World Music Artists to be presented

Briggs Lawrence County Public Library, the Ironton Council for the Arts and Ohio University Southern is pleased to present Malian kora musician, Mamadou Diabate and ensemble, in a special performance at the Riffe Rotunda at Ohio University Southern on Tuesday, July 22 at 7 p.m.  Everyone is invited and the performance is free to the public.

September 27, 2008
Jennifer Rose Escobar

Jennifer Rose returns by popular request after her November, 2005 concert. She is an accomplished Appalachian dulcimer player, vocalist and storyteller, but easily changes to guitar for accompanying herself on her own musical compositions and arrangements. Her friendly style makes friends of the audience, while her musical ability inspires and amazes.
Jennifer was born into a musical and performing family and grew up in Berea, KY where she now lives with her husband and two daughters. She began teaching traditional dance as a junior in high school and helped establish the Berea Festival Dancers, a high school traditional dance group that still performs across the world. She earned a BA in vocal music from Berea College, and has traveled to Japan, Italy, Denmark and many US states on performance and study trips. Listed with the Kentucky Arts Council Roster of Educational Artists since 1995, she released her 10th solo recording of traditional music in 2005.

Jennifer Rose Escobar  http:www.jenniferrose.com

November 22
Concert Saxophonist Ashu

While most people have never heard the saxophone in concert music, Ashu has begun to change this. He says, "It's really an incredible instrument. It can play with such emotional intensity, sing like a voice, and effortlessly project in the largest of halls. It's capable of a lot of really beautiful things."

Ashu has shown that the concert saxophone can reach beyond stylistic categorization and to a large diversity of people. He has also shown it can attract younger and new listeners into the concert hall being a relatively fresh instrument to classical audiences. At age 25, Ashu exhibits extraordinary ability to communicate with audiences through his charismatic and moving performance style. While his virtuosity continues to thrill listeners, his artistry projects a unique personality and musical voice. He has also repeatedly won major competitions traditionally won by pianists and violinists. Ashu made his recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall in New York and, at age 16, made his concerto debut at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Since then, performances have taken him throughout the USA and Europe, including such locations as Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Portugal, the West Indies, Latvia, Estonia, New Zealand, and Australia.


Ashu http:www.ashuonline.com

December 13
Renaissance Singers

RENAISSANCE  was formed in January 1985 by Huntington area musicians eager for an opportunity to sing and perform quality music.  The premiere performance was held at the Huntington Museum of Art in September 1985 to a standing-room only audience. Since then, RENAISSANCE has presented yearly Christmas and Spring concerts at many locations in the area including churches in the Tri-State, Huntington City Hall, the outdoor amphitheatre in Huntington Ritter Park, and the Huntington Civic Center. Renaissance has been featured at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV nearly a dozen Christmas seasons over the years as well as making numerous visits to our own Bowman Hall here on campus. The group primarily sings a cappella compositions but uses instrumentation on occasion for a fuller sound This includes organ accompaniment to having a small combo with jazz and ballad numbers. Don Williams, the director of Renaissance, is Emeritus Professor of Music at Marshall University and serves as principal clarinet with the Huntington Symphony Orchestra. Don is the Music Artist in Residence at the Huntington Museum of Art.

February 14
David Coe

David Coe delights audiences wherever he goes, sharing traditional fiddle music with everyone he meets. His show is an entertaining mix of fiddle tunes and songs from the Appalachian and Irish tradition and some historical perspective on the tunes. David will perform with guitarist Jim Prendergast, an incredible musician who can cover many different styles and is also a great singer who also owns a Nashville recording studio and produces many artists.

David Coe grew up in southern Oklahoma where he began to play the fiddle a young man. He was drawn to old time Appalachian tunes and traditional Irish fiddling. He also played in several area bluegrass bands. In New Mexico he met and began touring with country artist Michael Martin Murphey, a musical partnership has continued to this day. He does regular performances and workshops at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame, and is a respected contradance fiddler. David has recorded several CD‚s of fiddle music including bluegrass (“Fiddlin‚ Man”), Irish (“The Traveler”), and Appalachian (“My Own House”). He has recently performed at the Colorado Irish Festival and teaches at the Texas Strings Camp at Texas State University.

March 21
Joel Fan

Pianist Joel Fan, a champion of new music and explorer of world music, is a member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble and has appeared in numerous performances with the Ensemble at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Symphony Center in Chicago, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, as well as on the television shows Good Morning America and David Letterman. He also performs a wide solo and orchestral repertoire. Fan’s work appears on Sony Classical recordings of the Silk Road Ensemble, and the Albany Records label.
Mr. Fan began his performing career with the New York Philharmonic at age 11, as a winner of the Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concert Auditions, and has since appeared in recital and with orchestras throughout the world. Fan's eclectic repertoire spans traditional piano classics and concertos, his own piano transcriptions and cadenzas, and newly commissioned works. A native New Yorker, Fan received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University. He also holds a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from Peabody Conservatory.
Joel Fan http:joelfanmusic.com

April 25
Brass Band of the Tri-State

The Brass Band of the Tri-State, under the direction of Gary Clarke, derives its members from Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia and includes music educators, high school and college students, professionals in all fields and retirees providing an outlet for serious amateur brass and percussion musicians.
Although brass instruments can be traced back to the 14th Century, during the 1800's brass band music gained the reputation for being "The Working Mans Music".  The music performed by the BBTS  includes original compositions for brass band, transcriptions of orchestral music, and music written for symphonic and concert band.  The more difficult original works often push brass players to their limits and demonstrate the tremendous agility of the brass instrument family. Transcriptions for brass band include major works such as the music from Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, Shostakovich's Symphony #5, music from Broadway, television, movies, and the standard collection of great marches and popular music.

Brass Band of the Tri-State http:www.tri-statebrass.com