The MACA Performance Series is Sponsored by Hiwassee College. Hiwassee College, founded in 1849 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church, is a liberal arts and applied science institution of higher education providing quality instruction to residential and commuter students in a community that promotes learning, faith, and service.
Sponsored by People’s Bank of East Tennessee
Tradition and innovation provide the interlocking roots of bluegrass and its descendants, a lively dance of elements skipping comfortably from ancient jigs to radio ditties to spacious experimentation. THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS joyously embody and carry forward the spirit of Bill Monroe, John Hartford, Earl Scruggs, David Bromberg and other originators in their skilled embrace of this music’s twin gravitational pulls, moving dexterously between homespun legacy and creative expansion, a band firmly grounded in what has come before as they grow strong into tomorrow.
“What we do is a hybrid of the improvisational and bluegrass worlds. We take a lot of pride in that. While our music is our own concept, hopefully it does justice to the amazing components of the bluegrass world,” says Stringdusters Chris Pandolfi. “We love to present what we do but we always call on the bluegrass world of chops, technique, and traditions.”
GRAMMY-nominated The Infamous Stringdusters – Andy Hall (Dobro), Andy Falco (guitar), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), Travis Book (double bass), and Pandolfi (banjo) – are as comfortable at a dirt road pickin’ session as they are on an amphitheatre stage, a collection of talents that can whisper and roar as the circumstance demands, responding in real time to their surroundings, working the angles as they ply their craft and raise their sinewy voices with limber grace.
Ladies & Gentlemen, the Stringdusters’ sixth full-length studio release, follows on the heels of Undercover, an EP of inspired cover tunes that reflect the variety of interests and influences in the Stringdusters, tapping the catalogs of Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and The Highwaymen. It’s another sign of the band’s desire to stretch and innovate even as they fully understand and honor the legacies they engage.
“It’s a challenge we’ve embraced over the years. We’re a band that’s all about original music AND our own approach to old songs,” says Pandolfi. “It’s always been our thing to find a new way to do this.”
A resounding feeling of rock-ribbed authenticity and charming sincerity infuses every aspect of what the Stringdusters do. www.thestringdusters.com
Tickets: Adults/$20; Students/$10; Hiwassee College students FREE with ID
Supported by Funding from the Arts Builds Communities grant of the Tennessee Arts Commission, administerd by the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville
Missoula Children’s Theatre Presents an original musical adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s epic novel, starring 60 local children! Young Jim Hawkins, a mischievous lad, lives with his Mother and six Sisters in a seaside village on the coast of Maine. The year is 1782 and the American War for Revolution is in its last days. Longing for adventure, Jim comes under the hypnotic spell of the legendary pirate, Long John Silver. While waiting tables in the family Inn, Jim finds a treasure map and, with the villainous Silver as his seeming mentor, sails uncharted seas with only the ragged map and a flock of Gulls as guides. Always up for adventure, Jim’s Ruffian friends say farewell to their Village parents and serve as cabin boys for Silver and his band of hilarious (although unsavory) Pirate types. Once on the island, nights are sleepless as true colors are revealed in our hero’s quest for the proverbial happy ending. Then – at last – the treasure is found and hand in hand we’re homeward bound. TREASURE ISLAND – it’ll shiver your timbers! www.mctinc.org
Tickets: Adults/$10; Students/$5; Hiwassee College students FREE with ID
Directions to Hiwassee College
Auditions for Treasure Island are open to children of all abilities in grades K-12 (must currently be enrolled in kindergarten – No Exceptions!). Auditions will be held at Hiwassee College Monday, January 23 at 4 p.m. No experience necessary! The audition will last two hours and some cast members must be available to begin rehearsals immediately following the audition. Auditions will be held throughout the week, Tuesday – Thursday, January 24 – 26, 4:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Not all cast members are required at every rehearsal. There will be a dress rehearsal Friday morning and a school show Friday at 12:30. In order to participate in Missoula Children’s Theatre, cast members must be present at all rehearsals and performances.
Sponsored by Citizens National Bank
Since forming in 1975, Grammy winners BeauSoleil have claimed their undisputed role as the most esteemed Cajun group in music. BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet take the rich Cajun traditions of Louisiana and artfully blend elements of zydeco, New Orleans jazz, Tex-Mex, country, blues and more into a satisfying musical recipe. From The Grand Ole Opry to Newport Folk, from concert hall to dance floor, the music of BeauSoleil continues to captivate audiences the world over.
For the past 37 years, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet has been making some of the most potent and popular Cajun music on the planet. Born out of the rich Acadian ancestry of its members, and created and driven by bandleader Michael Doucet’s spellbinding fiddle playing and soulful vocals, BeauSoleil is notorious for bringing even the most staid audience to its feet. BeauSoleil’s distinctive sound derives from the distilled spirits of New Orleands jazz, blues rock, folk, swamp pop, Zydeco, country and bluegrass, captivating listeners from the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, to Carnegie Hall, then all the way across the pond to Richard Thompson’s Meltdown Festival in England.
Since becoming the first Cajun band to win a GRAMMY with L’amour Ou La Folie (Traditional Folk Album – 1998) and then a second Grammy in 2010, Live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, BeauSoleil has garnered many accolades, including twelve GRAMMY nominations. They are regular guests on Garrison Keillor’s National Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion, where Keillor has dubbed them as “the best Cajun band in the world,” and their music is so integral to the Cajun culture that they have been featured on the New Orleans–based hit HBO program Treme. Critics unanimously agree that it is “bon temps, every time they play,” (New York Times). www.beausoleilmusic.com
Tickets: Adult/$20; Student/$10; Hiwassee College students FREE with ID
“She plays the mandolin with a degree of refined elegance and freedom that few have achieved,” says Bela Fleck, the genre-leaping banjo master who produced Sierra Hull’s recent album Weighted Mind. “And now her vocals and songwriting have matured to the level of her virtuosity.” Alison Krauss, who has won more Grammy awards than any female artist in history, says of Hull, “I think she’s endless. I don’t see any boundaries. Talent like hers is so rare, and I don’t think it stops. It’s round.”
Hull came to us as a bluegrass thrush, a teen prodigy. Krauss called her to the Grand Ole Opry stage when Hull was 11-years-old. Two years later, she signed with Rounder Records, and soon became known as a remarkable mandolin player, a tone-true vocalist, and a recording artist of high order. She made two acclaimed albums. She played the White House, and Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center, and she became the first bluegrass musician to receive a Presidential Scholarship at the Berklee College of Music.
Bluegrass roots inform and inspire this soundscape, but bluegrass does not define or limit Weighted Mind. This is not bluegrass music, or chamber music, or pop music. This is original music, from a virtuoso who tells the truth and speaks from herself. www.sierrahull.com
Tickets: $20/Adult; $10/Student; Hiwassee College students FREE with ID
Directions to Hiwassee College
Sponsored by Garage Doors of Maryville
Denny Diamond & The Jewels are comprised of the operatically trained, guitar-playing Denny Svehla and his two sons, Lucas (guitar, vocals) and Spenser (drums, bass, and vocals). Although the band’s focus is the iconic music of Neil Diamond, their setlist also includes songs from performers such as Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly. With a magnificent voice that rivals that of any vocalist, Denny’s performance is all about the words and music of superstars that have held a place of honor in the entertainment world for decades. Forget the flash, effects, and costumes that seek to convince the audience it’s just like the real thing; Denny’s show is focused on the remarkable vocals, masterful musicianship, and family interaction that’s charmed audiences everywhere!
The veteran entertainer’s repertoire includes music from Broadway, popular decades like the 40’s, 50’s & 60’s, country classics and new country. The show bounces along with stories of the road and of course Denny’s staple, the songs of Neil Diamond. www.dennydiamond.com
Tickets: $20/Adult; $10/Student; Hiwassee College students FREE with ID
Directions to Hiwassee College
Tennessee Specialty License Plates—which support over 100 different organizations and charities—are now available as gifts through a new website hosted by the State Department Treasury office at tngiftcenter.com/giftatag.
Each GIFT-A-TAG is good for the purchase of a Specialty License Plate or the personalization of any license plate. GIFT-A-TAG vouchers are $35 and you can buy as many as you want for your family and friends.
You can also use your Gift-A-Tag to renew your Specialty License Plate or the personalization of your license plate. Just redeem the voucher online or mail in with your check.
Its easy to order:
Go to tngiftcenter.com/giftatag
Click on the purchase button below and select the number of vouchers needed
Complete the credit card information and check your email for your GIFT-A-TAG Vouchers
You can then EMAIL your GIFT-A-TAG Vouchers to your recipients or PRINT for a hard copy
The lucky receiver of your gift should then check out the available Specialty License Plates ONLINE or complete the application to personalize a license plate
The last step is for the recipients to go to their local County Clerk’s office to redeem the voucher and pick up their own specialty license plate
For Personalized Plates, the County Clerk will contact them when the plate is ready
Monroe Area Council for the Arts (MACA) is seeking an executive director responsible for the administration and programs of MACA. Duties include working with a board of directors; budget and program management; grant writing; and fundraising. Position is part-time with flexible hours; no benefits offered. To be considered for the position, applicants must submit:
Application materials may be mailed to MACA, Attn: Job Search, P.O. Box 491, Madisonville, TN 37354 or emailed to macajobsearch@gmail.com
JOB DESCRIPTION:
– Serving as an advocate for MACA and the arts in local, state, and regional associations
– Working with the Board of Directors to develop marketing and fundraising strategies to sustain programs and operations; budget development and management
– Grant writing and grant management
– Program management and development in coordination with the Board of Director
– Working with staff and board to assure that MACA operations are effective
The ideal candidate will have a passion for the arts; strong public relations skills; ability to work with diverse groups of people; excellent written and verbal communication skills; a significant familiarity with the communities of Monroe County.
Purchase a Tennessee Arts Specialty License plate for your vehicle to show your support of the Tennessee Arts Commission!
Available at the Monroe County Clerk’s office
