ISSUED: 27 August 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — This year’s Performing Arts Series at Shepherd University begins the season with a performance by the No BS! Brass Band on Friday, September 11, at 8 p.m. at the Frank Center Theater. The 11-member group, which is based in Richmond, Virginia, offers a fusion of New Orleans brass band music and East Coast funk.
No BS! Brass Band earned the title of MVPs at the Eaux Claires Music and Arts Festival in Wisconsin in July, and the group has performed everywhere from The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center to the NPR Tiny Desk concert series. No BS! was named one of the Best Live Bands of 2013 by the Wall Street Journal, and NPR said the group redefines what a brass band can do.
Tickets for the concert are $15, general admission; $10, Shepherd staff and senior citizens; $5, children under 18; and free for Shepherd students with valid Rambler ID. The concert is funded through the Mid Atlantic Tours Program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Appalachian heritage, a cultural jouney, and short stories round out season
Six PASS events are planned for the school year, which Rachael Meads, director of student activities, said are designed to offer “artistic excellence, diversity, and opportunties for learning for students and our local community.
“Traditionally PASS’s programming has focused on world music and cultural traditions rarely experienced in our region,” Meads said. “However, we also include a focus on our own Appalachian region and its rich cultural traditions each year.”
Other PASS events this year include:
• Appalachian Writer-In-Residence: Nikki Giovanni, October 2-9. The week-long program is part of the annual Appalachian Heritage Festival and will include readings, lectures, and other events focusing on the work of Appalachian writer Giovanni. For a complete listing of events and locations, visit the Writer-in-Residence website at www.shepherd.edu/ahwirweb. This project is sponsored by Shepherd’s Appalachian Studies program through financial support from the West Virginia Humanities Council, the Shepherd University Foundation, the Scarborough Society, and the West Virginia Center for the Book.
• 20th Annual Appalachian Heritage Festival, October 9-10. A weekend full of dance, music, and traditional culture that celebrates Appalachia will include visits to local schools by artists, a storytelling showcase, an old-time community square dance, a community gospel sing, banjo workshop, old-time string band competition, and a showcase concert on Saturday, October 10, at 8 p.m. in the Frank Center Theater. All events are free except the showcase concert which costs $15, general admission; $10, Shepherd staff and senior citizens; $5, children under 18; and free for Shepherd students with valid Rambler ID.
• Duquesne University Tamburitzans, February 20, 2016, at 8 p.m. in the Frank Center Theater, features a two-hour journey through the cultures of Eastern Europe filled with colorful costumes, live music, and spectacular dances. Now celebrating 79 years, the Duquesne Universty Tamburitzans are the longest-running multicultural ensemble in the United States. More than a dozen languages, more than 200 costumes, and nearly 50 instruments are featured in every show. Tickets are $15, general admission; $10, Shepherd staff and senior citizens; $5, children under 18; and free for Shepherd students with valid Rambler ID.
• Appalachian Studies Association Showcase Concert, March 19, 2016, at 8 p.m. in the Frank Center Theater. Shepherd University will be hosting the 39th annual Appalachian Studies Association conference from March 18-20. Nearly 1,000 scholars, educators, students, and activists will come together in Shepherdstown to celebrate the region. As part of the conference, PASS will be hosting a special showcase concert for the community featuring John Lilly and Blue Yonder, Appalachian dance, storytelling, and more. Tickets are $15, general admission; $10, Shepherd staff and senior citizens; $5, children under 18; and free for Shepherd students with valid Rambler ID.
• Teatro Hugo e Ines present Short Stories, April 21, 2016, at 8 p.m. in the Frank Center Theater. Peruvian puppeteers Hugo and Ines create characters through imaginative use of knees, feet, elbows, and props. Using a mix of mime, dance, and puppetry, the characters of Teatro Hugo e Ines play out the poetic moments of daily life. Hugo e Ines have performed throughout the world in venues such as the Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater, The Kennedy Center, International Festival for Children in Singapore, Festival of Wonder in Denmark, and also regularly on the PBS series “Between the Lions.” This engagement of Teatro Hugo e Ines is funded through the Mid Atlantic Tours program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Tickets are $15, general admission; $10, Shepherd staff and senior citizens; $5, children under 18; and free for Shepherd students with valid Rambler ID.
All PASS events are accompanied by outreach activities like special performances for local schools, master classes, workshops, and more that are made possible with the support of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and Shepherd Student Government Association through an allocation of student fees.
“Without the support of the students of Shepherd, events like these just would not happen in our community,” Meads said.
For more information about the PASS program visit www.shepherd.edu/passweb/.
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