on how their program can connect with the school’s N.C. Standard
Course of Study objectives. Fees: $1,200 for one 45-minute Djembe Fire! performance; $600 for one 45-minute BalanKora
performance; negotiable for “Feet and Hands Can Talk.”
P: (919) 942-3404 E: worldsongevents@yahoo.com W: www.africanrhythm.org
FAYE STANLEY
Faye Stanley is an artist, teaching artist, and educator specializing in culture-based art
forms. Her particular areas of strength are music, stories, and musical games from
around the world, which she uses to entertain and educate. She performs nationally, and
frequently offers professional development on the use of these art forms in
arts-integrated curriculum. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in voice and a
Masters in education from Goddard College, where she specialized in the study of
arts-integrated curriculum. She is particularly drawn to the capability of community
music-making to join people across times and cultures, and to empower humans to
participate in the pleasures of shared music and story. She frequently uses other
languages in her work, and focuses on stories and music that carry a thread of
collaborative, peaceful interactions. All her work is physically active, and draws on many
different learning styles.
Participatory multicultural performances are based on the music, stories, and games of
many world cultures, and are available for schools, conferences, workshops, churches,
festivals, and other settings. Stanley builds programs that fit the work to the setting.
Fee: $400–$600, plus travel and lodging.
In-School Educational Programs
Educational activities feature workshops and residencies for students, teachers, and other adults. Professional development
workshops include “Storytelling and Literacy” and “Pattern, Form and Composition Across the Curriculum.” Student
workshop and residencies are designed to support the N.C. Standard Course of Study through the use of multicultural arts.
Fees: $300–$1,000 for workshops; $2,000–$2,500 per week for residencies. Travel and lodging additional.
P: (919) 968-1168 E: clappingdog@nc.rr.com W: www.clappingdog.com
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Photo by: Renee Prillaman. 2007
CONNIE B. STEADMAN/MISS CONNIE B YANCEYVILLE
Miss Connie B is one of the original Badgett Sisters, 1990 recipients of a
N.C. Arts Council Folk Heritage Award. She captivates audiences with her often
interactive performances of traditional songs done in the traditional way, in an
informal and relaxed setting. As she carries on her sisters’ tradition of telling stories
about such animals as “Brer Rabbit” and “Brer Fox,” she shares terms that may be
unfamiliar to her audiences, and incorporates feedback from them on topics
mentioned in the stories.
Miss Connie B performs in a wide variety of settings, from festivals to hospitals and
churches. No audience is too small or too large for the gifts she has to offer, as she
shares the traditional songs and stories that have made North Carolina—and the
Badgett Sisters—great.
Performances range from 45 minutes to one hour in length, and are suitable for all
ages. Fee: $300-$500, depending on length of performance, negotiable.
P: (336) 694-6947 E: connies03@earthlink.net
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY 23
Timmy Abell .........................................................................................................
Martha Bassett .................................................................................................................
The Biscuit Burners ..........................................................................................................
Beverly Botsford .................................................................................................
Buffalo Creek String Band ..............................................................................................
Carolina Chocolate Drops ................................................................................................
Children of the Horn .......................................................................................................
Coyote ..............................................................................................................................
David DiGiuseppe ......................................................................................................
The High Windy Band ......................................................................................................
David Holt ........................................................................................................................
Little Windows .................................................................................................................
Mappamundi .....................................................................................................................
Noah Paley ........................................................................................................................
Charles Pettee ............................................................................................................
The Pratie Heads ...............................................................................................................
The Shady Grove Band .....................................................................................................
Jon Shain ..........................................................................................................................
Billy Stevens .....................................................................................................................
Mike “Lightnin’” Wells .....................................................................................................
BLUEGRASS, BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK, POPULAR, & WORLD MUSIC
THE ARTISTS
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THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
David Holt. Photo courtesy of the artist
ASHEVILLE
WINSTON-SALEM
TIMMY ABELL
Timmy Abell is one of the nation’s top contemporary songwriters for children. Recipient
of the prestigious N.C. Arts Council’s Songwriting Fellowship, he is best known
for his highly entertaining family concerts and educational school programs. Over the
last two decades his recordings have been enjoyed by tens of thousands of families
around the country, and have received the highest national awards from the American
Library Association, “Parents’ Choice,” and NAPPA. Titles include Little Red Wagon, The
Farmer’s Market, Play All Day, I Know an Old Lady, and Stories to Grow On. For 30
years, Abell has celebrated both the historical and living qualities of American,
Appalachian, international, and original folk music.
Performances include concerts and storytelling programs for children, families, or adults.
Abell’s concerts are an interplay of music and storytelling featuring a collection of rare
musical instruments, including hammered dulcimer, English concertina, bowed psaltery,
lap dulcimer, and penny whistle, along with guitar and banjo. His storytelling includes a rich variety of adventure stories, tall
tales, fairy tales, and mountain Jack Tales. Fees: $600-$700 for schools; $1,000-$2,000 for other venues.
In-School Educational Programs
Timmy Abell offers curriculum-relevant workshops and residencies for students and teachers. Student residencies include
“The Art of Songwriting” and “The Art of Storytelling.” Teacher workshops include “Music: A Powerful Tool for Transforming
the Classroom Atmosphere” and “Songwriting in the Writing Curriculum” or can be designed to suit specific needs. Abell has
participated in the Kennedy Center’s Seminar, “Artists as Educators: Planning Effective Workshops for Teachers.”
Fees: $1,500-$5,000 for residencies; $250-$500 for teacher workshops.
P: (828) 253-7225 E: timmy@timmyabell.com W: www.timmyabell.com
MARTHA BASSETT
Martha Bassett has been working as a professional singer for 25 years. She began
as a classical singer, then began performing non-classical music in 1997. Her live
performances, often described as “genre-defying,” mix together elements of jazz,
swing, old-time mountain music, alt-country, and pop-rock. All this makes for an
exciting live show that features something for everyone. The common elements
for all Bassett’s performances are superb musicianship, strong rhythmic drive, and
top-level singing. Her bands have included some of the finest musicians in the
Southeast.
For the past 10 years, Bassett has performed concerts for municipalities and
arts councils throughout North Carolina and surrounding states. She has
performed for various corporations, including Hanes Brand, Inc., North Carolina
Baptist Hospital, and the National Women’s Health Association, as well as for
wine festivals throughout the East Coast. She has been engaged by many local and regional festivals, including MerleFest,
Festival for the Eno, Lake Eden Arts Festival, and Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, and has opened for such performers as Lyle
Lovett and his Large Band, Cowboy Mouth, and Jim Lauderdale.
Performances include community concerts for all ages, composed of a mix of southern swing, folk, alternative country,
originals, and classic standards. Master classes for vocalists and choral ensembles are also available. Fees: $2,500-$3,500 for
90-minute concerts; $500 for one- to two-hour master classes. Travel and accommodations are additional.
P: (336) 508-0001 E: martha@marthabassett.com W: www.marthabassett.com
BLUEGRASS, BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK, POPULAR, and WORLD MUSIC 25
Photo by: Robert Kirk. 2006
DURHAM
THE BISCUIT BURNERS ASHEVILLE
Offering a fresh approach to acoustic music with roots that
date as far back as mountain music can reach, The Biscuit
Burners offer their “Fiery Mountain Music” with innovative
instrumentation, resplendent harmonies, and captivating
original material. Their unique yet familiar material draws
strongly from their respect of traditional mountain music, their
love of bluegrass and classic country, and their appreciation of
music from the far corners of the world.
In 2004, The Biscuit Burners quickly established themselves and
their “Fiery Mountain Music” as a complete package for
acoustic entertainment. Along with being showcased at the
IBMA Conference and appearing at the historic Ryman
Auditorium with Vassar Clements and Rhonda Vincent, they had
their debut album chosen in the Top 10 Bluegrass Albums of
2004 by the Chicago Tribune. Their critics also chose the Biscuit Burners’ song “Come On Darlin’” as the IPOD Hotpick
Bluegrass Song of 2004. The Biscuit Burners tour nationally and have been heard on NPR, the BBC, and PBS as well as in
Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music, Berkeley’s Freight and Salvage, MerleFest, and Alexandria VA’s Birchmere. Their
most recent album, A Mountain Apart, was in the Top 20 of the Roots Music Report National Airplay chart for the first five
months of its release.
Performances feature acoustic music rooted in traditional country and bluegrass. Fee: negotiable. Additional activities
include specialized instructional workshops in banjo, guitar, fiddle, vocals, mandolin, and upright bass, as well as workshops in
song writing, band development, and small business management in the music industry. Fee: negotiable.
P: (828) 645-7745 E: billy@thebiscuitburners.com W: www.thebiscuitburners.com
BEVERLY BOTSFORD
Beverly Botsford is a cross-cultural percussionist and educator who
blends music, movement, and spoken word in solo and ensemble
presentations. Embracing drumming traditions of Africa, Cuba, South
America, and her native North Carolina, she weaves colorful rhythmic
tapestries with her array of collected and homemade instruments.
Botsford celebrates more than 30 years of full-time, professional
experience, performing and teaching in a wide variety of situations.
Highlights include touring with Chuck Davis and the African American
Dance Ensemble, as well as serving for over a decade on the American
Dance Festival faculty. Over the years, she has shared her passion for
rhythm and culture in hundreds of schools and communities. Her goal is
empowerment, enlightenment, and inspiration for people in all walks
of life. Since 1998, she has toured internationally with Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon in such venues as
the Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Umbria Jazz Festival. Television credits include appearances on CBS “Good
Morning,” BET Jazz, UNC-TV’s “Our State,” and WRAL’s “Smart Start Kids.”
Performances feature a 45-minute to two-hour solo performance or a one- to two-hour ensemble performance. Both
celebrate rhythmic diversity on a wide array of drums and percussion instruments. Solo performances include “Dancing
Drums,” “Gourd Fever,” and “Hand to Heart.” Ensemble performances include “Percussive Jazz Theater” and “Tambor Vivo.”
Fees: $500–$1,200 for solo performances; $1,200–$4,000 for ensemble.
In School Educational Programs:
Educational activities include school assembly performances, lecture/demonstrations, classes, and workshops on hand
percussion and instrument-making, as well as a teacher workshop entitled “Wrap it in Rhythm—Language Fluency and
Percussion.” “Roots and Rhythm” and “Science of Sound” residencies of one week or longer are also available. Activities are
tailored to presenter needs and are available for all ages. Fees: $700–$1,200 per day; $2,000–$4,000 week.
P: (919) 384-8418 E: BBshekere@aol.com W: www.beverlybotsford.com
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Photo by: Candice Freeland
MISENHEIMER
DURHAM
BUFFALO CREEK STRING BAND
Buffalo Creek String Band continues a musical legacy that dates back to the
days when fiddles could be found throughout Southern Appalachia and
singing was as common and almost as widespread a tradition as spoken
language. The band—composed of Jackie Burgess, Annie Griffey, Joy Moser, and
Scott Dixon—plays old-time songs, fiddle tunes, and mountain ballads with a
touch of early bluegrass and country music. As they delight audiences on the
fiddle, banjo, guitar, and bass, they share with their listeners the Irish, English,
Scottish, and African roots of American music.
Performances feature the rich musical tradition of Appalachia, and are
available for contra and square dances, private parties, weddings, festivals, and
concert venues. Fee: $500–$1,000, depending on performance duration and
location; includes sound system.
P: (704) 463-1335 E: grittygriffey@gmail.com W: www.myspace.com/buffalocreekstringband
CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS
The Carolina Chocolate Drops celebrate the music we hail as American to the
core. Through performance and lecture, they revive and retell the history of
the area we call home and of the people who worked, lived, played, and died
here. As African American musicians, they reach out to the community at
large, exposing their audiences to music that most today see as an Anglo
tradition, and demonstrating the exchange between different cultural groups
that made American music great. Audiences discover the contributions of
African Americans in the realm of rural folk music of the last century and
later. The Carolina Chocolate Drops highlight the African origins of the banjo
and its place in old-time, bluegrass, and country music of today and of the
past. They also talk about the fiddle and its importance to black and white
communities alike, and the contributions of African rhythmic structures to
the fiddling of the British Isles. When the Carolina Chocolate Drops educate
audiences about the history of this music, they bridge the gap that separates people by class, race, and color. As listeners
experience this music and culture firsthand, their eyes become opened to facts they never knew and talents they never knew
they had.
The Carolina Chocolate Drops perform in concert venues, museums, libraries, and festivals. Performances include 20-minute
sets, 45-minute sets, full concerts, and week-long residencies. All shows include demonstrations of traditional dance styles
ranging from flatfooting to the Charleston. Fee: negotiable.
P: (336) 370-4059 E: carolinachocolatedrops@yahoo.com W: www.carolinachocolatedrops.com
BLUEGRASS, BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK, POPULAR, and WORLD MUSIC 27
Photo by: Pam Bloom
CHILDREN OF THE HORN
Children of the Horn is an instrumental ensemble that has
created a unique sound by combining influences from jazz,
rhythm and blues, and world music. With a frontline of horns
backed by a rhythm section, Children of the Horn takes the
listener on a kaleidoscopic journey through original
compositions that run the gamut from super-syncopated
Latin-funk to swaggering New Orleans Second Line styles
to classic Motown-inspired grooves. Audiences of all ages
find Children of the Horn to be highly entertaining. Their
tight arrangements and masterfully improvised solos have
earned the band opportunities to share the stage with
international stars such as Dirty Dozen Brass Band, P-Funk,
and Dr. Lonnie Smith.
Children of the Horn performs for festivals, concerts, clubs,
and private corporate events. Performances typically last
50-75 minutes. When appropriate, the concert may take the
form of a lecture-demonstration in order to enrich the listeners’ overall experience. Concerts may also be tailored to specific
audiences to showcase particular influences at work in the group’s repertoire. Fee: $900–$2,500.
Master classes in jazz improvisation and ensemble techniques are also available. Fee: negotiable.
P: (919) 876-1780 E: info@childrenofthehorn.com W: www.childrenofthehorn.com
COYOTE
Coyote is composed of singer/songwriters Marcy Brenner and
Lou Castro, who make Ocracoke Island their home. This place
of sea and storms provides the perfect backdrop for their
artistic expression and community involvement. Reachable
only by air or ferry, the island has a life that infuses their
music and live performances with colorful images from the
Outer Banks. They have an engaging and spontaneous stage
presence, bringing audiences “into their living room” with
enchanting, intimate songs and a pleasing variety of acoustic
instruments, all tinged with folk, rock, and blues flavors.
Concerts feature original and familiar selections that
demonstrate the role and beauty each instrument
contributes to the song. They have released Live from the
Outer Banks, Home To Me, and the new Another Year Blooms
to an eager following of regional fans and receive consistently glowing reviews for both their performances and their songs,
which have reached Top 10 ranking in peer reviews. Brenner and Castro “lend their chops” on many coastal musicians’
projects and perform all over the state and beyond. They are principal players with the Ocrafolk Opry and also perform
regularly with Molasses Creek and Noah Paley.
Performances typically consist of two 50-minute sets with a 15-minute intermission, and feature Brenner and Castro on
guitars, mandolin, percussion, bass, and non-pedal steel. Shorter performances tailored for specific audiences and a youth
band workshop are also available. A top-quality PA system can be provided. Fee: $600–900, negotiable.
P: (252) 256-2081 E: info@coyotemusic.net W: www.coyotemusic.net
OCRACOKE
RALEIGH
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Photo by: Bruce DeBoer. 2006
2005 © Ann Ehringhaus
CHAPEL HILL
ASHEVILLE
DAVID DIGIUSEPPE
David DiGiuseppe is a multi-faceted performer, working professionally since 1978.
Appearing as a soloist and with numerous groups, DiGiuseppe is an accomplished
accordionist, multi-instrumentalist (mandolin, banjo, Irish cittem, Appalachian dulcimer,
guitar, concertina), singer, and storyteller. DiGiuseppe presents educational and family
concerts to children and adult audiences in schools, libraries, and museums throughout
the Carolinas. As a band leader and featured accordionist, he travels the United States
playing in concerts and for dances with his bands Footloose and Contrazz. DiGiuseppe’s
newest project, “Squeeze Play,” highlights his innovative accordion playing in a
repertoire including Brazilian choros, swing musettes of Paris, Celtic dance tunes, and
original compositions.
DiGiuseppe has released three solo CDs presenting music from Celtic, Parisian, and
American traditions. He is featured on numerous recordings, including four CDs with
Footloose and several issues of Shoofly, an audio magazine for children. DiGiuseppe has
written two extensive collections of traditional tunes arranged for accordion published by Mel Bay Publications. He is
currently preparing an accordion technique volume for publication with Mel Bay.
Performances include “David DiGiuseppe—Accordionist Extraordinaire” and “Squeeze Play,” and feature one or two 45-minute
sets. Fees: $300–$600 for “Accordionist Extraordinaire,” $500–$900 for “Squeeze Play.”
In-School Educational Programs
Educational performances feature songs and stories that connect with language arts and social studies. “A Bag of Songs and
Stories” is appropriate for families and grades K–2. “The Old North State—North Carolina History in Story and Song” and “Lore
of the Land—Songs of America’s Past” are appropriate for families and grades 2–6. Fee: $300–$500.
P: (919) 968-9600 E: daviddg@mindspring.com W: www.daviddg.com
THE HIGH WINDY BAND
Named for the sweeping ridgeline that runs from Swannanoa to Black
Mountain in western North Carolina, the High Windy Band is one of the
area’s fastest-rising groups. High Windy offers an original journey based
in tradition, all the while breaking ground in the bluegrass genre. The
group draws from a combination of contemporary and traditional
bluegrass styles while adding old-time themes and an original approach.
In an area where great roots music is the norm, the High Windy Band rises
to the top, merging sophisticated arrangements with a style that is all
their own. In addition to being the First Place Winners of the 2005 North
Carolina State Bluegrass Competition and the 2006 Fiddler’s Grove
Bluegrass Champions, the group is also a selected member of the North
Carolina Music Heritage Registry. High Windy has shared the stage with nationally recognized acts such as Mountain Heart,
the Lonesome River Band, Special Consensus, Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike, Open Road, and Hayseed Dixie.
The High Windy Band’s mission is to create music for its ultimate purpose, to connect with listeners through themes that all
can relate to: love gained and lost, beginnings, endings, and what it means to live.
Performances feature an all-ages family show available for festivals, arts center performances, listening rooms, theaters,
performance halls, and private events. Fee: $800–$5,000, depending on location and program.
P: (828) 215-6253 E: ty.gilpin@crossroadsmusic.com W: www.highwindyband.com
BLUEGRASS, BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK, POPULAR, and WORLD MUSIC 29
Photo by: Alec Himwich
LITTLE WINDOWS DURHAM
Little Windows, composed of Mark Weems and Julee Glaub,
performs a mix of Appalachian, Irish, old-time gospel, and
traditionally-based originals, with a special focus on
unaccompanied ballads. Weems and Glaub tour together
nationally and internationally, enchanting audiences with the
beauty and magic of pure voice, tight harmonies, and haunting
melodies and lyrics. Steeped in the classic country and
old-time traditions, Weems has performed for years with Alice
Gerrard in the Weems-Gerrard Band and the Stillhouse Bottom
Band. After living in Ireland for seven years and performing
with Pete Sutherland, Dáithí Sproule, Jerry O’Sullivan, Brian
Conway, and Claudine Langille, Glaub is one of the leading
interpreters of traditional Irish song in America. The two have
made a number of recordings individually, with other bands,
and together. Their first CD together, Just Beyond Me, was submitted for a Grammy in the traditional folk category. They have
taught at music camps across the nation and were instrumental in creating a Folk Music School at the Prizery in Virginia.
Performances feature two 45-minute sets of traditional Irish and Appalachian music. Fee: $1,000–$2,000.
Additional activities include Camp Little Windows, an annual traditional singing camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and a
traveling, condensed version of the camp. Also available are intergenerational music programs, a cultural enrichment
program, and private vocal and instrumental instruction. Fees: $750 per person for Camp Little Windows, $30–$50 per hour
for private instruction; others vary by location.
P: (919) 477-2780 E: juleeglaub@aol.com W: www.littlewindows.net
DAVID HOLT FAIRVIEW
Four-time Grammy Award winner David Holt is a veteran performer on stage, radio, and
television. At an early age his passion to become an old-time banjo player led him to
remote mountain communities, where he found hundreds of old-time mountaineers with
a wealth of folk music, stories, and wisdom. For over three decades, Holt’s passion for
traditional music and culture has fueled a successful performing and recording career,
bringing him recognition as one of the nation’s foremost folk musicians and storytellers.
Holt intrigues audiences with a wide array of instruments, both familiar and unusual,
from banjo and slide guitar to hambone, spoons, bones, jaw harp, and even paper bag.
The Asheville Citizen Times says, “David Holt could ring music out of a stump.” Vogue
magazine calls him “the best minstrel and storyteller.” Having performed for over a
million people, Holt is a consummate entertainer who knows what audiences enjoy. He
has earned numerous awards and performed and recorded with many of his mentors,
including Doc Watson, Grandpa Jones, Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, and Chet
Atkins. Today he tours the country solo, with Doc Watson and with his band, the
Lightning Bolts, as well as hosting television shows for PBS and shows for public radio.
Programs include solo performances as well as performances with rising acoustic music star Josh Goforth, and with Holt’s
five-piece band, David Holt and the Lightning Bolts. Fee: $3,500 for Holt solo or with bass player; $3,750 for Holt and
Goforth; $5,000-$7,500 for David Holt and the Lightning Bolts. Travel and lodging additional.
Additional activities include workshops in folk rhythms, folksongs, clogging, the roots of mountain music, jaw harp, and
storytelling. Workshops are one to two hours in length. Fee: negotiable.
P: (828) 628-1728 E: office@highwindy.com W: http://www.davidholt.com
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Photo by: Jim Davis
HATTERAS
MAPPAMUNDI CHAPEL HILL
Mappamundi (Italian for “Map of the World”) has played
“More-or-less Traditional Music of the Previous Millennium” since
1994. The group’s free-wheeling programs include music from Eastern
and Western Europe, the British Isles and early America, klezmer and
Sephardic traditions, and more. Bringing experience in folk, traditional
jazz, early music, classical music, choral directing and arranging,
Turkish and Indian music, and philharmonic orchestras, and with
awards in fiddle, harp, and other competitions at highland games and
old-time music conventions, two to five musicians make
non-mainstream music addictive and compelling.
Mappamundi has performed Eastern European music for the Triangle
Folk Society and Duke University’s Institute of the Arts, Yiddish
tangos and Spanish boleros for weddings, music from Colonial
America and the British Isles for re-enactments and the North Carolina Museum of History, music from around the world at
Raleigh’s Exploris Museum, and European music at international festivals in Raleigh and Myrtle Beach.
Performances are geared to presenter needs. Programs include “Music of Western and Eastern Europe,” “Music of the Jewish
Traditions,” “New Songs in Spanish,” “Music of early North Carolina and Colonial America,” “Courting Disaster,” and
“American Popular Music of the 20s, 30s, and 40s.” Shorter programs include instrument demonstrations and theme
programs for Halloween, Hanukah, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day. Fees: average $150–$300 per musician (one to five
musicians) for single performance, plus expenses; $200–$400 per musician per day for multiple performances in one location,
plus expenses.
P: (919) 383-8952 E: jane@mappamundi.com W: www.mappamundi.com
NOAH PALEY
Noah Paley picked up a guitar in 1999 and started writing songs. Within months, he was
performing his songs before enthusiastic audiences at theaters, coffeehouses, and
festivals in and around North Carolina. Paley has played at the North Carolina Seafood
Festival in Morehead City, the Tall Ships Festival in Beaufort, and the Celebrate Our State
Festival in High Point, and has opened for Grammy-nominated instrumentalist Boney
James and Grammy-Award-winning saxophonist David Sanborn at The Carolina Theatre
in Durham. He is a regular performer with the Outer Banks Opry and has played at the
Ocrafolk Festival and the Ocracoke Island Deepwater Theater, where Paley and fellow
Touring Artists Directory artists Coyote perform a weekly show during the summer
season.
University of Massachusetts Public Radio selected Paley’s second CD, Small Truths, as one
of the best CDs released in 2002, along with albums by Norah Jones, Bruce Springsteen,
Ryan Adams, and Richard Shindell. “So Many Things,” a song on the Small Truths CD, made the Best of 2002 playlist aired by
Kansas Public Radio, along with selections by Eva Cassidy, Gillian Welch, James Taylor, the Dixie Chicks, and Patty Griffin.
Paley was a finalist in the 2002 Carolina Calling talent contest and a semi-finalist in the 2002 Independent Music Awards,
and he has showcased at North Carolina’s ArtsMarket. His song “Moonlight Still” was selected by WUNC-FM for inclusion on
the Best of Back Porch Music Vol. III compilation CD, along with songs by Doc Watson, Alison Krauss, and Nickel Creek. His
work has been praised by critics from Oregon to Australia as “perfectly formed,” “magic,” and “a delicious piece of musical art
. . . produced to perfection . . . ” Paley has been a featured artist on efolkmusic.org and a listener favorite on Whole Wheat
Radio.
Performances are available in both formal and informal settings, and are appropriate for all ages. Paley performs as a solo
artist and also appears with acoustic or electric bass, mandolin, dobro, and/or keyboard accompaniment. Concert length
ranges from 45 to 90 minutes. Fee range: $600–$1,800, depending on location, length of performance, and number of
accompanists.
P: (252) 216-9910 E: noahpaley@gmail.com W: www.myspace.com/noahpaley
BLUEGRASS, BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK, POPULAR, and WORLD MUSIC 31
Photo by: Mark Sidell
CHAPEL HILL
CHAPEL HILL
THE PRATIE HEADS
The Pratie Heads play music of the British Isles (England, Scotland, and
Ireland) and also music of early America, featuring music from Colonial
times in North Carolina and the other early states. A popular staple on
the traditional music scene of the 1980s, The Pratie Heads played for
arts councils, festivals, and other audiences throughout North Carolina
before guitarist, bouzoki player, and singer Bob Vasile left to join Freyda
Epstein and Acoustic Attatude (garnering an INDIE Award with the band),
tour with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and perform with such artists
as Tony Rice, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, and Mark O’Connor. Meanwhile,
violinist, violist, concertina player, and singer Jane Peppler instituted the
Solstice Extravaganza, formed the band Mappamundi, and made three
recordings with the Solstice Assembly (one featured on NPR’s Weekend
Edition).
In 2004, The Pratie Heads reunited at the Festival for the Eno in Durham,
to the delight of traditional music fans everywhere. The band made a new recording in 2006, Rag Faire, and has performed for
the Triangle Folk Music Society, at the Bethabara Celtic Festival for the Fiddle and Bow Society, and on the WUNC-FM radio
show, The State of Things.
Performances include “Music of the British Isles,” “Music of Colonial North Carolina,” and holiday programs for concerts and
festivals, and range in length from 20 minutes to several hours. Performances incorporate discussion about the historical and
cultural context of the music. Fee: $280 and up.
Additional activities include lecture-demonstrations on “Music from the Old World to the New” and “Dance Music in
America.” Fee: $280 and up.
P: (919) 383-8952 E: info@pratieheads.com W: www.pratieheads.com
CHARLES PETTEE
Charles Pettee began learning his fresh approach to the traditional arts of flatpicking and
folksinging while growing up in Asheville, N.C. He is co-founder of Flying Fish recording artist
The Shady Grove Band, which has delighted audiences across the U.S., Canada, and Europe
for over 25 years with the band’s acclaimed “new-timey” bluegrass music. His
distinctive mandolin style, voice, and original compositions are an essential part of the
group’s appeal, and garner airplay in over 20 countries, as well as satellite and web
transmissions. He has hosted workshops on guitar and mandolin technique at some of the
most prestigious music festivals in the U.S. and Europe, including the Walnut Valley Festival
and MerleFest. His educational programs, entitled “Hear the Sound,” are in high demand for
their ability to engage and entertain a wide span of generations and cultural backgrounds.
Solo, with The Shady Grove Band, with Charles Pettee & FolkPsalm, or with his bluegrass trio
Chuck and the WagginEars, Pettee has performed almost 4,000 shows in his years
as a professional musician. If the event is a festival, family concert, summer program, or
performance, Charles Pettee has the talent and experience to make it a memorable one.
Concerts include traditional and original roots-based music performed with voice, mandolin, guitar, banjo, and harmonica,
and peppered with personal insights and stories. One to four 45-minute sets can feature Pettee solo, with fiddle player Al
McCanless and banjo player John Boulding, or with the seven-piece ensemble, Charles Pettee & FolkPsalm. Fee: $400-700 per
solo performance, including sound system. Inquire regarding trio and FolkPsalm.
In-School Educational Programs
“Hear the Sound,” an informative and interactive performance, brings to life Southern string music and Social Studies “from
the Pilgrims to the present.” Available for schools, libraries, and museums, for grades pre K-2, 3-5 and 6-12. Fee: $400-$800
per performance, including sound system, plus travel expenses.
P: (919) 967-1381 E: cpettee@bellsouth.net W: www.charlespettee.com
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Photo by: Ellen Ozier
Photo by: Paul Deblinger
DURHAM
THE SHADY GROVE BAND CHAPEL HILL
From the Netherlands to Napa, from the Lincoln Center to
MerleFest, and from Calgary to the Carolinas, Chapel Hill’s The
Shady Grove Band has made a tradition of delighting
audiences with its unique “new-timey” bluegrass sound. Banjo,
mandolin, dobro, guitar, and bass combine with stunning vocals
to produce a sound that is grounded in America’s past, yet
remains fresh at the same time. The group’s performances
include more than 2,500 concerts, festivals, and special events,
and its recordings on Flying Fish Records have received airplay
in 22 countries and throughout the U.S.
Since its start in 1981, The Shady Grove Band’s
accomplishments have been numerous and prestigious. The
band, made up of founding members Jerry Brown (guitar and
vocals) and Charles Pettee (mandolin and vocals), along with
Adael Shinn (upright bass and vocals) and John Boulding (banjo and dobro), has performed at many of the largest music
festivals in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and has appeared nationwide on the CBS and NBC television networks. Touring
frequently in Europe, the group also maintains a busy club, college, and concert schedule throughout the U.S. The band has
showcased for the Southern Arts Federation, the International Bluegrass Music Association, and the South Carolina Arts
Commission.
The Shady Grove Band is available for concerts, festivals, and special events. Fee: $2,500–$4,000, for one to four
sets/programs, including sound system as needed, depending on travel and number of sets/programs desired.
P: (919) 967-1381 E: cpettee@bellsouth.net W: www.theshadygroveband.com
JON SHAIN
Jon Shain is a veteran singer-songwriter who’s been turning heads for years with his
words, his fiery acoustic guitar work, and his evolved musical style—combining
improvised Piedmont blues with elements of bluegrass, swing, and ragtime. His group,
the Jon Shain Trio, includes FJ Ventre on upright bass and vocals, and John Currie on
dobro and guitar, with frequent guest Bill Newton on harmonica.
Attending Duke University in the late 80s, Shain was a student of American history
with a dedicated interest in Southern musical traditions. This led him to a gig with
Piedmont blues legend Richard “Big Boy” Henry. After a short apprenticeship in the
blues world, Shain cut his touring teeth from 1989-1998, founding the Chapel Hill
folk-rock group, Flyin’ Mice, and its spin-off group, WAKE. After the latter band’s
breakup, Shain went solo, and he has released five critically acclaimed CDs under his own name.
Shain has played many festivals and colleges over the years, and his shows are geared to all ages. Whether in the one-on-one
atmosphere of the teaching studio or onstage sharing a song with a roomful of strangers, Shain is a natural communicator,
keeping fans coming back for more.
A typical two-hour concert features Shain’s original songs along with classic fingerstyle blues numbers. Shain performs solo
or can be booked with his group. Fee: $500-$2,500, depending upon number of musicians and production and travel
expenses.
Additional activities include private instruction in Piedmont blues fingerstyle guitar, and group workshops in songwriting and
blues guitar. Fee: $500-$800 per day.
P: (919) 489-0081 E: flyinrex@jonshain.com W: www.jonshain.com
BLUEGRASS, BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK, POPULAR, and WORLD MUSIC 33
Photo by: F. J. Ventre. 2005
Photo by: Mike Traister. 2005
FOUNTAIN
DURHAM
MIKE “LIGHTNIN’” WELLS
Mike “Lightnin’” Wells breathes new life into the vintage tunes
of the 1920s and Depression-era America, employing various
acoustic stringed instruments in a dynamic style he has
developed in over 30 years of performing experience. Raised in
Eastern North Carolina, Wells learned to play harmonica as a
young child and taught himself to play the guitar while
developing a strong interest in traditional blues and folk music.
His many years of public performance began in Chapel Hill in
the early 1970s. Since then he has presented his brand of
acoustic blues throughout North Carolina, the United States
and Europe.
Wells produced the first commercial recordings of N.C. blues
veterans Big Boy Henry, Algia Mae Hinton, and George Higgs.
He has performed extensively with these musicians and has
documented their lives and musical histories for future generations. He is also a lifelong student of the pioneering Piedmont
blues performers, including Blind Boy Fuller, the Reverend Gary Davis, and Elizabeth Cotton. Wells has taught blues guitar at
most of the country’s leading “Blues Weeks,” and is on the America Traditions National Roster. His own recordings include
Bull Frog Blues, Ragtime Millionaire, and Ragged But Right. He has served as board member and advisor for the Music Maker
Relief Foundation, which provides assistance for elderly blues and old-time musicians. With his experience, knowledge, and
well-honed performance skills, Wells has established himself at the forefront of the traditional blues revival.
Performances consist of vintage Piedmont blues interspersed with traditional American folk/country tunes. Wells adds
commentary on the music’s origins, and can perform for any size audience. Fee: $500-$800.
Lecture-demonstrations entitled “North Carolina Blues Workshop” and “Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll” are also available.
Fee: $300-$500.
P: (252) 749-4996 E: Mlightninw@aol.com W: www.lightninwells.com
BILLY STEVENS
Billy Stevens’ lecture-concerts on American popular music entertain and empower audiences
with an inspirational message of interracial respect and cooperation. His programs trace the
evolution of modern music to its roots in American folk culture, focusing on the interaction
between black and white musicians. From Elvis to Eminem, and from Stephen Foster to Eric
Clapton, Stevens illustrates the importance of emulation in the creative process, offering
audiences potent examples of cross-cultural fusion and the benefits of diversity.
Performances include “Sincere Forms of Flattery: Blacks, Whites, and American Popular
Music” and “The History of the Blues: the Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Performances last 45
minutes to one hour. Fee: $475 and up, with discounts for multiple performances.
Additional activities include lectures on Elvis Presley, the musical influences of Africa and
Europe on the music of the American South, and the interrelated evolution of blues, jazz,
ragtime, gospel, country western, rock ‘n’ roll, and hip-hop. Lectures last 45 minutes to one hour. Fee: $250 and up. Because
Stevens is a presenter for the N.C. Humanities Forum, his lectures are eligible for full funding by the N.C. Humanities Council.
P: (919) 489-8282 E: carrom1@hotmail.com
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Photo by: Henry Stindt
Alexei Kuznetsoff and Valentina Lisitsa .........................................................
Asheville Lyric Opera .......................................................................................
Brenda Bruce ....................................................................................................
Edmund Barton Bullock ...................................................................................
Anita Burroughs-Price .....................................................................................
Carolina Brass ...................................................................................................
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra .......................................................................
David Crowe ......................................................................................................
Duo Appassionato ............................................................................................
Susan Fancher ..................................................................................................
Giannini Brass ...................................................................................................
Greensboro Symphony Orchestra ....................................................................
Keowee Chamber Music ...................................................................................
William Kossler .................................................................................................
La Catrina Quartet ...........................................................................................
Lea Kibler & Valerie Von Pechy Whitcup .......................................................
Valentina Lisitsa ...............................................................................................
Mallarmé Chamber Players ..............................................................................
New Century Saxophone Quartet ...................................................................
Mary Ann Nillson .............................................................................................
North Carolina Master Chorale Chamber Choir .............................................
Classical Music
THE ARTISTS
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Duo Appassionato. 2007
North Carolina Symphony ..................................................................................
Opera Express ......................................................................................................
Miguel A. Pico .....................................................................................................
The Raleigh Ringers ............................................................................................
Ransom-Pecoraro Duo ........................................................................................
Red Clay Saxophone Quartet .............................................................................
Sotto Voce Tuba Quartet ....................................................................................
Izabela Spiewak ...................................................................................................
K. Sridhar .............................................................................................................
Kate Steinbeck .....................................................................................................
Jeremy Thompson ...............................................................................................
Mayron Tsong ......................................................................................................
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THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
NEW BERN
ASHEVILLE
ALEXEI KUZNETSOFF AND VALENTIA LISITSA
Alexei Kuznetsoff and Valentina Lisitsa virtually exploded onto the American musical
scene in their formal United States debut in Chicago, securing the following response
from Chicago Tribune music critic, John von Rhein: “...I cannot recall when I have heard
a more exciting or more accomplished two-piano team. They have the colossal
technique and temperament you associate with pianists of the Russian school; they
also have virtually flawless ensemble, the kind most duos labor for years to achieve, if
they are even so fortunate.”
This brilliant young piano duo from the Ukraine has garnered critical acclaim for their
contributions to the marvelous but seldom-heard literature for two pianos. By the time
Lisitsa and Kuznetsoff met at the Kiev Conservatory, they were both winners of
numerous international, national, and local music competitions. They combined their
formidable talents and began working as a two piano team with the revered
Dr. Ludmilla Tsvierko in Kiev. In 1991, they won first prize in the 3rd International
Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition. Shortly after this victory, Lisitsa and Kuznetsoff became American citizens,
making their New York debut with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra in 1995. “They virtually stole the evening,” said
James Oestreich of The New York Times. The duo performs throughout the world with orchestras and in recital. Highlights
include a tour as soloists with the Orchestra National de France with performances at New York’s Lincoln Center and Boston’s
Symphony Hall. The duo has recorded two CDs for the Audiofon label. Valentina Lisitsa and Alexei Kuznetsoff are Bosendorfer
artists.
Performances include an exciting choice of classical music programs, with emphasis on Romantic era composers.
Fee: $5,000-$15,000.
Additional activities include lecture-concert events and master classes. Fee: $5000-$15,000.
P: (252) 626-8603 E: alexei@valentinalisitsa.com W: www.valentinalisitsa.com/duohome.html
ASHEVILLE LYRIC OPERA
The Asheville Lyric Opera is a nonprofit arts organization founded in 1999 to
develop vocal arts programs and operatic presentations in Western North
Carolina. The Asheville Lyric Opera produces three main-stage operatic
productions, opera tours, educational American operas, and year-round
outreach to enrich the experience of opera for everyone.
From the lyric operatic comedy of Bel Canto Opera to the high drama of
classic Verdi opera, the company encompasses a range of artistry. Whether
experiencing the charming characters in The Elixir of Love or the raw emotion
of La Traviata, opera audiences are treated to professional, high-quality
entertainment. Past performances have included acclaimed guest artists who
have performed extensively in the United States and abroad, as well as regional singers who have taken on secondary
principal roles as the Opera continues to develop and encourage their talents.
Performances include a variety of opera styles. Professional touring performances offer the opportunity for regional arts
centers to present opera productions at affordable rates. Fee: negotiable.
Additional programs are available for all levels in music. The Vocal Arts Program, a yearlong training seminar, is designed to
mentor and teach student singers who exhibit potential in classical singing. Internships for college students in arts
administration, technical production, performance, and marketing are also available for undergraduate and graduate
students. For organized groups in the community, the Asheville Lyric Opera also offers invitations to preview dress
performances of each main-stage opera. Fee: negotiable.
P: (828) 236-0670 E: info@ashevillelyric.org W: www.ashevillelyric.org
CLASSICAL MUSIC 37
Photo by: Iran Issa-Khan
CARY
CONOVER
BRENDA BRUCE
Pianist and harpsichordist Brenda Bruce brings to life the beauty and
mystery of great keyboard literature. Her infectious enthusiasm invites
and compels people of all ages to be entertained and inspired. Bruce holds
a Masters degree in Music from the New England Conservatory and
appears in Who’s Who of American Women and Who’s Who of Outstanding
Musicians. Her repertoire spans the 16th through 20th centuries, and her
touring experience has taken her throughout the Southeast and Europe.
Her performances include commentary that allows her audiences to
appreciate the music in a cultural and historical context.
Both piano and harpsichord performances are available, with cultural and
historical commentary. Sample piano recitals include “An Elegant Evening
of Chopin,” “Nature & Seasons” (Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, and others), and
“The Great Impressionists,” which combines music and art with Debussy,
Ravel, Monet, and Renoir. Harpsichord presentations include “Duel of
the Harpsichordists: Handel vs. Scarlatti,” “1685: A Very Good Year” (Bach, Handel, Scarlatti), and “Opulence of the French
Baroque.” Programs are typically one hour to an hour and a half. Fee: $1,000, slightly negotiable, plus travel expenses for
harpsichord recitals.
P: (919) 233-5200 E: brendabruce@mindspring.com
EDMUND BARTON BULLOCK
A North Carolina native and resident, Edmund Barton Bullock is a classical composer and
concert pianist who performs his own works and chamber music by other composers
throughout North Carolina, the U.S., and Europe to enthusiastic audiences. He composed
his first major work, Sextet for Two Violins, Viola, ‘Cello, Flute, and Piano, at the age of
15, and it premiered at the Eastern Music Festival. Bullock has performed his own
compositions and the standard classical repertoire in such prestigious venues as the
Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York, Jefferson’s Monticello, and the Maison Française
of the Embassy of France in Washington, D.C., as well as in Canada and Spain.
Bullock’s privately-commissioned “Appalachian” Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
premiered with the Appalachian Symphony for Chancellor Kenneth Peacock’s
installment ceremonies at Appalachian State University in 2005. His Spanish Concertina
for Bandoneon and Wind Ensemble was premiered in 2006 with renowned Argentinean
bandoneonist, Daniel Binelli, and the ASU Wind Ensemble. Bullock received a grant from
the United Arts Council of Catawba County to create a piano quintet, which premiered
with the Degas Quartet in 2007. He will be performing his “Appalachian” concerto with the prestigious Orchestre de la Cité
Internationale in Paris. Bullock has ongoing artistic associations with cellist Dr. Brooks Whitehouse, soprano Judith Burbank,
and the Degas Quartet.
Performances include 75-minute lecture-recitals of Bullock’s original compositions for cello and piano, soprano and piano,
and piano quintet. Fees: $1,500 for duets, $2,500 for quintet, plus expenses.
Additional activities include workshops accompanying recitals, and artistic assistance in performances of Bullock’s works.
Fees: $1,000–$2,500 per day for workshops, plus recital fee and expenses; $1,500 for artistic assistance, plus expenses.
P: (828) 465-3323 E: edmundb@gmail.com
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Photo by: Daniel Vero. 2005
RALEIGH
GREENSBORO
ANITA BURROUGHS-PRICE
Anita Burroughs-Price is principal harpist with the North Carolina Symphony. She has
appeared as soloist with the NC Symphony, Durham Symphony, and South Carolina
Chamber Orchestra, and has been featured in the Piccolo Spoleto Festival and at
Brighton Palace. Memorable events include a performance with Grammy award-winner
Branford Marsalis, and a duo appearance with Marilyn Kaiser, world-renowned
organist. In addition to pedal harp, her recitals often include harps from Ireland, Africa,
Paraguay, and a rare Erard single-action harp from England.
Burroughs-Price is a graduate of Furman University with a degree in French and Harp
Performance. She earned the Master of Music degree and the illustrious Alumni Prize
from Yale University. In 1985, she received a Rotary International Fellowship for
post-graduate study at London’s Royal College of Music, where she earned diplomas
in harp performance and harp pedagogy. She is head of the harp department at
Furman University and has served on the faculties of UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte,
Wake Forest University, and St. Mary’s School. Burroughs-Price supports the arts
through volunteer performances in soup kitchens, prisons, Red Cross hurricane shelters,
hospitals, and at the bedside of terminally ill patients. She was awarded the 1999 Raleigh Medal of Arts, the city’s highest
award, for her “outstanding artistry and humanitarian service.” Her CD, Healing Touch, includes music of hope and reflection
and features N.C. Symphony musicians Brian Reagin, Bonnie Thron, and Donna Jolly.
Performances can encompass classical, Celtic, folk, popular, and sacred repertoire, and can be adapted to presenters’ needs.
Performances of 30–100 minutes include “An Evening of Elegance,” “Medieval to Modern,” and “Bach to Broadway,” concerts
with various North Carolina Symphony musicians including concertmaster Brian Reagin, and poetry and harp performances
with UNC drama professor Ray Dooley. Fee: $350–$3,500, depending on venue, travel and number of performers.
P: (919) 781-0518 E: 47strings@bellsouth.net W: www.anitaharp.com
CAROLINA BRASS
With a rare combination of virtuosity and good humor, Carolina Brass is a favorite
among audiences of all ages. Since its inception in 1997, the group has toured
throughout the Carolinas and most of the Southeast United States and it plays more
than 100 engagements each season. Drawing from an extensive repertoire, Carolina
Brass creates exciting, entertaining, and educational programs. Playing classical and
contemporary works, including medieval, Renaissance, Broadway, jazz, Dixieland, big
band, and other genres of music, the group brings the audience to its feet after every
performance.
Performances include chamber music concerts, children’s concerts, outdoor pops
concerts, holiday programs, and celebration and ceremonial music programs. Every
Carolina Brass program is tailor-made for a specific audience. Fee: $2,000 and up.
Master classes, clinics, and residency programs are also available. Fee: $600 per session
for master classes and clinics; residency programs vary according to type and number
of services.
P: (336) 292-2717 E: tim@carolinabrass.com W: www.carolinabrass.com
39 CLASSICAL MUSIC
Photo by: Charles Register
Photo by: Steve Cirba Photography. 2006
CHARLOTTE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Serving over 250,000 people throughout the Carolinas, the Charlotte
Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1932. The Symphony maintains a
38-week season, performing classical, pops, family concerts, and the
frequently sold-out Lollipops concerts for children ages 4-8. Each June
and July, the Symphony performs both free and ticketed outdoor
Summer Pops concerts at South Park Mall’s Symphony Park and in
different locations around the region, reaching nearly 120,000 people.
Performances include a wide range of classical and pops concerts.
Fee: $10,000-$20,000 for full orchestra, depending upon repertoire,
soloists, and travel.
P: (704) 972-2003 ext. 232 E: richo@charlottesymphony.org W: www.charlottesymphony.org
DAVID CROWE
David Crowe, the quintessential musician, works as a composer, conductor, and
percussionist. Many of his compositions have come out of collaborations, either
with other artists or as part of larger projects. While these compositions
encompass a wide range of styles, they all speak with the same musical voice.
Crowe’s collaborations include extensive work with the Charlotte Symphony
Orchestra developing innovative and exciting programs, including “Mill Village,
A Piedmont Rhapsody.” “Mill Village” has been widely performed, and received
a national award from MetLife for excellence in community engagement. Many
of Crowe’s orchestral compositions have been written for one of his favorite
organizations, The Foundation for Art and Music in Elementary Education,
better known as “FAME,” in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Crowe also spent a number
of years working with the Moving Poets Theatre of Dance, an innovative
dance/theater company. Several scores for their productions feature an eclectic
ensemble comprised of flute, cello, classical guitar, electric bass, and Middle Eastern and ethnic percussion. This group,
Without Borders, has recorded its first CD, which includes many pieces from past Moving Poets shows.
David Crowe is available for commissions from professional ensembles and organizations. These often involve a cultural or
collaborative element, and can be designed around an event or exhibition. Fee: negotiable.
P: (704) 588-8745 E: david@davidcrowemusic.com W: www.davidcrowemusic.com
CHARLOTTE
CHARLOTTE
THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG
Photo by: Jeff Cravotta. 2004
DUO APPASSIONATO RALEIGH
Duo Appassionato possesses exceptional virtuoso ability and musical harmony
rarely found in two instrumentalists of the same genre performing together.
Both active solo performers of unsurpassed spirit and flair, the duo has a
refreshing stage presence and explores a repertoire that is rarely performed
because of its unusually demanding nature. Violinist Izabela Spiewak began
her international music career at the age of five, and was awarded a
scholarship to a music school for gifted young artists. She has performed
in orchestras all over the world with such celebrities as Leonard Bernstein,
Eduardo Mata, Yo-Yo Ma, Isaac Stern, Placido Domingo, Yehudi Menuhin, and
\ Pinchas Zuckerman. Violinist and violist Yang Xi began his distinguished
musical career as a student at the Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China.
He had his solo debut at the age of nine, and at age twelve won the National
Violin Competition in Shanghai. Since then he has played internationally, and
was the founding music director and conductor of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Florida. Currently he holds the positions
of Principal Viola with the Symphony of the Americas and Assistant Concertmaster with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra.
As Duo Appassionato, Spiewak and Xi project “virtuosic devilry and imagination,” their playing is “stunning and incredibly
well matched” and their presence is a highlight to any recital or concert stage. Duo Appassionato has performed as featured
artists with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra and the Durham Symphony Orchestra and has performed recitals as a part of the
Raleigh Symphony chamber music series and educational concerts.
Performances include recitals as a duo or with the addition of piano accompanist. The duo is also available to perform as
featured artists with orchestras for Mozart’s “Sinfonia Concertante,” Sarasate’s “Navarra,” the Bach double concerto, Vivaldi
concerto for two violins, and others. Fee: $2,000 for recital or performance, plus expenses.
Master classes and chamber music workshops are also available. Fee: negotiable.
P: (919) 610-1364 E: izabelaviolin@earthlink.net W: www.duoappassionato.org
SUSAN FANCHER
Classical saxophonist Susan Fancher’s work to develop the repertoire for the saxophone
has produced dozens of commissioned works by contemporary composers, as well
as published transcriptions of music by composers as diverse as Josqui
Object Description
| Rating | |
| Title | North Carolina touring artist directory. |
| Contributor | North Carolina Arts Council. |
| Subjects |
North Carolina Arts Council--Periodicals Performing arts--North Carolina--Periodicals |
| Place | North Carolina |
| Description | Biennial |
| Publisher | North Carolina Arts Council |
| Agency-Current | N.C. Arts Council |
| Rights | State Document see http://digital.ncdcr.gov/u?/p249901coll22,63754 |
| Physical Characteristics | v. : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Collection | North Carolina State Documents Collection. State Library of North Carolina |
| Type | Text |
| Language | English |
| Format | Directories |
| Digital Collection | North Carolina Digital State Documents Collection |
| Digital Format | application/pdf |
| Related Items | Also available online.; http://worldcat.org/oclc/46673422/viewonline |
| Audience | All |
| Pres File Name-M | pubs_serial_nctouringartist20022004a.pdf-pubs_serial_nctouringartist20082010.pdf (total of 2 files) |
| Pres Local File Path-M | \Preservation_content\StatePubs\pubs_borndigital\images_master\ |
| OCLC number | 46673422 |
Description
| Title | North Carolina touring artist directory. |
| Date | 2008 |
| Description | 2008/2010 |
| Digital Characteristics-A | 10559 KB; 100 p. |
| Digital Format |
application/pdf |
| Full Text | THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008-2010 www. n c a r t s . o r g TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction About The North Carolina Touring Artists Directory……………………………….................… Message to Educators………………………………………………………………..............................……… About the North Carolina Arts Council…………………………………………………...................... Dance………………………………………………………………………….......................................…………… Literature …………………………………………………………………………......................................…… Multi-Disciplinary…………………………………………………...................................…………… Music Bluegrass, Blues, Country, Folk, Popular, and World Music………………………............... Classical Music……………………………………………………………………....................................……...… Jazz…………………………………………………………………………........................................…………......…… Puppetry………………………………………………………………………….......................................………. Storytelling………………………………………………………………......................................…………… Theater and Mime…………………………………………………………………................................. Visual Art…………………………………………………………….......................................…………………. North Carolina Heritage Award Artists .......……………….....……………...... Index Index of All Artists…………………………………………................................………….……………………. Index of Artists in Schools………………………………...........................………………………………….. Index of Teaching Artists………………………………………………............................…………………… i ii iii 5 11 19 24 35 54 60 63 68 75 83 92 95 96 WELCOME TO THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY ABOUT THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY The North Carolina Arts Council is pleased to present the 2008–2010 edition of the Touring Artists Directory. We are proud to produce this diverse resource of artists from across the state and hope that it will help you design inspiring, entertaining, and educational programs that meet the needs of your community. As you browse through this document, you will see that each artist and group is represented by a brief biography, description of the work, and photograph. We have provided this basic information so that you can decide if the artist or group is likely to fulfill your programming needs. You can learn more about the artists by visiting our Web site and contacting the artists directly to plan and explore possibilities together. The screening process that each artist went through to be included in the directory is not meant to replace the research that you as a presenter do before hiring an artist. We encourage you to speak to references and to us if you need additional information about an artist you seek to hire. Think of this as more than just a catalogue of touring artists; think of it as your wish list, full of possibilities for inspiring, entertaining, challenging, and rewarding programs. The artists are ready and available. Now bring your passion and creativity together with their talent to make wonderful things happen in your community. All of the artists included in this directory were screened and approved by a North Carolina Arts Council panel, who evaluated the artists for artistic merit, touring history, and communication skills. Our aim is for the directory to serve both presenters and artists as a tool for introduction and a means to start conversation and collaborative planning. The book is organized by art form to help presenters find the type(s) of artists you are looking for. When you identify an artist with whom you might like to plan a performance, workshop, or other event, in most cases you may go to the artist’s Web site for detailed information. You may also contact the artist directly at the phone number or e-mail address provided. Also available is the online version of the Touring Artists Directory at www.ncarts.org, which includes additional information, work samples, updated contact information, and any revised offerings and fees. Our Web site also contains other resources for programming, including tip sheets for each discipline and a Residency Planning Guide. The print version of the directory is published every three years. Applications will be available in January 2010 for artists who wish to be included in the next issue of the directory. Contact the North Carolina Arts Council via www.ncarts.org or (919) 807-6500 for more information. i A MESSAGE TO EDUCATORS Many of the artists in this directory are designated as Artists in Schools and Teaching Artists. These are professional, practicing artists and companies who have substantial experience working in school settings and who went through a special screening to receive these designations. Artists in Schools are those artists who share their art form with pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students through such programs as the following: • Performances • Lecture-demonstrations • Readings • Question-and-answer sessions • Single classroom visits • Exhibits These programs can occur in school or community settings. They are single, short-term activities that are designed to entertain, inform, enlighten, inspire, and/or introduce students to an art form without engaging them in hands-on activities or the creation of art. Even though they are short in duration, activities include a teacher’s guide and relate to some area of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Teaching Artists are those who are both skilled artists and experienced educators who work in depth with pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students, teachers, and/or families. Activities conducted by teaching artists are experiential and actively engage the participants in extended learning and the process of creating art. Frequently the activities involve multiple days working with the same group of individuals in a school or community. All of the activities involve in-depth exploration and hands-on learning, lesson plans, and other educational materials. They relate to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and can include any of the following: • Multiple-day residencies during which time the teaching artist works with the same group of learners for an extended period of time • Hands-on professional development workshops for educators that develop their artistic skills and/ or increase their ability to integrate the arts into other curriculum areas • Participatory family workshops that engage families and students in activities working together • Master classes or clinics • Arts-integrated workshops and residencies for students and/or educators Artists approved as Artists in Schools have next to their description and approved Teaching Artists are identified with a symbol. Artists with both designations are identified by . Additionally, Artists in Schools and Teaching Artists indexes are located in the back of the book. North Carolina Arts Council grant support is available for schools to hire Teaching Artists for extended programs and residencies. For information contact Linda Bamford, Arts in Education Director at (919) 807-6502 or linda.bamford@ncmail.net. ABOUT THE NORTH CAROLINA ARTS COUNCIL The North Carolina Arts Council works to make North Carolina a better state through the arts by building vibrant communities, creating opportunities for citizens to be more creative and productive, and ensuring that the state’s culture remains strong and vital. The Arts Council accomplishes this in partnership with artists and arts organizations, other organizations that use the arts to make their communities stronger, and North Carolinians—young and old—who enjoy and participate in the arts. The Arts Council provides leadership, guidance, planning assistance, information resources, technical support, and funding to artists, arts and civic organizations, learning institutions, government agencies and the general public. The Arts Council promotes excellence in the many forms of artistic expression, supports the exemplary artists and organizations that make up the state’s robust arts industry, builds sustainable place-based economic development strategies, enhances student learning by placing artists in the classrooms and in after-school programs, works throughout the continuum of lifelong learning, and expands the range of opportunities for North Carolinians to experience the arts. The Arts Council achieves its mission through four main programs: Artists and Organizations: Works directly with artists and arts organizations in film, literary, performing, and visual arts to build capacity and encourage development of high quality artistic productions and services. This program provides funding, resources, and technical support. Staff develop and administer opportunities, such as the Poet Laureate program, that highlight the state’s artistic assets and provide new models for educating the public about different art forms and expressions. This program fosters creative endeavors for the thousands of talented artists in our state by offering fellowships, residency center grants, and other opportunities to improve the lives of professional artists. Communities: Integrates arts and living traditions into local and regional planning efforts statewide, working from the grassroots level up to design and implement initiatives that showcase local arts and cultural resources, strengthen community identity, and support sustainable place-based economic development. Staff consults in a variety of technical assistance areas including organizational development, strategic planning, community design and public art, folklife resources including immigrant and refugee arts traditions, cultural tourism development, facility planning, exhibit conceptualization and design, and partnership and resource identification. Participation: Creates opportunities for citizens to participate in the arts by providing programs and technical and financial resources to arts organizations and learning institutions. An exceptional array of arts organizations in the state provide ample opportunity for participation in all forms of art including visual arts, dance, theater, music, literature, folklife, and more. This program advances life-long learning experiences through arts in education for pre K-12, adult learning, accessibility for people with disabilities, and audience development. Marketing: Provides citizens and visitors opportunities to learn about the state’s rich arts and cultural assets and encourages participation through themed driving tours of the state, such as Blue Ridge Music, Cherokee Heritage, performing arts, literature, and other arts attractions. The program manages a primary resource on arts in North Carolina for artists, arts organizations, and the general public at www.ncarts.org to ensure an integrated, free resource on the state’s arts industry. Technical assistance in communications and marketing is provided to individual artists and to arts organizations. iii About our Grant Program The North Carolina Arts Council provides more than 1,200 grants each year to organizations and artists for arts programming throughout the state. Annual grant funding totaling more than $7.4 million is provided by the North Carolina General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Grant support is available to nonprofit organizations that hire professional artists for activities such as performances, residencies, workshops, readings, and after-school and summer programs. The annual grant deadline is March 1 for projects that occur in the next fiscal year of July 1–June 30. A complete description of the North Carolina Arts Council’s grant categories, requirements, and application process is available online at www.ncarts.org. Contact Information North Carolina Arts Council Department of Cultural Resources Raleigh, North Carolina 27699–4632 (919) 807–6500 (919) 807-6532 (fax) ncarts@ncmail.net On the Web at www.ncarts.org The Arts Council is a division of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Cultural Resources, a state agency, is dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history, and culture. For more information, visit www.ncculture.com. Accessibility Arts Council staff can arrange to meet with people with disabilities either in our office, which is wheelchair accessible, or in another location which may be more convenient. We can arrange for a sign language interpreter to be present. Grant guidelines can be made available on request through Braille, cassette tape, CD, reader services, or language interpreter. African American Dance Ensemble ... ................................................................ alban elved dance company/KAROLA LÜTTRINGHAUS ........................................... Apple Chill Cloggers ...................................................................................................... Baroque Arts Project—Paige Whitley-Bauguess ...................................................... Jody Cassell ............................................................................................................. Jan Van Dyke Dance Group .......................................................................................... Martha Connerton/Kinetic Works Dance ....................................................... North Carolina Dance Theatre .......................................................................... Carlota Santana .................................................................................................. DANCE THE ARTISTS 06 06 07 07 08 08 09 09 10 05 Carlota Santana Spanish Dance Company Photo by: Carol Rosegg, 2005 The African American Dance Ensemble celebrates more than 24 years as an international professional touring company of dancers and musicians, conveying its message of “Peace, Love, Respect for Everybody” to audiences across the U.S. and abroad. The company’s repertoire of traditional African and contemporary African American works is guided by its artistic director, the highly acclaimed, internationally renowned choreographer, Chuck Davis. The ensemble seeks to preserve and share the finest traditions of African and African American dance and music through research, education, and entertainment. The ensemble reaches more than 300,000 people each year with its concerts, lecture/demonstrations, workshops, and cultural activities. In addition, Chuck Davis travels to Africa on an annual basis to study African dance, music, and culture. Performances include a 90-minute to two-hour full concert with colorfully costumed dancers and musicians. Repertoire includes traditional and contemporary African and African American dance. Fee: $3,500–$6,500, plus expenses. In-School Educational Programs Additional activities for schools and communities include lecture/demonstrations incorporating dance, music, and cultural history, and movement sessions, master classes, specialized workshops, and curriculum-based core class residencies of three to five days with culminating participatory performances. Fee: $500–$1,000 for single educational activity; $4,500–$10,000 for residencies. AFRICAN AMERICAN DANCE ENSEMBLE P: (919) 560-2729 E: aadedance@earthlink.net W: www.africanamericandanceensemble.org Since 1999 alban elved dance company has presented the innovative works of Berlin/German choreographer and director Karola Lüttringhaus to audiences across the United States. Lüttringhaus, recipient of the 2006 N.C. Arts Council Choreography Fellowship, creates athletic contemporary dance works, which seek to shape meaning from the rich array of emotional experience. Her work is fiercely physical, tracing the changeable electricity of thought and sensation that underlies human interaction and interpersonal relationships. The interdisciplinary nature of alban elved dance company’s works—which frequently incorporate visual art, digital media, aerial work, and new technologies—expands the boundaries of dance performance, creating startling and evocative psychological landscapes. The company travels with a cast of four members for most touring productions but also offers solo or larger group programs. Site-specific works or aerial works can be performed indoors or outdoors. The repertoire includes programs for younger audiences. alban elved dance company encourages presenters to contact the company with questions and ideas to tailor a program to their individual needs. Fee: $1,000–$15,000 depending on program and circumstances (including Q&A after performances), plus travel, lodging, and per diem. The company offers a broad range of community outreach activities including lecture demonstrations on topics such as company introduction, the creative process, and balancing art and business careers in dance; dance and science collaborations; aerial works; site specific installations; workshops; and master classes. Fee: $150–$2,000 depending on program and circumstances, plus travel, lodging, and per diem. alban elved dance company/KAROLA LÜTTRINGHAUS P: (336) 409-5096 E: albanelved@albanelved.com W: www.albanelved.com DURHAM WILMINGTON THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Photo: Jeff Cravotta APPLE CHILL CLOGGERS The widely-acclaimed Apple Chill Cloggers from Chapel Hill are a nonprofit folk dance troupe dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Southern Appalachian clogging. The group formed in 1975 as an outgrowth of the University of North Carolina Clogging Club. The Apple Chill Cloggers perform at festivals and in communities throughout North Carolina. Performance venues range from small private functions to senior centers to stadiums. In addition to performances, the group offers classes, demonstrations, and workshops at festivals, museums, and in other settings. Tar Heel fans have enjoyed their foot-stompin’, high-kickin’ dances across the state from the mountains to the coast. The Apple Chill Cloggers have performed at major folk festivals throughout North America, including the Chicago Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Canadian festivals in Ontario and Manitoba, and North Carolina’s own Festival for the Eno. In addition to their performances throughout North Carolina and North America, the Apple Chill Cloggers have represented the United States at International Folk Dance festivals in Europe and South America since 1977, sharing their dance arts with over a dozen countries from England to France to Ecuador. Performances range from 30 to 90 minutes and are accompanied by live music. Shorter and longer performances are also available. Fee: $400–$1,700; $800 for a typical one-hour performance. P: (919) 929-4624 E: dance@applechillcloggers.org W: www.applechillcloggers.org BAROQUE ARTS PROJECT—PAIGE WHITLEY-BAUGUESS Baroque Arts Project presents dance and music of the 17th and 18th centuries performed in period style and on period instruments. Based in historic New Bern, this group was founded by Baroque dancer Paige Whitley-Bauguess and Baroque trumpeter Barry Bauguess in 1999 to bring the rich dance and musical arts of the Baroque period to life. The artists present fresh and enlightening performances that delight young and old, enrich the arts landscape in communities, broaden the understanding of our heritage, and spark curiosity. Core members from North Carolina are frequently joined by impressive dance and music artists from around the world to present enchanting concerts and engaging educational programs. Since 1999, Baroque Arts Project has performed concerts in New Bern and touring programs across North Carolina. The group has partnered with other organizations such as the East Carolina University Early Music Ensemble, the Concert Singers of Cary, Chatham Baroque, and the New Bern Dancing Assembly. Baroque Arts Project musicians also collaborated with Paige Whitley-Bauguess in the production of two Baroque dance DVDs. Two-hour concerts feature an entertaining variety of dance and music. One-hour workshop/demonstrations are also available and may be combined with performances. Fee: $1,750–$3,000 (depending on number of dancers and musicians) for performances; $1,000 and up for workshop/demonstrations; $2,500-$5,000 for concert and one day of workshop/demonstrations. Expenses additional. P: (252) 636-0476 E: paige@baroquedance.com W: www.baroquedance.com CARRBORO NEW BERN DANCE 07 Photo: Apple Chill Cloggers Photo by: Forrest Croce JODY CASSELL Jody Cassell is a teaching and performing artist in dance, dancing storyteller, and children’s author. She holds an MFA in Dance from New York University and an MS in Dance/Movement Therapy from Hunter College. She specializes in the integration of curriculum and dance/ creative movement in classroom and professional development settings from pre-school through elementary school. Cassell is a Master Artist for the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts. Her work has been sponsored throughout the Southeast, Maryland and Connecticut. Her professional development work has been presented through the Wolf Trap and The Kennedy Center Professional Development Series. Cassell makes stories come alive through sound and creative movement for youngsters and adults. Her children’s book Where’s Leon? is a resource to be read and danced. A reader’s guide on CD-ROM explains how to introduce basic dance elements to young readers. Cassell dances books by Denise Fleming and Eric Carle, as well as folk stories and her own stories. Her dancing stories for adults draw upon the idiosyncrasies of life experiences. She encourages participation on whatever level feels comfortable for those who attend her performances, workshops or classroom visits. In-School Education Programs Workshops and residency programs for pre-school children, elementary schools, after-school programs, and libraries focus on teaching through dance. Programs meeting N.C. Standard Course of Study objectives are available in literacy, mathematics, social studies, and science. Additional activities include teacher and administrator workshops integrating movement into the classroom. Fee: $150–$2,000, depending on length of activity. P: (919) 338-8052 E: movingtolearn@nc.rr.com W: www.movingYOUtolearn.com JAN VAN DYKE DANCE GROUP Active since 1989, the Jan Van Dyke Dance Group performs a repertory of Van Dyke’s choreography, which is at once athletic, poetic, contemporary, and accessible to a variety of audiences. Jan Van Dyke’s dancers are known for dynamic energy and rhythmic precision as well as compelling expressivity. The choreography seems to live within its musical form, bringing both the movement and the music to a new plane. Van Dyke’s dances are highly structured and meticulously crafted while the movement vocabulary is quick, vigorous, and driving. The Washington Post describes Van Dyke’s use of form as “…immaculate. Thematic variation and recapitulation, counterpoint and consonance occur so naturally that one is hardly aware of the strict structure until the end.” Dance Magazine writes, “Van Dyke builds intense anticipation and escalating climax through interwoven designs of rhythmic movement and variations in timing, ending each work powerfully on a single image of finality.” Ninety-minute to two-hour performances normally include the entire company. Shows can be either formal or informal, and can feature discussion between dances, or before or after the show. Lecture/demonstrations are also available. Fee: $3,000–$5,000 for formal concerts; $1,000–$1,500 for lecture/demonstrations. Additional activities include 90-minute master classes in creative movement, modern dance, and ballet. Fee: $150 per class. P: (336) 370-4819 E: vandykedance@hotmail.com W: www.janvandykedance.org DURHAM GREENSBORO THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Photo: Catherine Carter Photo: Steve Clark MARTHA CONNERTON/KINETIC WORKS DANCE Martha Connerton/Kinetic Works Dance is a multifaceted organization whose mission is to foster awareness and appreciation of dance as an art form that impacts lives in a direct, positive, and evolving process. The company was founded in 2000 by Martha Connerton, a Charlotte-based choreographer. Connerton’s range of experience in the field is outstanding. She has performed with and choreographed for ballet and modern dance companies nationwide. She is also highly acclaimed in the field of arts education, which is a strong focus of Kinetic Works programs. Kinetic Works offers a repertory season and touring performances and also works with opera companies and other organizations. Lectures and master classes available. Fee: $5,000 per day to $17,000 per week. In-School Educational Programs KINETYX Active Learning Performances are one-hour programs designed to address specific curriculum goals for grades K–8. Fee: $950 for one show; $1,600 for two shows. Block booking rates available. KINETIKids Residencies are one- to two-week residencies for K–12 students, custom-designed through planning with teachers, based on learning goals and objectives in any area. Fee: $1,200 per week. KINETIConnect Teacher Workshops are one- to three-hour workshops that engage teachers in teaching through movement, using kinesthetic intelligence as the basis for experiential learning. Fee: $150 per hour. P: (704) 338-1533 E: marthacon2@aol.com W: www.mckineticworks.org NORTH CAROLINA DANCE THEATRE The North Carolina Dance Theatre is committed to enriching lives and ensuring the vitality of its community. The company’s classically-trained dancers are finely-tuned artists who bring passion and personality to every performance. Their talent, coupled with the internationally-acclaimed leadership of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux as president and artistic director and Patricia McBride as associate artistic director, makes NC Dance Theatre one of the country’s most successful professional dance companies. NC Dance Theatre’s impressive reputation is based on superb dancers with high energy, precision and speed, and their ability to perform a versatile repertory ranging from full-length classical ballets to bold contemporary works. Touring performances include Blues & Jeans, celebrating the music and traditions of the South, and American Masterpieces, featuring choreography by the legendary Alvin Ailey, George Balanchine and Twyla Tharp. Fee: Please call to discuss. In-School Educational Programs Educational opportunities feature a one-hour narrated performance featuring classical and contemporary excerpts from the company’s current repertory, including audience participation, and a question-and-answer session with the professional dancers. Fee: Please call to discuss. Main-stage education performances, residencies, and master classes are also available. The company supports classroom teachers by developing curriculum resources, activity guides, and teaching tools, and by offering dance-related professional development. In-school dance residencies, taught by professional teaching artists, are offered to elementary, middle, and high schools. Fee: Please call to discuss. P: (704) 372-0101 E: nmcgaha@ncdance.org (performances) or aberry@ncdance.org (education) W: www.ncdance.org CHARLOTTE CHARLOTTE DANCE 09 Photo: Jeff Cravotta CARLOTA SANTANA Carlota Santana Spanish Dance Company (also known as Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana) was founded in 1983 with the following mission: to foster recognition of the art form of flamenco as prominent in the performing arts and as an integral part of the Hispanic heritage; to create quality traditional and cutting edge new works and arts education programs that catalyze connections among people of different cultures; to enhance education by utilizing the expressive power of the arts; and to nurture the next generation of Spanish dance artists. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2008, Carlota Santana’s thriving Spanish dance company is known for its innovative performances, extensive community-based initiatives, and in-depth arts education programs. Artists from the U.S. and Spain make up the company and reflect its core values: fostering a cross-cultural form of expression, preserving the tradition of Spanish dance, and guiding this art form’s modern evolution. Performances include full-evening performances featuring 8‑12 artists, as well as smaller-scale 50-minute performances by four artists. All shows feature live music and are appropriate for all ages. Fee: negotiable. In-School Educational Programs Multi-week, community-based educational residencies teach Spanish/Hispanic history, culture, and language using flamenco dance as the focal point, and are accompanied by curriculum materials. Age-specific residencies for grades K–12 are taught by one teaching artist, and include a guitarist for two sessions, a performance by four professional artists, and a final student performance. Residencies usually include ten 45-minute sessions per class for three classes. Additional activities include lecture-demonstrations, participatory family or student workshops, and master classes. Fee: varies, based on length and scope. P: (919) 479-9940 E: carlota@flamenco-vivo.org W: www.flamenco-vivo.org BAHAMA THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Anjail Rashida Ahmad ........................................................................................................ Malaika King Albrecht ......................................................................................................... Michael Beadle ......................................................................................................... Catherine Carter ................................................................................................................... Charisse Coleman ................................................................................................................ Frances O’Roark Dowell ....................................................................................................... June Guralnick ...................................................................................................................... Mimi Herman ............................................................................................................... Richard Krawiec ................................................................................................................... Amy Rogers .......................................................................................................................... Lynn Salsi .............................................................................................................................. Susie Wilde .................................................................................................................. James Young ......................................................................................................................... LITERATURE THE ARTISTS 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 11 Michael Beadle. Photo by: Jon Bowman. 2005 PINEHURST DR. ANJAIL RASHIDA AHMAD GREENSBORO Award-winning poet and Director of the Creative Writing Program at NC A&T State University, Dr. Anjail Rashida Ahmad delivers moving and transformative workshops and readings. Her personable and heart-centered style encourages participants to find their own authentic poetic voices. As a blind poet, Ahmad supports participants in “seeing” themselves within the stream of history and helps them write historically and culturally inspired poems drawn from photos, family history, and tradition. She believes in the power of one’s own story and its catalytic ability to transform our unique lives. Participants often remark on how powerfully her individualized approach lends confidence to their writing. Ahmad is published widely in journals such as African American Review, The Washington Square Review and The Black Scholar. She was a 2007 recipient of the Headlands Center for the Arts Fellowship and was nominated for the Human Rights Medal in 2006. She has authored two collections of poetry, the color of memory and necessary kindling. Ahmad has been featured on college and university campuses across the country, and has lectured and been a panelist and competition judge at numerous festivals and conferences. Poetry readings of 30-60 minutes are available. Ahmad is also available for workshops, festivals, and longer programs. Fee: $400 for reading. Other activities negotiable. Travel and accommodations additional. P: (336) 272-4053 E: arahmad@ncat.edu MALAIKA KING ALBRECHT Malaika King Albrecht is primarily a narrative poet, with work published in many online and print literary journals, books, and anthologies. Her manuscript, Never the Same River, was a semi-finalist at Elixir Press. She has worked in a variety of settings including psychiatric facilities, battered women’s shelters, rape crisis centers, churches, and national conferences. Her poetry writing workshops include discussion of poetic techniques, the writing of individual poems, and the sharing of poems through readings. She has written and performed on subjects ranging from “Sacred Poetry” to “Adventurous Poetry” and has led poetry therapy groups for addicts and survivors of sexual assault. Readings and events are approximately one hour long, and include question-and-answer sessions. Fee: negotiable. P: (910) 255-0646 E: pomegranite8@hotmail.com THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG P: (828) 400-6374 E: beadlepoet@yahoo.com W: www.beadlepoet.com P: (828) 227-3931 E: ccarter@email.wcu.edu W: paws.wcu.edu/ccarter CATHERINE CARTER Catherine Carter’s poems span a wide range, from lyric poems about cleaning out the mold beneath the refrigerator (from the mold’s point of view), to killing the rabbit after the cat botched the job, to more familiar subjects like falling in (and out of) love. Her poems examine the interface and connection between human and nonhuman, and have been well received in the biological and conservation communities. Her first book, The Memory of Gills, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, a Kate Tufts Prize and a Norma Farber First Book Award, and won the NC Literary and Historical Association’s Roanoke- Chowan Award. Her work has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Carter is Director of English Education at Western Carolina University. Readings range from 25 to 40 minutes in length, and can be followed by a question-and-answer session. Guest lectures, small-group poetry workshops, and “What’s It Like to be a Poet?” sessions are also available. Fee: $100-$500, negotiable. CANTON CULLOWHEE MICHEAL BEADLE Michael Beadle is a performance poet, author, and award-winning journalist living in Canton, N.C. Since earning his BA in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1994, he has worked for community newspapers across North Carolina and has published more than 1,500 articles. Over the past decade, he has read and produced radio commercials, acted in community theater, directed library literacy programs, taught high school English and creative writing, and led staff development workshops on arts integration as part of the A+ Schools Program, based at UNC-Greensboro. In 2004, Beadle published his first poetry collection, An Invented Hour, and he was chosen twice in 2006 as “Poet of the Week” by NC Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer. His poetry has been published in The New Southerner, Kakalak, and the Raleigh News and Observer’s Sunday Journal. He currently spends his time as a teaching artist, performance poet, and contributing writer and copy editor for the Smoky Mountain News. In-School Educational Programs Poetry performances for grades K-12 include Beadle’s original poetry along with classical, contemporary, and children’s poetry. Audience participation, dramatic gestures, and spoken word dramatize the power of poetry. Fee: $250-300 for first show; $200 each additional show. Maximum of three shows per day. Poetry writing workshops emphasize the writing process from generating ideas to putting words on the page to editing and revising. Workshops for teachers and students in grades 3-12 include “I Am Poetry,” “Sound, Surprise and Shape: an Introduction to Poetry,” “Performance Poetry,” “The Art of Advertising,” and “News as a Muse: Turning Nonfiction into Poetry.” Fees: $300 for a one-day student workshop, $800 for a three-day student residency and $1,300 for a one-week student residency. Maximum of four class periods per day. Staff development workshops are $400 for a three-hour workshop. LITERATURE 13 Photo by: Jon Bowman. 2005 P: (919) 402-1582 E: cydwrite@hotmail.com CHARISSE COLEMAN Charisse Coleman’s creative nonfiction has been published in anthologies, national literary magazines, and newspapers. For over twenty years, she has helped people fully engage their creative powers. Her workshops focus on deep exploration of self and subject, imaginative and critical thinking, and increasing participants’ abilities to tell their stories clearly and vividly, in their truest voices. As one student said, “I am astonished by the breadth and depth of Charisse’s understanding of creative nonfiction. She consistently provided the framework for us to do it well. The workshop was powerful, moving, and revealing.” Coleman holds a BFA in Acting from New York University and an MFA in Writing and Literature from Bennington College. In New York City, she created and led the multi-discipline group, Artists in Discussion. The North Carolina Arts Council has twice awarded her a N.C. Arts Council Literature Fellowship. Coleman has read from A Bad Goodbye, her memoir about the difficult relationship with her murdered brother, in a variety of settings including churches, libraries, and an art gallery. As the sister of a murdered man and a death penalty opponent, she is a sought-after speaker at press conferences, town meetings, and rallies. Her vivid, articulate accounts of her experience and perspective have engaged audiences all over North Carolina, opening their minds and hearts to new directions of thought and feeling. Performances include readings with Q&A, and talks on craft and the writing life. Fee: $350, plus expenses. Additional activities include creative nonfiction writing workshops; “Writing Extravaganza,” a workshop to generate ideas for fiction or nonfiction writing projects; and how-to seminars on revising, publishing, and making effective presentations. Fee: $225 per hour, plus expenses, for writing workshops; $500-850, plus expenses, for “Writing Extravaganza”; varied fees for seminars. P: (919) 489-7114 E: fdowell@mindspring.com W: www.francesdowell.com FRANCES O’ROARK DOWELL Frances O’Roark Dowell is a children’s book author whose works are aimed at readers ranging in age from eight to fourteen. Her first book, Dovey Coe, was published in 2000 and she since has authored six additional novels. All of her books have been published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, a division of Simon and Schuster. Her novels have won a number of awards, including an Edgar Award, the William Allen White Award, an NCTE Notable Book citation, and an American Library Association Notable Book citation. She has spoken to many audiences about her books and writing process. Workshops and presentations on the writing process, including “The Top Five Myths about Being a Writer,” range from 45 to 90 minutes. Fee: $500 plus expenses for half day, including two sessions plus lunch and a book signing; $1,000 plus expenses for full day, including four sessions, lunch, and a book signing. Travel and lodging additional. DURHAM DURHAM THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Photo by: Ted Corvette. 2005 Photo by: Clifton P. Dowell. 2006 APEX DURHAM P: (919) 280-3486 E: june@juneguralnick.com W: www.juneguralnick.com JUNE GURALNICK For the past 25 years, writer and director June Guralnick has created original works primarily for the stage, presented at theaters, colleges, and museums throughout the country. Dedicated to exploring different forms of narrative, Guralnick recently completed Ashes From The Heights, a collection of poetry with dialogue. Her work as an artist has been complemented by the creation of large-scale community outreach programs, including successful projects such as “Dreams-of-Flight” and “Growing Up In America.” Additionally, she has worked as a nonfiction author, writing articles for various journals and magazines. Guralnick’s work as both a theater director and writer has earned her national recognition, including a National Endowment for the Arts grant and the Silver Medal-Pinter Drama Review Prize. A former North Carolina Visiting Artist and N.C. Arts Council Literature Fellowship recipient, Guralnick was selected as a Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writer at Appalachian State University in 2007. Performances feature readings from Guralnick’s plays and other writings. Fee: $500. Additional activities include lectures and participatory workshops on playwriting and creative writing, as well as community outreach workshops on “Celebrating Community History: Writing Our Stories.” Fee: negotiable, depending on length of program and travel. P: (919) 286-4622 C: (919) 606-7686 E: mlherman@aol.com MIMI HERMAN Mimi Herman has taught over 30,000 students and teachers—many of whom would rather scrub a bathtub than write a poem—to fall in love with writing. Herman’s teaching style catches the imagination of her students and creates a supportive learning environment. As one student says of her time with Herman, “It is an experience that I will hold with me throughout my whole life.” As a national faculty member for the Lesley University M.Ed. program, Herman travels the country, teaching educators to use poetry throughout the curriculum. She also designs and conducts hands-on workshops and institutes for teachers, administrators, parents, and teaching artists on integrating the arts and the curriculum. She is an associate editor for Teaching Artist Journal and has participated in the Kennedy Center’s seminar, “Artists as Educators: Planning Effective Workshops for Teachers.” Herman’s performance readings will make you laugh, cry, and laugh again. Performances include Sophie and Solly, whose children want them to leave Brooklyn (where the streets are paved with gold) to retire to Florida (where the streets are lined with pink stucco). Also available are poetry and humorous essays including such gems as “A Love Letter to Kitchen Aid,” “The Entropy of Housework,” and “The Last Piece of Chocolate Cake on Earth.” Fee: $500-$1,000 for one- to three-hour readings, plus expenses. In-School Educational Programs Writing workshops and residencies are available for grades 4-12 and adults. Herman provides staff development workshops in “Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum,” “The Geography of Your Life,” and “Teaching Tough Kids.” Custom-designed arts integration institutes are also available. Fee: $500 per day plus expenses for student workshops; residencies, teacher workshops, and institutes fees negotiable. LITERATURE 15 Photo by: John Yewell. 2007 RALEIGH CHARLOTTE RICHARD KRAWIEC Richard Krawiec has published novels, short story collections, poems, feature articles, plays, sports biographies, and a chapter book for children. He has won awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council (twice). He is a first-place winner in the 2007 North Carolina Poetry Society Competition. His work has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and Best American Short Stories. Krawiec’s sports biography on Yao Ming was awarded a “Top 40 Books of the Year” award from the Pennsylvania Librarians’ Association. He offers fun, energetic, and interactive workshops in fiction, poetry, non-fiction, theatrical plays, and screen plays. Using a multi-art, multiple-intelligence approach, Krawiec teaches critical and creative thinking skills through writing. Krawiec’s workshops are effective with all groups, from homeless shelters to community centers. His training workshops for parents and social service personnel are in demand statewide and nationally. Performance activities feature readings from Krawiec’s award-winning novels, short stories, poetry, and his book for children. Fee: $500 and up, depending on length. Various workshops are also available. Fee: $500-$1,000 per session, depending on length. P: (919) 859-9297 C: (919) 810-2863 E: rkwriter@gmail.com W: http//home.mindspring.com/~rkwriter/ AMY ROGERS Amy Rogers is a founder and the publisher of Novello Festival Press, an award-winning literary project that publishes books of excellence from Carolina writers, and she is a regular commentator for NPR station WFAE. Rogers is an accomplished nonfiction author, editor, and publisher whose engaging, interactive workshops have helped hundreds of writers improve their work and learn how to navigate the publishing world. As an author, Rogers introduces writers to the tools of nonfiction writing. She provides expertise to writers who need direction in sharpening or tailoring their work for specific publications or audiences. As an editor and publisher, she shares her “insider’s view” of how publishers choose which books to produce, and she helps writers avoid many common pitfalls when submitting work for publication. Programs offered include “Welcome to the Real World: Writing Nonfiction,” “Ask an Editor,” and audience-specific writing workshops for adults. Programs vary in length from two to four hours. Intensive day-long workshops or project-specific retreats also available. Fees: $350-$500 for programs, plus expenses; workshop and retreat fees negotiable. P: (704) 335-0944 F: (704) 335-0944 E: ATRogers@aol.com THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG GREENSBORO CHAPEL HILL P: (336) 547-9315 E: bsalsi@triad.rr.com LYNN SALSI Lynn Salsi began working as a storyteller and playwright in 1990. As the director of the North Carolina Youth Touring Theater, she wrote plays for children to perform in classrooms and on the stage. Since then, she has worked with other performers, appearing in children’s museums, folk festivals, and libraries. In addition to performances throughout North Carolina, Salsi has presented in New York City, Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Richmond, and has performed in cultural arts centers and schools in London, England. Salsi’s first book was published in 1999. Since then, 19 more books have followed. Most of her books feature North Carolina history and folklore. Presentations include “Writing Presentation,” “Jack Tales,” and “The North Carolina Storytelling Quilt.” All programs include artifacts appropriate to the presentation, such as photographs, quilts, china, old keys, hand-carved toys, teacups, and musical instruments. Author workshops are structured to meet the needs of the audience. Fees: $375-$500 for up to two 45- to 60-minute programs; $900-$1,200 per day for daylong appearances. P: (919) 932-3300 E: susiewilde@bellsouth.net W: www.wildewritingworks.com SUSIE WILDE Susie Wilde is an author, teacher, children’s book reviewer, columnist, consultant, and presenter who loves to share her passion for books and writing with children, families, and teachers. Wilde has published a children’s book, a writing book for teachers, and hundreds of articles and columns. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master of Education degree with an emphasis in reading from Tulane University. In-School Educational Programs Wilde offers a half-day reading methods professional development series with interactive classroom modeling, and “On-the-Job Professional Development Literacy Workshops.” Teacher workshops unite reading, writing, talking, and N.C. Standard Course of Study objectives in a playful, meaningful, and student-centered process. Fees: $1,000-$3,000 for professional development workshops; $750 per day for “On-the-Job” workshops. She also offers writing residencies for grades 3-12 and book talks and writing adventures for parent and family workshops. In addition, Wilde collaborates with visual artist Peg Gignoux on multiple-day “Story Quilt” residencies that combine writing with visual art activities, and on professional development workshops in reading methods and bookmaking. Fees: $1,200-$4,000 for writing residencies; $500 including bibliographies and free book giveaways for parent and family workshops; $15,000-$30,000 for “Story Quilt” residencies; $2,500-$3,000 for Wilde/Gignoux professional development workshops. LITERATURE 17 Photo by: Suzanne Greenslade. 2006 JAMES YOUNG GREENSBORO As an author and illustrator, James Young has worked primarily in the field of children’s books, creating picture books and easy readers. Since 1987 he has written and illustrated 11 books and illustrated an additional 11 books by other authors. Young’s books have been published by Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Little Brown, and Price Stern Sloan, and one of his books, Everyone Loves the Moon, has been translated into French. His work has been adapted for radio, television, cantata, and ballet. Young is a member of the international Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. Young offers writing and publishing workshops, which he adapts to the interests of his audience. Sessions begin with a reading from his work and then can include a discussion of the creative process, a drawing demonstration, and an explanation of the publishing process. He also offers more in-depth creative writing workshops for youth and publishing workshops for adults. Fees: negotiable. P: (336) 218-0687 E: mopiter@yahoo.com W: www.mopiter.com THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Susana and Timmy Abell/Silver Trout Arts .............................................................. Laura Boosinger ......................................................................................................... Jerry Harmon ........................................................................................................................ The Healing Force ............................................................................................................ The Magic of African Rhythm/Djembe Fire .................................................................. Faye Stanley .............................................................................................................. Connie B. Steadman/Miss Connie B .................................................................................... MULTI-DISCIPLINARY THE ARTISTS 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 19 The Healing Force ASHEVILLE ASHEVILLE SUSANA AND TIMMY ABELL/SILVER TROUT ARTS Silver Trout Arts is a fresh collaboration of two highly-respected teaching artists whose concerts and residency work blend the diversity of four art forms together with beautifully-played music on seven different instruments. Combining storytelling, poetry, puppetry, and original music, Susana and Timmy Abell bring out the idea that there are many different ways to share a story. Susana Abell is a bilingual puppeteer, writer, and singer, who holds a graduate teaching degree. Prior to moving to North Carolina in 1998, she worked as a performer and teaching artist in South America, Europe, and New York, with sponsorship that included Carnegie Hall and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. With 25 years of touring experience, Timmy Abell is one of the Southeast’s most popular family entertainers. His recordings have won the highest national awards (ALA, “Parents’ Choice” Gold, NAPPA) and he has received the prestigious N.C. Arts Council Songwriting Fellowship. He has performed at the Kennedy Center, The National Theater, and in countless schools and concert halls across the country. Susana and Timmy Abell are available for concerts in any venue where families and young folks are gathered: schools, libraries, museums, community concert series, and festivals. Fees: $600-$700 for schools and libraries; $1,000-$2,000 for other venues. In-School Educational Programs Silver Trout offers a broad spectrum of programs to suit the needs of schools and communities, including curriculum-relevant performances, student workshops, staff development workshops, and one- to five-day residencies which include performances. Fee: $1,500-$5,000. P: (888) 253-7225 E: fishing@silvertrout.org W: www.silvertrout.org LAURA BOOSINGER Laura Boosinger is a traditional musician focusing on the music of the Southern mountains. She plays several stringed instruments including old-time clawhammer style banjo, finger-picked autoharp, mountain lap dulcimer, and Carter Family style guitar. She also teaches shaped-note singing from the Christian Harmony and offers residencies featuring traditional folk dance. While a student at Warren Wilson, Boosinger took advantage of courses taught by traditional folk artists in the Appalachian Music Program. As her interest grew, she focused her degree on Appalachian music and culture. Upon graduation, she continued to pursue her study by attending folk festivals, fiddlers conventions, and concert performances throughout the Southeast, accompanying traditional fiddlers including N.C . Folk Heritage Award winner Luke Smathers, Mack Snoderly, and Ed Michaels. In addition to her solo work, she currently tours with David Holt and the Lightning Bolts and bluegrass pioneer and N.C. Folk Heritage Award winner, George Shuffler. Her work occurs in settings including schools, Elderhostels, and festivals in the U.S. and abroad. Concert performances are available for grades K-12, college students, and community audiences, and include a variety of folk instruments, age-appropriate material, and audience participation. Fee: $450 for one school performance, $700 for two in same location; $600-$1,000 for community concerts. In-School Educational Programs Additional activities include school residencies on traditional folk dance, shaped-note singing, and North Carolina musical traditions. Fee: $1,200 for 3 days (5 contacts per day); $400 for each additional day. P: (828) 285-0899 E: lboosinger@charter.net W: www.lauraboosinger.com THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Photo by: Silver Trout Arts. 2006 Photo by: Warner Photography. 2006 OTTO WINSTON-SALEM JERRY HARMON Deep in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Appalachian mountain chain in North Carolina, Jerry Harmon was born into a family rich in the tradition of storytelling and music. His great-great-great grandfather, Council Harmon, was the first to introduce Jack Tales to America from England. These tales, the origin of Appalachian Mountain storytelling, have been passed down faithfully through the generations. Jerry Harmon is the only direct descendant of Council Harmon to continue this tradition. Harmon launched his musical career at an early age, strumming a banjo fashioned from wood and groundhog hide made by his uncle. Radio programs featuring Hank Williams Sr., Flatt and Scruggs, Ray Price, and others proved a lasting influence. At the age of 12, with his Sears Roebuck True-tone guitar in hand and an earnest determination, he tackled his first music lessons from a book. Harmon was first invited to appear at the renowned MerleFest in 2000, where he shared the stage with Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, Marty Stuart, Earl Scruggs, and Dolly Parton. He has gone on to perform at many noted festivals, including the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the White Horse Festival in Canada, gaining recognition as an accomplished guitarist and gifted songwriter as well as storyteller. Harmon has toured the United States, Canada, and Europe, with a compelling stage presence that shines as brightly as his talent. Performances include music, Jack Tales, and mountain entertainment for all. Fee: negotiable. P: (828) 734-3232 E: jerry_harmon35@yahoo.com W: www.jerryharmon.com THE HEALING FORCE The Healing Force offers a celebration of African culture through storytelling and music. This family of artists brings arts to the community through high-energy performances at schools, churches, festivals, colleges, libraries, and community events. Whatever the venue, The Healing Force affirms values, celebrates culture, sparks creativity, and enlightens young and old. The Healing Force has performed professionally full-time since 1990, receiving grants each year from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County for arts-in-education programs, and from the N.C. Arts Council for organizational development. The group appears in artist directories across North and South Carolina. Founded in 1975 by the husband and wife team of Joseph and Gail Anderson, they are joined by their daughter Sonji and son Karim, making their work a family affair. Together this performing family presents programs designed to encourage positive behavior, provide creative opportunities, and enrich the school curriculum. The Healing Force weaves a message from the heart! In-School Educational Programs The Healing Force’s most popular performance, “The Rhythm of the Drum,” consists of storytelling, African dance, singing, and instruments for grades Pre K–12, and is performed with four artists for 30–60 minutes. Other performances include “The Griot Past and Present” for grades 6–12 and “Celebrate Kwanzaa” for grades K–8. Fee: $650 and up, plus travel. P: (336) 767-2724 E: TheHealingForce@aol.com W: www.thehealingforceonline.com MULTI-DISCIPLINARY 21 CHAPEL HILL THE MAGIC OF AFRICAN RHYTHM/DJEMBE FIRE! PITTSBORO Baba and Mama Shabu, who have spent nearly 20 years studying and performing all over Africa, originally established this group in Africa as “Ngoma Sasa.” The group grew with the addition of their children, Mabinti, Teli, and Taji, whose talents shine through the drums, various African keyboard and stringed instruments, storytelling, song, and dance. The group’s form of artistic expression is “ngoma,” the blending of all the art forms into an organic whole. In performance, Djembe Fire! presents a dynamic combination of amazing skill, energy, and drums. Six to eight master drummers and dancers share with you the fire of the djembe program with the authentic instruments, music, dance, and drama that bring the African spectacle to life. Djembe Fire! incorporates professional drummers and dancers who have performed with locally and nationally known groups such as the African American Dance Ensemble and the Broadway version of “The Lion King.” In-School Educational Programs School performances include Djembe Fire!, two-instrument BalanKora performances, and “Feet and Hands Can Talk!” Djembe Fire! encourages input in advance of the performance on how their program can connect with the school’s N.C. Standard Course of Study objectives. Fees: $1,200 for one 45-minute Djembe Fire! performance; $600 for one 45-minute BalanKora performance; negotiable for “Feet and Hands Can Talk.” P: (919) 942-3404 E: worldsongevents@yahoo.com W: www.africanrhythm.org FAYE STANLEY Faye Stanley is an artist, teaching artist, and educator specializing in culture-based art forms. Her particular areas of strength are music, stories, and musical games from around the world, which she uses to entertain and educate. She performs nationally, and frequently offers professional development on the use of these art forms in arts-integrated curriculum. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in voice and a Masters in education from Goddard College, where she specialized in the study of arts-integrated curriculum. She is particularly drawn to the capability of community music-making to join people across times and cultures, and to empower humans to participate in the pleasures of shared music and story. She frequently uses other languages in her work, and focuses on stories and music that carry a thread of collaborative, peaceful interactions. All her work is physically active, and draws on many different learning styles. Participatory multicultural performances are based on the music, stories, and games of many world cultures, and are available for schools, conferences, workshops, churches, festivals, and other settings. Stanley builds programs that fit the work to the setting. Fee: $400–$600, plus travel and lodging. In-School Educational Programs Educational activities feature workshops and residencies for students, teachers, and other adults. Professional development workshops include “Storytelling and Literacy” and “Pattern, Form and Composition Across the Curriculum.” Student workshop and residencies are designed to support the N.C. Standard Course of Study through the use of multicultural arts. Fees: $300–$1,000 for workshops; $2,000–$2,500 per week for residencies. Travel and lodging additional. P: (919) 968-1168 E: clappingdog@nc.rr.com W: www.clappingdog.com THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Photo by: Renee Prillaman. 2007 CONNIE B. STEADMAN/MISS CONNIE B YANCEYVILLE Miss Connie B is one of the original Badgett Sisters, 1990 recipients of a N.C. Arts Council Folk Heritage Award. She captivates audiences with her often interactive performances of traditional songs done in the traditional way, in an informal and relaxed setting. As she carries on her sisters’ tradition of telling stories about such animals as “Brer Rabbit” and “Brer Fox,” she shares terms that may be unfamiliar to her audiences, and incorporates feedback from them on topics mentioned in the stories. Miss Connie B performs in a wide variety of settings, from festivals to hospitals and churches. No audience is too small or too large for the gifts she has to offer, as she shares the traditional songs and stories that have made North Carolina—and the Badgett Sisters—great. Performances range from 45 minutes to one hour in length, and are suitable for all ages. Fee: $300-$500, depending on length of performance, negotiable. P: (336) 694-6947 E: connies03@earthlink.net MULTI-DISCIPLINARY 23 Timmy Abell ......................................................................................................... Martha Bassett ................................................................................................................. The Biscuit Burners .......................................................................................................... Beverly Botsford ................................................................................................. Buffalo Creek String Band .............................................................................................. Carolina Chocolate Drops ................................................................................................ Children of the Horn ....................................................................................................... Coyote .............................................................................................................................. David DiGiuseppe ...................................................................................................... The High Windy Band ...................................................................................................... David Holt ........................................................................................................................ Little Windows ................................................................................................................. Mappamundi ..................................................................................................................... Noah Paley ........................................................................................................................ Charles Pettee ............................................................................................................ The Pratie Heads ............................................................................................................... The Shady Grove Band ..................................................................................................... Jon Shain .......................................................................................................................... Billy Stevens ..................................................................................................................... Mike “Lightnin’” Wells ..................................................................................................... BLUEGRASS, BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK, POPULAR, & WORLD MUSIC THE ARTISTS 25 25 26 26 27 27 28 28 29 29 30 30 31 31 32 32 33 33 34 34 THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG David Holt. Photo courtesy of the artist ASHEVILLE WINSTON-SALEM TIMMY ABELL Timmy Abell is one of the nation’s top contemporary songwriters for children. Recipient of the prestigious N.C. Arts Council’s Songwriting Fellowship, he is best known for his highly entertaining family concerts and educational school programs. Over the last two decades his recordings have been enjoyed by tens of thousands of families around the country, and have received the highest national awards from the American Library Association, “Parents’ Choice,” and NAPPA. Titles include Little Red Wagon, The Farmer’s Market, Play All Day, I Know an Old Lady, and Stories to Grow On. For 30 years, Abell has celebrated both the historical and living qualities of American, Appalachian, international, and original folk music. Performances include concerts and storytelling programs for children, families, or adults. Abell’s concerts are an interplay of music and storytelling featuring a collection of rare musical instruments, including hammered dulcimer, English concertina, bowed psaltery, lap dulcimer, and penny whistle, along with guitar and banjo. His storytelling includes a rich variety of adventure stories, tall tales, fairy tales, and mountain Jack Tales. Fees: $600-$700 for schools; $1,000-$2,000 for other venues. In-School Educational Programs Timmy Abell offers curriculum-relevant workshops and residencies for students and teachers. Student residencies include “The Art of Songwriting” and “The Art of Storytelling.” Teacher workshops include “Music: A Powerful Tool for Transforming the Classroom Atmosphere” and “Songwriting in the Writing Curriculum” or can be designed to suit specific needs. Abell has participated in the Kennedy Center’s Seminar, “Artists as Educators: Planning Effective Workshops for Teachers.” Fees: $1,500-$5,000 for residencies; $250-$500 for teacher workshops. P: (828) 253-7225 E: timmy@timmyabell.com W: www.timmyabell.com MARTHA BASSETT Martha Bassett has been working as a professional singer for 25 years. She began as a classical singer, then began performing non-classical music in 1997. Her live performances, often described as “genre-defying,” mix together elements of jazz, swing, old-time mountain music, alt-country, and pop-rock. All this makes for an exciting live show that features something for everyone. The common elements for all Bassett’s performances are superb musicianship, strong rhythmic drive, and top-level singing. Her bands have included some of the finest musicians in the Southeast. For the past 10 years, Bassett has performed concerts for municipalities and arts councils throughout North Carolina and surrounding states. She has performed for various corporations, including Hanes Brand, Inc., North Carolina Baptist Hospital, and the National Women’s Health Association, as well as for wine festivals throughout the East Coast. She has been engaged by many local and regional festivals, including MerleFest, Festival for the Eno, Lake Eden Arts Festival, and Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, and has opened for such performers as Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, Cowboy Mouth, and Jim Lauderdale. Performances include community concerts for all ages, composed of a mix of southern swing, folk, alternative country, originals, and classic standards. Master classes for vocalists and choral ensembles are also available. Fees: $2,500-$3,500 for 90-minute concerts; $500 for one- to two-hour master classes. Travel and accommodations are additional. P: (336) 508-0001 E: martha@marthabassett.com W: www.marthabassett.com BLUEGRASS, BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK, POPULAR, and WORLD MUSIC 25 Photo by: Robert Kirk. 2006 DURHAM THE BISCUIT BURNERS ASHEVILLE Offering a fresh approach to acoustic music with roots that date as far back as mountain music can reach, The Biscuit Burners offer their “Fiery Mountain Music” with innovative instrumentation, resplendent harmonies, and captivating original material. Their unique yet familiar material draws strongly from their respect of traditional mountain music, their love of bluegrass and classic country, and their appreciation of music from the far corners of the world. In 2004, The Biscuit Burners quickly established themselves and their “Fiery Mountain Music” as a complete package for acoustic entertainment. Along with being showcased at the IBMA Conference and appearing at the historic Ryman Auditorium with Vassar Clements and Rhonda Vincent, they had their debut album chosen in the Top 10 Bluegrass Albums of 2004 by the Chicago Tribune. Their critics also chose the Biscuit Burners’ song “Come On Darlin’” as the IPOD Hotpick Bluegrass Song of 2004. The Biscuit Burners tour nationally and have been heard on NPR, the BBC, and PBS as well as in Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music, Berkeley’s Freight and Salvage, MerleFest, and Alexandria VA’s Birchmere. Their most recent album, A Mountain Apart, was in the Top 20 of the Roots Music Report National Airplay chart for the first five months of its release. Performances feature acoustic music rooted in traditional country and bluegrass. Fee: negotiable. Additional activities include specialized instructional workshops in banjo, guitar, fiddle, vocals, mandolin, and upright bass, as well as workshops in song writing, band development, and small business management in the music industry. Fee: negotiable. P: (828) 645-7745 E: billy@thebiscuitburners.com W: www.thebiscuitburners.com BEVERLY BOTSFORD Beverly Botsford is a cross-cultural percussionist and educator who blends music, movement, and spoken word in solo and ensemble presentations. Embracing drumming traditions of Africa, Cuba, South America, and her native North Carolina, she weaves colorful rhythmic tapestries with her array of collected and homemade instruments. Botsford celebrates more than 30 years of full-time, professional experience, performing and teaching in a wide variety of situations. Highlights include touring with Chuck Davis and the African American Dance Ensemble, as well as serving for over a decade on the American Dance Festival faculty. Over the years, she has shared her passion for rhythm and culture in hundreds of schools and communities. Her goal is empowerment, enlightenment, and inspiration for people in all walks of life. Since 1998, she has toured internationally with Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon in such venues as the Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Umbria Jazz Festival. Television credits include appearances on CBS “Good Morning,” BET Jazz, UNC-TV’s “Our State,” and WRAL’s “Smart Start Kids.” Performances feature a 45-minute to two-hour solo performance or a one- to two-hour ensemble performance. Both celebrate rhythmic diversity on a wide array of drums and percussion instruments. Solo performances include “Dancing Drums,” “Gourd Fever,” and “Hand to Heart.” Ensemble performances include “Percussive Jazz Theater” and “Tambor Vivo.” Fees: $500–$1,200 for solo performances; $1,200–$4,000 for ensemble. In School Educational Programs: Educational activities include school assembly performances, lecture/demonstrations, classes, and workshops on hand percussion and instrument-making, as well as a teacher workshop entitled “Wrap it in Rhythm—Language Fluency and Percussion.” “Roots and Rhythm” and “Science of Sound” residencies of one week or longer are also available. Activities are tailored to presenter needs and are available for all ages. Fees: $700–$1,200 per day; $2,000–$4,000 week. P: (919) 384-8418 E: BBshekere@aol.com W: www.beverlybotsford.com THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Photo by: Candice Freeland MISENHEIMER DURHAM BUFFALO CREEK STRING BAND Buffalo Creek String Band continues a musical legacy that dates back to the days when fiddles could be found throughout Southern Appalachia and singing was as common and almost as widespread a tradition as spoken language. The band—composed of Jackie Burgess, Annie Griffey, Joy Moser, and Scott Dixon—plays old-time songs, fiddle tunes, and mountain ballads with a touch of early bluegrass and country music. As they delight audiences on the fiddle, banjo, guitar, and bass, they share with their listeners the Irish, English, Scottish, and African roots of American music. Performances feature the rich musical tradition of Appalachia, and are available for contra and square dances, private parties, weddings, festivals, and concert venues. Fee: $500–$1,000, depending on performance duration and location; includes sound system. P: (704) 463-1335 E: grittygriffey@gmail.com W: www.myspace.com/buffalocreekstringband CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS The Carolina Chocolate Drops celebrate the music we hail as American to the core. Through performance and lecture, they revive and retell the history of the area we call home and of the people who worked, lived, played, and died here. As African American musicians, they reach out to the community at large, exposing their audiences to music that most today see as an Anglo tradition, and demonstrating the exchange between different cultural groups that made American music great. Audiences discover the contributions of African Americans in the realm of rural folk music of the last century and later. The Carolina Chocolate Drops highlight the African origins of the banjo and its place in old-time, bluegrass, and country music of today and of the past. They also talk about the fiddle and its importance to black and white communities alike, and the contributions of African rhythmic structures to the fiddling of the British Isles. When the Carolina Chocolate Drops educate audiences about the history of this music, they bridge the gap that separates people by class, race, and color. As listeners experience this music and culture firsthand, their eyes become opened to facts they never knew and talents they never knew they had. The Carolina Chocolate Drops perform in concert venues, museums, libraries, and festivals. Performances include 20-minute sets, 45-minute sets, full concerts, and week-long residencies. All shows include demonstrations of traditional dance styles ranging from flatfooting to the Charleston. Fee: negotiable. P: (336) 370-4059 E: carolinachocolatedrops@yahoo.com W: www.carolinachocolatedrops.com BLUEGRASS, BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK, POPULAR, and WORLD MUSIC 27 Photo by: Pam Bloom CHILDREN OF THE HORN Children of the Horn is an instrumental ensemble that has created a unique sound by combining influences from jazz, rhythm and blues, and world music. With a frontline of horns backed by a rhythm section, Children of the Horn takes the listener on a kaleidoscopic journey through original compositions that run the gamut from super-syncopated Latin-funk to swaggering New Orleans Second Line styles to classic Motown-inspired grooves. Audiences of all ages find Children of the Horn to be highly entertaining. Their tight arrangements and masterfully improvised solos have earned the band opportunities to share the stage with international stars such as Dirty Dozen Brass Band, P-Funk, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. Children of the Horn performs for festivals, concerts, clubs, and private corporate events. Performances typically last 50-75 minutes. When appropriate, the concert may take the form of a lecture-demonstration in order to enrich the listeners’ overall experience. Concerts may also be tailored to specific audiences to showcase particular influences at work in the group’s repertoire. Fee: $900–$2,500. Master classes in jazz improvisation and ensemble techniques are also available. Fee: negotiable. P: (919) 876-1780 E: info@childrenofthehorn.com W: www.childrenofthehorn.com COYOTE Coyote is composed of singer/songwriters Marcy Brenner and Lou Castro, who make Ocracoke Island their home. This place of sea and storms provides the perfect backdrop for their artistic expression and community involvement. Reachable only by air or ferry, the island has a life that infuses their music and live performances with colorful images from the Outer Banks. They have an engaging and spontaneous stage presence, bringing audiences “into their living room” with enchanting, intimate songs and a pleasing variety of acoustic instruments, all tinged with folk, rock, and blues flavors. Concerts feature original and familiar selections that demonstrate the role and beauty each instrument contributes to the song. They have released Live from the Outer Banks, Home To Me, and the new Another Year Blooms to an eager following of regional fans and receive consistently glowing reviews for both their performances and their songs, which have reached Top 10 ranking in peer reviews. Brenner and Castro “lend their chops” on many coastal musicians’ projects and perform all over the state and beyond. They are principal players with the Ocrafolk Opry and also perform regularly with Molasses Creek and Noah Paley. Performances typically consist of two 50-minute sets with a 15-minute intermission, and feature Brenner and Castro on guitars, mandolin, percussion, bass, and non-pedal steel. Shorter performances tailored for specific audiences and a youth band workshop are also available. A top-quality PA system can be provided. Fee: $600–900, negotiable. P: (252) 256-2081 E: info@coyotemusic.net W: www.coyotemusic.net OCRACOKE RALEIGH THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Photo by: Bruce DeBoer. 2006 2005 © Ann Ehringhaus CHAPEL HILL ASHEVILLE DAVID DIGIUSEPPE David DiGiuseppe is a multi-faceted performer, working professionally since 1978. Appearing as a soloist and with numerous groups, DiGiuseppe is an accomplished accordionist, multi-instrumentalist (mandolin, banjo, Irish cittem, Appalachian dulcimer, guitar, concertina), singer, and storyteller. DiGiuseppe presents educational and family concerts to children and adult audiences in schools, libraries, and museums throughout the Carolinas. As a band leader and featured accordionist, he travels the United States playing in concerts and for dances with his bands Footloose and Contrazz. DiGiuseppe’s newest project, “Squeeze Play,” highlights his innovative accordion playing in a repertoire including Brazilian choros, swing musettes of Paris, Celtic dance tunes, and original compositions. DiGiuseppe has released three solo CDs presenting music from Celtic, Parisian, and American traditions. He is featured on numerous recordings, including four CDs with Footloose and several issues of Shoofly, an audio magazine for children. DiGiuseppe has written two extensive collections of traditional tunes arranged for accordion published by Mel Bay Publications. He is currently preparing an accordion technique volume for publication with Mel Bay. Performances include “David DiGiuseppe—Accordionist Extraordinaire” and “Squeeze Play,” and feature one or two 45-minute sets. Fees: $300–$600 for “Accordionist Extraordinaire,” $500–$900 for “Squeeze Play.” In-School Educational Programs Educational performances feature songs and stories that connect with language arts and social studies. “A Bag of Songs and Stories” is appropriate for families and grades K–2. “The Old North State—North Carolina History in Story and Song” and “Lore of the Land—Songs of America’s Past” are appropriate for families and grades 2–6. Fee: $300–$500. P: (919) 968-9600 E: daviddg@mindspring.com W: www.daviddg.com THE HIGH WINDY BAND Named for the sweeping ridgeline that runs from Swannanoa to Black Mountain in western North Carolina, the High Windy Band is one of the area’s fastest-rising groups. High Windy offers an original journey based in tradition, all the while breaking ground in the bluegrass genre. The group draws from a combination of contemporary and traditional bluegrass styles while adding old-time themes and an original approach. In an area where great roots music is the norm, the High Windy Band rises to the top, merging sophisticated arrangements with a style that is all their own. In addition to being the First Place Winners of the 2005 North Carolina State Bluegrass Competition and the 2006 Fiddler’s Grove Bluegrass Champions, the group is also a selected member of the North Carolina Music Heritage Registry. High Windy has shared the stage with nationally recognized acts such as Mountain Heart, the Lonesome River Band, Special Consensus, Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike, Open Road, and Hayseed Dixie. The High Windy Band’s mission is to create music for its ultimate purpose, to connect with listeners through themes that all can relate to: love gained and lost, beginnings, endings, and what it means to live. Performances feature an all-ages family show available for festivals, arts center performances, listening rooms, theaters, performance halls, and private events. Fee: $800–$5,000, depending on location and program. P: (828) 215-6253 E: ty.gilpin@crossroadsmusic.com W: www.highwindyband.com BLUEGRASS, BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK, POPULAR, and WORLD MUSIC 29 Photo by: Alec Himwich LITTLE WINDOWS DURHAM Little Windows, composed of Mark Weems and Julee Glaub, performs a mix of Appalachian, Irish, old-time gospel, and traditionally-based originals, with a special focus on unaccompanied ballads. Weems and Glaub tour together nationally and internationally, enchanting audiences with the beauty and magic of pure voice, tight harmonies, and haunting melodies and lyrics. Steeped in the classic country and old-time traditions, Weems has performed for years with Alice Gerrard in the Weems-Gerrard Band and the Stillhouse Bottom Band. After living in Ireland for seven years and performing with Pete Sutherland, Dáithí Sproule, Jerry O’Sullivan, Brian Conway, and Claudine Langille, Glaub is one of the leading interpreters of traditional Irish song in America. The two have made a number of recordings individually, with other bands, and together. Their first CD together, Just Beyond Me, was submitted for a Grammy in the traditional folk category. They have taught at music camps across the nation and were instrumental in creating a Folk Music School at the Prizery in Virginia. Performances feature two 45-minute sets of traditional Irish and Appalachian music. Fee: $1,000–$2,000. Additional activities include Camp Little Windows, an annual traditional singing camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and a traveling, condensed version of the camp. Also available are intergenerational music programs, a cultural enrichment program, and private vocal and instrumental instruction. Fees: $750 per person for Camp Little Windows, $30–$50 per hour for private instruction; others vary by location. P: (919) 477-2780 E: juleeglaub@aol.com W: www.littlewindows.net DAVID HOLT FAIRVIEW Four-time Grammy Award winner David Holt is a veteran performer on stage, radio, and television. At an early age his passion to become an old-time banjo player led him to remote mountain communities, where he found hundreds of old-time mountaineers with a wealth of folk music, stories, and wisdom. For over three decades, Holt’s passion for traditional music and culture has fueled a successful performing and recording career, bringing him recognition as one of the nation’s foremost folk musicians and storytellers. Holt intrigues audiences with a wide array of instruments, both familiar and unusual, from banjo and slide guitar to hambone, spoons, bones, jaw harp, and even paper bag. The Asheville Citizen Times says, “David Holt could ring music out of a stump.” Vogue magazine calls him “the best minstrel and storyteller.” Having performed for over a million people, Holt is a consummate entertainer who knows what audiences enjoy. He has earned numerous awards and performed and recorded with many of his mentors, including Doc Watson, Grandpa Jones, Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, and Chet Atkins. Today he tours the country solo, with Doc Watson and with his band, the Lightning Bolts, as well as hosting television shows for PBS and shows for public radio. Programs include solo performances as well as performances with rising acoustic music star Josh Goforth, and with Holt’s five-piece band, David Holt and the Lightning Bolts. Fee: $3,500 for Holt solo or with bass player; $3,750 for Holt and Goforth; $5,000-$7,500 for David Holt and the Lightning Bolts. Travel and lodging additional. Additional activities include workshops in folk rhythms, folksongs, clogging, the roots of mountain music, jaw harp, and storytelling. Workshops are one to two hours in length. Fee: negotiable. P: (828) 628-1728 E: office@highwindy.com W: http://www.davidholt.com THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Photo by: Jim Davis HATTERAS MAPPAMUNDI CHAPEL HILL Mappamundi (Italian for “Map of the World”) has played “More-or-less Traditional Music of the Previous Millennium” since 1994. The group’s free-wheeling programs include music from Eastern and Western Europe, the British Isles and early America, klezmer and Sephardic traditions, and more. Bringing experience in folk, traditional jazz, early music, classical music, choral directing and arranging, Turkish and Indian music, and philharmonic orchestras, and with awards in fiddle, harp, and other competitions at highland games and old-time music conventions, two to five musicians make non-mainstream music addictive and compelling. Mappamundi has performed Eastern European music for the Triangle Folk Society and Duke University’s Institute of the Arts, Yiddish tangos and Spanish boleros for weddings, music from Colonial America and the British Isles for re-enactments and the North Carolina Museum of History, music from around the world at Raleigh’s Exploris Museum, and European music at international festivals in Raleigh and Myrtle Beach. Performances are geared to presenter needs. Programs include “Music of Western and Eastern Europe,” “Music of the Jewish Traditions,” “New Songs in Spanish,” “Music of early North Carolina and Colonial America,” “Courting Disaster,” and “American Popular Music of the 20s, 30s, and 40s.” Shorter programs include instrument demonstrations and theme programs for Halloween, Hanukah, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day. Fees: average $150–$300 per musician (one to five musicians) for single performance, plus expenses; $200–$400 per musician per day for multiple performances in one location, plus expenses. P: (919) 383-8952 E: jane@mappamundi.com W: www.mappamundi.com NOAH PALEY Noah Paley picked up a guitar in 1999 and started writing songs. Within months, he was performing his songs before enthusiastic audiences at theaters, coffeehouses, and festivals in and around North Carolina. Paley has played at the North Carolina Seafood Festival in Morehead City, the Tall Ships Festival in Beaufort, and the Celebrate Our State Festival in High Point, and has opened for Grammy-nominated instrumentalist Boney James and Grammy-Award-winning saxophonist David Sanborn at The Carolina Theatre in Durham. He is a regular performer with the Outer Banks Opry and has played at the Ocrafolk Festival and the Ocracoke Island Deepwater Theater, where Paley and fellow Touring Artists Directory artists Coyote perform a weekly show during the summer season. University of Massachusetts Public Radio selected Paley’s second CD, Small Truths, as one of the best CDs released in 2002, along with albums by Norah Jones, Bruce Springsteen, Ryan Adams, and Richard Shindell. “So Many Things,” a song on the Small Truths CD, made the Best of 2002 playlist aired by Kansas Public Radio, along with selections by Eva Cassidy, Gillian Welch, James Taylor, the Dixie Chicks, and Patty Griffin. Paley was a finalist in the 2002 Carolina Calling talent contest and a semi-finalist in the 2002 Independent Music Awards, and he has showcased at North Carolina’s ArtsMarket. His song “Moonlight Still” was selected by WUNC-FM for inclusion on the Best of Back Porch Music Vol. III compilation CD, along with songs by Doc Watson, Alison Krauss, and Nickel Creek. His work has been praised by critics from Oregon to Australia as “perfectly formed,” “magic,” and “a delicious piece of musical art . . . produced to perfection . . . ” Paley has been a featured artist on efolkmusic.org and a listener favorite on Whole Wheat Radio. Performances are available in both formal and informal settings, and are appropriate for all ages. Paley performs as a solo artist and also appears with acoustic or electric bass, mandolin, dobro, and/or keyboard accompaniment. Concert length ranges from 45 to 90 minutes. Fee range: $600–$1,800, depending on location, length of performance, and number of accompanists. P: (252) 216-9910 E: noahpaley@gmail.com W: www.myspace.com/noahpaley BLUEGRASS, BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK, POPULAR, and WORLD MUSIC 31 Photo by: Mark Sidell CHAPEL HILL CHAPEL HILL THE PRATIE HEADS The Pratie Heads play music of the British Isles (England, Scotland, and Ireland) and also music of early America, featuring music from Colonial times in North Carolina and the other early states. A popular staple on the traditional music scene of the 1980s, The Pratie Heads played for arts councils, festivals, and other audiences throughout North Carolina before guitarist, bouzoki player, and singer Bob Vasile left to join Freyda Epstein and Acoustic Attatude (garnering an INDIE Award with the band), tour with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and perform with such artists as Tony Rice, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, and Mark O’Connor. Meanwhile, violinist, violist, concertina player, and singer Jane Peppler instituted the Solstice Extravaganza, formed the band Mappamundi, and made three recordings with the Solstice Assembly (one featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition). In 2004, The Pratie Heads reunited at the Festival for the Eno in Durham, to the delight of traditional music fans everywhere. The band made a new recording in 2006, Rag Faire, and has performed for the Triangle Folk Music Society, at the Bethabara Celtic Festival for the Fiddle and Bow Society, and on the WUNC-FM radio show, The State of Things. Performances include “Music of the British Isles,” “Music of Colonial North Carolina,” and holiday programs for concerts and festivals, and range in length from 20 minutes to several hours. Performances incorporate discussion about the historical and cultural context of the music. Fee: $280 and up. Additional activities include lecture-demonstrations on “Music from the Old World to the New” and “Dance Music in America.” Fee: $280 and up. P: (919) 383-8952 E: info@pratieheads.com W: www.pratieheads.com CHARLES PETTEE Charles Pettee began learning his fresh approach to the traditional arts of flatpicking and folksinging while growing up in Asheville, N.C. He is co-founder of Flying Fish recording artist The Shady Grove Band, which has delighted audiences across the U.S., Canada, and Europe for over 25 years with the band’s acclaimed “new-timey” bluegrass music. His distinctive mandolin style, voice, and original compositions are an essential part of the group’s appeal, and garner airplay in over 20 countries, as well as satellite and web transmissions. He has hosted workshops on guitar and mandolin technique at some of the most prestigious music festivals in the U.S. and Europe, including the Walnut Valley Festival and MerleFest. His educational programs, entitled “Hear the Sound,” are in high demand for their ability to engage and entertain a wide span of generations and cultural backgrounds. Solo, with The Shady Grove Band, with Charles Pettee & FolkPsalm, or with his bluegrass trio Chuck and the WagginEars, Pettee has performed almost 4,000 shows in his years as a professional musician. If the event is a festival, family concert, summer program, or performance, Charles Pettee has the talent and experience to make it a memorable one. Concerts include traditional and original roots-based music performed with voice, mandolin, guitar, banjo, and harmonica, and peppered with personal insights and stories. One to four 45-minute sets can feature Pettee solo, with fiddle player Al McCanless and banjo player John Boulding, or with the seven-piece ensemble, Charles Pettee & FolkPsalm. Fee: $400-700 per solo performance, including sound system. Inquire regarding trio and FolkPsalm. In-School Educational Programs “Hear the Sound,” an informative and interactive performance, brings to life Southern string music and Social Studies “from the Pilgrims to the present.” Available for schools, libraries, and museums, for grades pre K-2, 3-5 and 6-12. Fee: $400-$800 per performance, including sound system, plus travel expenses. P: (919) 967-1381 E: cpettee@bellsouth.net W: www.charlespettee.com THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Photo by: Ellen Ozier Photo by: Paul Deblinger DURHAM THE SHADY GROVE BAND CHAPEL HILL From the Netherlands to Napa, from the Lincoln Center to MerleFest, and from Calgary to the Carolinas, Chapel Hill’s The Shady Grove Band has made a tradition of delighting audiences with its unique “new-timey” bluegrass sound. Banjo, mandolin, dobro, guitar, and bass combine with stunning vocals to produce a sound that is grounded in America’s past, yet remains fresh at the same time. The group’s performances include more than 2,500 concerts, festivals, and special events, and its recordings on Flying Fish Records have received airplay in 22 countries and throughout the U.S. Since its start in 1981, The Shady Grove Band’s accomplishments have been numerous and prestigious. The band, made up of founding members Jerry Brown (guitar and vocals) and Charles Pettee (mandolin and vocals), along with Adael Shinn (upright bass and vocals) and John Boulding (banjo and dobro), has performed at many of the largest music festivals in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and has appeared nationwide on the CBS and NBC television networks. Touring frequently in Europe, the group also maintains a busy club, college, and concert schedule throughout the U.S. The band has showcased for the Southern Arts Federation, the International Bluegrass Music Association, and the South Carolina Arts Commission. The Shady Grove Band is available for concerts, festivals, and special events. Fee: $2,500–$4,000, for one to four sets/programs, including sound system as needed, depending on travel and number of sets/programs desired. P: (919) 967-1381 E: cpettee@bellsouth.net W: www.theshadygroveband.com JON SHAIN Jon Shain is a veteran singer-songwriter who’s been turning heads for years with his words, his fiery acoustic guitar work, and his evolved musical style—combining improvised Piedmont blues with elements of bluegrass, swing, and ragtime. His group, the Jon Shain Trio, includes FJ Ventre on upright bass and vocals, and John Currie on dobro and guitar, with frequent guest Bill Newton on harmonica. Attending Duke University in the late 80s, Shain was a student of American history with a dedicated interest in Southern musical traditions. This led him to a gig with Piedmont blues legend Richard “Big Boy” Henry. After a short apprenticeship in the blues world, Shain cut his touring teeth from 1989-1998, founding the Chapel Hill folk-rock group, Flyin’ Mice, and its spin-off group, WAKE. After the latter band’s breakup, Shain went solo, and he has released five critically acclaimed CDs under his own name. Shain has played many festivals and colleges over the years, and his shows are geared to all ages. Whether in the one-on-one atmosphere of the teaching studio or onstage sharing a song with a roomful of strangers, Shain is a natural communicator, keeping fans coming back for more. A typical two-hour concert features Shain’s original songs along with classic fingerstyle blues numbers. Shain performs solo or can be booked with his group. Fee: $500-$2,500, depending upon number of musicians and production and travel expenses. Additional activities include private instruction in Piedmont blues fingerstyle guitar, and group workshops in songwriting and blues guitar. Fee: $500-$800 per day. P: (919) 489-0081 E: flyinrex@jonshain.com W: www.jonshain.com BLUEGRASS, BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK, POPULAR, and WORLD MUSIC 33 Photo by: F. J. Ventre. 2005 Photo by: Mike Traister. 2005 FOUNTAIN DURHAM MIKE “LIGHTNIN’” WELLS Mike “Lightnin’” Wells breathes new life into the vintage tunes of the 1920s and Depression-era America, employing various acoustic stringed instruments in a dynamic style he has developed in over 30 years of performing experience. Raised in Eastern North Carolina, Wells learned to play harmonica as a young child and taught himself to play the guitar while developing a strong interest in traditional blues and folk music. His many years of public performance began in Chapel Hill in the early 1970s. Since then he has presented his brand of acoustic blues throughout North Carolina, the United States and Europe. Wells produced the first commercial recordings of N.C. blues veterans Big Boy Henry, Algia Mae Hinton, and George Higgs. He has performed extensively with these musicians and has documented their lives and musical histories for future generations. He is also a lifelong student of the pioneering Piedmont blues performers, including Blind Boy Fuller, the Reverend Gary Davis, and Elizabeth Cotton. Wells has taught blues guitar at most of the country’s leading “Blues Weeks,” and is on the America Traditions National Roster. His own recordings include Bull Frog Blues, Ragtime Millionaire, and Ragged But Right. He has served as board member and advisor for the Music Maker Relief Foundation, which provides assistance for elderly blues and old-time musicians. With his experience, knowledge, and well-honed performance skills, Wells has established himself at the forefront of the traditional blues revival. Performances consist of vintage Piedmont blues interspersed with traditional American folk/country tunes. Wells adds commentary on the music’s origins, and can perform for any size audience. Fee: $500-$800. Lecture-demonstrations entitled “North Carolina Blues Workshop” and “Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll” are also available. Fee: $300-$500. P: (252) 749-4996 E: Mlightninw@aol.com W: www.lightninwells.com BILLY STEVENS Billy Stevens’ lecture-concerts on American popular music entertain and empower audiences with an inspirational message of interracial respect and cooperation. His programs trace the evolution of modern music to its roots in American folk culture, focusing on the interaction between black and white musicians. From Elvis to Eminem, and from Stephen Foster to Eric Clapton, Stevens illustrates the importance of emulation in the creative process, offering audiences potent examples of cross-cultural fusion and the benefits of diversity. Performances include “Sincere Forms of Flattery: Blacks, Whites, and American Popular Music” and “The History of the Blues: the Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Performances last 45 minutes to one hour. Fee: $475 and up, with discounts for multiple performances. Additional activities include lectures on Elvis Presley, the musical influences of Africa and Europe on the music of the American South, and the interrelated evolution of blues, jazz, ragtime, gospel, country western, rock ‘n’ roll, and hip-hop. Lectures last 45 minutes to one hour. Fee: $250 and up. Because Stevens is a presenter for the N.C. Humanities Forum, his lectures are eligible for full funding by the N.C. Humanities Council. P: (919) 489-8282 E: carrom1@hotmail.com THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Photo by: Henry Stindt Alexei Kuznetsoff and Valentina Lisitsa ......................................................... Asheville Lyric Opera ....................................................................................... Brenda Bruce .................................................................................................... Edmund Barton Bullock ................................................................................... Anita Burroughs-Price ..................................................................................... Carolina Brass ................................................................................................... Charlotte Symphony Orchestra ....................................................................... David Crowe ...................................................................................................... Duo Appassionato ............................................................................................ Susan Fancher .................................................................................................. Giannini Brass ................................................................................................... Greensboro Symphony Orchestra .................................................................... Keowee Chamber Music ................................................................................... William Kossler ................................................................................................. La Catrina Quartet ........................................................................................... Lea Kibler & Valerie Von Pechy Whitcup ....................................................... Valentina Lisitsa ............................................................................................... Mallarmé Chamber Players .............................................................................. New Century Saxophone Quartet ................................................................... Mary Ann Nillson ............................................................................................. North Carolina Master Chorale Chamber Choir ............................................. Classical Music THE ARTISTS 35 37 37 38 38 39 39 40 40 41 41 42 42 43 43 44 44 45 45 46 46 47 Duo Appassionato. 2007 North Carolina Symphony .................................................................................. Opera Express ...................................................................................................... Miguel A. Pico ..................................................................................................... The Raleigh Ringers ............................................................................................ Ransom-Pecoraro Duo ........................................................................................ Red Clay Saxophone Quartet ............................................................................. Sotto Voce Tuba Quartet .................................................................................... Izabela Spiewak ................................................................................................... K. Sridhar ............................................................................................................. Kate Steinbeck ..................................................................................................... Jeremy Thompson ............................................................................................... Mayron Tsong ...................................................................................................... 47 48 48 49 49 50 50 51 51 52 52 53 THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG NEW BERN ASHEVILLE ALEXEI KUZNETSOFF AND VALENTIA LISITSA Alexei Kuznetsoff and Valentina Lisitsa virtually exploded onto the American musical scene in their formal United States debut in Chicago, securing the following response from Chicago Tribune music critic, John von Rhein: “...I cannot recall when I have heard a more exciting or more accomplished two-piano team. They have the colossal technique and temperament you associate with pianists of the Russian school; they also have virtually flawless ensemble, the kind most duos labor for years to achieve, if they are even so fortunate.” This brilliant young piano duo from the Ukraine has garnered critical acclaim for their contributions to the marvelous but seldom-heard literature for two pianos. By the time Lisitsa and Kuznetsoff met at the Kiev Conservatory, they were both winners of numerous international, national, and local music competitions. They combined their formidable talents and began working as a two piano team with the revered Dr. Ludmilla Tsvierko in Kiev. In 1991, they won first prize in the 3rd International Murray Dranoff Two Piano Competition. Shortly after this victory, Lisitsa and Kuznetsoff became American citizens, making their New York debut with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra in 1995. “They virtually stole the evening,” said James Oestreich of The New York Times. The duo performs throughout the world with orchestras and in recital. Highlights include a tour as soloists with the Orchestra National de France with performances at New York’s Lincoln Center and Boston’s Symphony Hall. The duo has recorded two CDs for the Audiofon label. Valentina Lisitsa and Alexei Kuznetsoff are Bosendorfer artists. Performances include an exciting choice of classical music programs, with emphasis on Romantic era composers. Fee: $5,000-$15,000. Additional activities include lecture-concert events and master classes. Fee: $5000-$15,000. P: (252) 626-8603 E: alexei@valentinalisitsa.com W: www.valentinalisitsa.com/duohome.html ASHEVILLE LYRIC OPERA The Asheville Lyric Opera is a nonprofit arts organization founded in 1999 to develop vocal arts programs and operatic presentations in Western North Carolina. The Asheville Lyric Opera produces three main-stage operatic productions, opera tours, educational American operas, and year-round outreach to enrich the experience of opera for everyone. From the lyric operatic comedy of Bel Canto Opera to the high drama of classic Verdi opera, the company encompasses a range of artistry. Whether experiencing the charming characters in The Elixir of Love or the raw emotion of La Traviata, opera audiences are treated to professional, high-quality entertainment. Past performances have included acclaimed guest artists who have performed extensively in the United States and abroad, as well as regional singers who have taken on secondary principal roles as the Opera continues to develop and encourage their talents. Performances include a variety of opera styles. Professional touring performances offer the opportunity for regional arts centers to present opera productions at affordable rates. Fee: negotiable. Additional programs are available for all levels in music. The Vocal Arts Program, a yearlong training seminar, is designed to mentor and teach student singers who exhibit potential in classical singing. Internships for college students in arts administration, technical production, performance, and marketing are also available for undergraduate and graduate students. For organized groups in the community, the Asheville Lyric Opera also offers invitations to preview dress performances of each main-stage opera. Fee: negotiable. P: (828) 236-0670 E: info@ashevillelyric.org W: www.ashevillelyric.org CLASSICAL MUSIC 37 Photo by: Iran Issa-Khan CARY CONOVER BRENDA BRUCE Pianist and harpsichordist Brenda Bruce brings to life the beauty and mystery of great keyboard literature. Her infectious enthusiasm invites and compels people of all ages to be entertained and inspired. Bruce holds a Masters degree in Music from the New England Conservatory and appears in Who’s Who of American Women and Who’s Who of Outstanding Musicians. Her repertoire spans the 16th through 20th centuries, and her touring experience has taken her throughout the Southeast and Europe. Her performances include commentary that allows her audiences to appreciate the music in a cultural and historical context. Both piano and harpsichord performances are available, with cultural and historical commentary. Sample piano recitals include “An Elegant Evening of Chopin,” “Nature & Seasons” (Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, and others), and “The Great Impressionists,” which combines music and art with Debussy, Ravel, Monet, and Renoir. Harpsichord presentations include “Duel of the Harpsichordists: Handel vs. Scarlatti,” “1685: A Very Good Year” (Bach, Handel, Scarlatti), and “Opulence of the French Baroque.” Programs are typically one hour to an hour and a half. Fee: $1,000, slightly negotiable, plus travel expenses for harpsichord recitals. P: (919) 233-5200 E: brendabruce@mindspring.com EDMUND BARTON BULLOCK A North Carolina native and resident, Edmund Barton Bullock is a classical composer and concert pianist who performs his own works and chamber music by other composers throughout North Carolina, the U.S., and Europe to enthusiastic audiences. He composed his first major work, Sextet for Two Violins, Viola, ‘Cello, Flute, and Piano, at the age of 15, and it premiered at the Eastern Music Festival. Bullock has performed his own compositions and the standard classical repertoire in such prestigious venues as the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York, Jefferson’s Monticello, and the Maison Française of the Embassy of France in Washington, D.C., as well as in Canada and Spain. Bullock’s privately-commissioned “Appalachian” Concerto for Piano and Orchestra premiered with the Appalachian Symphony for Chancellor Kenneth Peacock’s installment ceremonies at Appalachian State University in 2005. His Spanish Concertina for Bandoneon and Wind Ensemble was premiered in 2006 with renowned Argentinean bandoneonist, Daniel Binelli, and the ASU Wind Ensemble. Bullock received a grant from the United Arts Council of Catawba County to create a piano quintet, which premiered with the Degas Quartet in 2007. He will be performing his “Appalachian” concerto with the prestigious Orchestre de la Cité Internationale in Paris. Bullock has ongoing artistic associations with cellist Dr. Brooks Whitehouse, soprano Judith Burbank, and the Degas Quartet. Performances include 75-minute lecture-recitals of Bullock’s original compositions for cello and piano, soprano and piano, and piano quintet. Fees: $1,500 for duets, $2,500 for quintet, plus expenses. Additional activities include workshops accompanying recitals, and artistic assistance in performances of Bullock’s works. Fees: $1,000–$2,500 per day for workshops, plus recital fee and expenses; $1,500 for artistic assistance, plus expenses. P: (828) 465-3323 E: edmundb@gmail.com THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Photo by: Daniel Vero. 2005 RALEIGH GREENSBORO ANITA BURROUGHS-PRICE Anita Burroughs-Price is principal harpist with the North Carolina Symphony. She has appeared as soloist with the NC Symphony, Durham Symphony, and South Carolina Chamber Orchestra, and has been featured in the Piccolo Spoleto Festival and at Brighton Palace. Memorable events include a performance with Grammy award-winner Branford Marsalis, and a duo appearance with Marilyn Kaiser, world-renowned organist. In addition to pedal harp, her recitals often include harps from Ireland, Africa, Paraguay, and a rare Erard single-action harp from England. Burroughs-Price is a graduate of Furman University with a degree in French and Harp Performance. She earned the Master of Music degree and the illustrious Alumni Prize from Yale University. In 1985, she received a Rotary International Fellowship for post-graduate study at London’s Royal College of Music, where she earned diplomas in harp performance and harp pedagogy. She is head of the harp department at Furman University and has served on the faculties of UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, Wake Forest University, and St. Mary’s School. Burroughs-Price supports the arts through volunteer performances in soup kitchens, prisons, Red Cross hurricane shelters, hospitals, and at the bedside of terminally ill patients. She was awarded the 1999 Raleigh Medal of Arts, the city’s highest award, for her “outstanding artistry and humanitarian service.” Her CD, Healing Touch, includes music of hope and reflection and features N.C. Symphony musicians Brian Reagin, Bonnie Thron, and Donna Jolly. Performances can encompass classical, Celtic, folk, popular, and sacred repertoire, and can be adapted to presenters’ needs. Performances of 30–100 minutes include “An Evening of Elegance,” “Medieval to Modern,” and “Bach to Broadway,” concerts with various North Carolina Symphony musicians including concertmaster Brian Reagin, and poetry and harp performances with UNC drama professor Ray Dooley. Fee: $350–$3,500, depending on venue, travel and number of performers. P: (919) 781-0518 E: 47strings@bellsouth.net W: www.anitaharp.com CAROLINA BRASS With a rare combination of virtuosity and good humor, Carolina Brass is a favorite among audiences of all ages. Since its inception in 1997, the group has toured throughout the Carolinas and most of the Southeast United States and it plays more than 100 engagements each season. Drawing from an extensive repertoire, Carolina Brass creates exciting, entertaining, and educational programs. Playing classical and contemporary works, including medieval, Renaissance, Broadway, jazz, Dixieland, big band, and other genres of music, the group brings the audience to its feet after every performance. Performances include chamber music concerts, children’s concerts, outdoor pops concerts, holiday programs, and celebration and ceremonial music programs. Every Carolina Brass program is tailor-made for a specific audience. Fee: $2,000 and up. Master classes, clinics, and residency programs are also available. Fee: $600 per session for master classes and clinics; residency programs vary according to type and number of services. P: (336) 292-2717 E: tim@carolinabrass.com W: www.carolinabrass.com 39 CLASSICAL MUSIC Photo by: Charles Register Photo by: Steve Cirba Photography. 2006 CHARLOTTE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Serving over 250,000 people throughout the Carolinas, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1932. The Symphony maintains a 38-week season, performing classical, pops, family concerts, and the frequently sold-out Lollipops concerts for children ages 4-8. Each June and July, the Symphony performs both free and ticketed outdoor Summer Pops concerts at South Park Mall’s Symphony Park and in different locations around the region, reaching nearly 120,000 people. Performances include a wide range of classical and pops concerts. Fee: $10,000-$20,000 for full orchestra, depending upon repertoire, soloists, and travel. P: (704) 972-2003 ext. 232 E: richo@charlottesymphony.org W: www.charlottesymphony.org DAVID CROWE David Crowe, the quintessential musician, works as a composer, conductor, and percussionist. Many of his compositions have come out of collaborations, either with other artists or as part of larger projects. While these compositions encompass a wide range of styles, they all speak with the same musical voice. Crowe’s collaborations include extensive work with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra developing innovative and exciting programs, including “Mill Village, A Piedmont Rhapsody.” “Mill Village” has been widely performed, and received a national award from MetLife for excellence in community engagement. Many of Crowe’s orchestral compositions have been written for one of his favorite organizations, The Foundation for Art and Music in Elementary Education, better known as “FAME,” in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Crowe also spent a number of years working with the Moving Poets Theatre of Dance, an innovative dance/theater company. Several scores for their productions feature an eclectic ensemble comprised of flute, cello, classical guitar, electric bass, and Middle Eastern and ethnic percussion. This group, Without Borders, has recorded its first CD, which includes many pieces from past Moving Poets shows. David Crowe is available for commissions from professional ensembles and organizations. These often involve a cultural or collaborative element, and can be designed around an event or exhibition. Fee: negotiable. P: (704) 588-8745 E: david@davidcrowemusic.com W: www.davidcrowemusic.com CHARLOTTE CHARLOTTE THE NORTH CAROLINA TOURING ARTISTS DIRECTORY 2008 - 2010 WWW.NCARTS.ORG Photo by: Jeff Cravotta. 2004 DUO APPASSIONATO RALEIGH Duo Appassionato possesses exceptional virtuoso ability and musical harmony rarely found in two instrumentalists of the same genre performing together. Both active solo performers of unsurpassed spirit and flair, the duo has a refreshing stage presence and explores a repertoire that is rarely performed because of its unusually demanding nature. Violinist Izabela Spiewak began her international music career at the age of five, and was awarded a scholarship to a music school for gifted young artists. She has performed in orchestras all over the world with such celebrities as Leonard Bernstein, Eduardo Mata, Yo-Yo Ma, Isaac Stern, Placido Domingo, Yehudi Menuhin, and \ Pinchas Zuckerman. Violinist and violist Yang Xi began his distinguished musical career as a student at the Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China. He had his solo debut at the age of nine, and at age twelve won the National Violin Competition in Shanghai. Since then he has played internationally, and was the founding music director and conductor of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Florida. Currently he holds the positions of Principal Viola with the Symphony of the Americas and Assistant Concertmaster with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra. As Duo Appassionato, Spiewak and Xi project “virtuosic devilry and imagination,” their playing is “stunning and incredibly well matched” and their presence is a highlight to any recital or concert stage. Duo Appassionato has performed as featured artists with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra and the Durham Symphony Orchestra and has performed recitals as a part of the Raleigh Symphony chamber music series and educational concerts. Performances include recitals as a duo or with the addition of piano accompanist. The duo is also available to perform as featured artists with orchestras for Mozart’s “Sinfonia Concertante,” Sarasate’s “Navarra,” the Bach double concerto, Vivaldi concerto for two violins, and others. Fee: $2,000 for recital or performance, plus expenses. Master classes and chamber music workshops are also available. Fee: negotiable. P: (919) 610-1364 E: izabelaviolin@earthlink.net W: www.duoappassionato.org SUSAN FANCHER Classical saxophonist Susan Fancher’s work to develop the repertoire for the saxophone has produced dozens of commissioned works by contemporary composers, as well as published transcriptions of music by composers as diverse as Josqui |
| OCLC number | 46673422 |
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