North Charleston Dinner Theatre Series Sings the Blues on January 31

Songstress Laura Ball offers a soulful salute to America's gifted women of the blues in the third performance of North Charleston's 2013/14 Dinner Theatre Series

Another fabulous dinner theatre performance is set to take place in North Charleston on Friday, January 31, 2014, with Black & Blues presented by songstress Laura Ball of UNED!TED. The exquisite cabaret evening of musical history is a soulful salute to America's gifted women of the blues. Dinner for the evening is catered by Embassy Suites and features an entrée of smoked chicken and sausage penne. Tickets are on sale until Tuesday, January 28.

Giving voice to the female singers who put blues on the American map, Miss Ball and her blues trio, The Gentle Time Band, will take audiences on a musical journey from the Mississippi Delta to the back alleys of New Orleans to the to the Charleston Lowcountry. The original program features the songs and stories of such celebrated blues women as Big Mama Thornton, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, and many more.

A native Charlestonian, Laura Ball is an active teacher, music director, composer, and performer known for her innovative collaborations across musical genres and her explorations of contemporary chamber music practices. She grew up with deep roots in the Gullah and Irish song-storytelling traditions and her musical background includes a broad survey as an instrumentalist, choral conductor and vocalist – spanning repertoire from the Baroque to Broadway. She currently works as the music director at Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Johns Island, SC, and is the founder and creative director of the UNED!TED Interdisciplinary Arts Concert Series, now in its fourth season. She has been a featured performing artist and composer at SECCA (Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, NC), Panoramic Dance Troupe (Raleigh, NC), and Goddard College (Port Townsend, WA), and maintains ongoing compositional collaborations with Charleston Dance Institute, Chamber Music Charleston, and Annex Dance Company. She has also appeared locally with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Seabrook Island Club, Kiawah Arts Council, Gibbes Museum of Art, and Parliament. For more information, visit LauraBall.com or UneditedArtists.com.

Black & Blues will be presented at the Charleston Area Convention Center Ballroom (adjacent to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center) at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. The ballroom doors open at 7:00pm for dinner. Tickets are $40 per person. Group discounts are offered. Ticket price includes dinner, play, and gratuity. Tickets for just the play are available for $15. Parking is free. A cash-only bar will be available. To purchase tickets, contact Pam Smith at 843-740-5847 by Tuesday, January 28. For details on the 2013/14 North Charleston Dinner Theatre Series or information on additional programs and events, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843-740-5854 or visit http://bit.ly/culturalarts.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute concert set for January 18 in North Charleston

Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now: A Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Performance featuring the CSO Gospel Choir and CSO Spiritual Ensemble, members of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and the Colour of Music Festival Orchestra, in collaboration with the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, brings the legendary civil rights leader’s legacy to life through music, imagery and narration on Saturday, January 18, 2014 7:00pm at Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, 7396 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston SC.

This performance is free and open to the public. Entry ticket required; freewill donations accepted.

Directed by Guest Conductor Vincent L. Danner, the event will commemorate Dr. King’s civil rights legacy in a moving musical and visual performance featuring gospel and spirituals woven together with narration provided by Dr. Karen Chandler of the College of Charleston and historical images of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement.

“We are excited to partner with the City of North Charleston again and bring our choirs together with musicians from our partner organization, the CSO, and the newly formed Colour of Music Festival Orchestra as we honor Dr. King’s contribution to civil rights and economic equality. The event will be the perfect way for the community to reflect upon his wisdom, sacrifice and hope,” says Lee Pringle, President and Founder of the two choirs and executive producer of the event.

“Conducting performances honoring Dr. King are annual highlights for me; I look forward to showcasing moving selections carefully chosen to tell Dr. King’s extraordinary, epic story,” says Vincent L. Danner, Guest Conductor.

WHAT: Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey: A Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Performance (approximate running time: 2 hours)

WHO: CSO Gospel Choir and CSO Spiritual Ensemble with members of the CSO and Colour of Music Festival Orchestra
Vincent L. Danner, Guest Conductor

WHEN: Saturday, January 18, 2014, 7:00pm

WHERE: Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, 7396 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29406

TICKETS: FREE ADMISSION - Ticket required for entry. FREE entry tickets (four per request) available in person at North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, North Charleston City Hall or Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church. By mail, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Tickets/City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, PO Box 190016, North Charleston, SC 29419-9016 by Friday, January 10, 2014.

Freewill donations encouraged to support CSO Spiritual Ensemble and CSO Gospel Choir community outreach efforts.

This program is generously sponsored by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department. Additional support provided by Historic Second Presbyterian Church.

About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Prime mover of the Montgomery bus boycott, keynote speaker at the March on Washington, youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Dr. King’s policy of nonviolent protest was the dominant force in the civil rights movement during its decade of greatest achievement, from 1957 to 1968. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Commemorating the life of a tremendously important leader, we celebrate Martin Luther King Day each January.

About the CSO Gospel Choir
For thirteen years, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Gospel Choir, Charleston’s celebrated culturally diverse choir, performs gospel, spirituals and sacred music for annual concert events including a Palm Sunday performance, CSO Gospel Christmas, Piccolo Spoleto, regional events throughout the southeast and numerous engagements in Europe including Paris, London, Rome and Prague and Ghana, West Africa.
CSOGospel.com

About the CSO Spiritual Ensemble
Founded in 2008, the Charleston SC based, 35-member CSO Spiritual Ensemble honors the “spiritual,” the historical musical form born of the suffering and endurance of African slaves after arriving to the southern shores of this country. The CSO Spiritual Ensemble performs throughout the southeastern US and regularly for local and regional special events.
CSOSpiritual.com

City of North Charleston Donates 500 POPS! Tickets to Lowcountry Military Families

City of North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey announced today that 500 tickets are being donated to local active and retired military members and their families for the North Charleston POPS! “Military Salute” concert on Saturday, November 2 at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. Representatives from the Charleston County Veterans Affairs Office were on hand to accept the donation from Mayor Summey and North Charleston POPS! Manager, Tacy Edwards.

The North Charleston POPS! “Military Salute” concert features Las Vegas artist Steve Lippia who will join forces with the POPS! to honor our enlisted troops, past and present, in an evening of foot-stomping, tear-jerking music sure to ramp up your patriotic fever. The concert will also include Sousa marches, a moving pictorial military tribute sure to bring a tug to your heart, a surprise guest narrator and a hall full of buglers attempting to break a Guinness world record. In addition, Lippia will sing the biggest hits of Frank Sinatra such as The Lady Is a Tramp, My Way, All of Me and Send in the Clowns. The show is sponsored by the Bank of South Carolina.

“It’s our hope that these tickets for Saturday night’s North Charleston POPS! “Military Salute” will provide our local military and their families with a wonderful evening of music, but also a reminder of how much we appreciate their sacrifices for our community and our country”, said Mayor Summey.

North Charleston POPS! Manager Tacy Edwards added, “Saturday night’s performance is truly a labor of love for all of the North Charleston POPS! musicians as it allows us to show our deep appreciation to the Lowcountry’s military, veterans and their families.”

Tickets for North Charleston POPS! “Military Salute” featuring Steve Lippia are on sale now at the Coliseum Advance Ticket Office, Ticketmaster outlets (including select Publix stores), charge by phone 1-800-745-3000 or online at Ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices range from $15 - $35 (plus applicable fees). Season tickets and group discounts are available by calling (843) 202-ARTS (2787). Military personnel (active and retired) can save $5 per ticket by showing the military ID at the Coliseum Advance Ticket Window.

The 2013-2014 North Charleston POPS! season consists of four themed performances at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. In addition to the November 2 performance, the other shows are “A Rockin’ Christmas” on December 7, “Endless Love” on February 15, and “Philly Soul” on March 29. Season tickets start at just $58 and are available by calling the North Charleston POPS! hotline (843) 202-ARTS (2787) or online at www.NorthCharlestonColiseumPAC.com

PERFORMANCE CANCELED - North Charleston to Host Free Concert by USAF Heritage Brass Quintet

The United States Air Force Heritage Brass Quintet’s performance hosted by the City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department on March 17, 2013 at Sterett Hall Auditorium has been canceled.

It has been reported to the City of North Charleston that this cancelation is due to national budget cuts. Yesterday, March 6, 2013, it was announced that travel funds were immediately suspended for all military bands, thus tours of the USAF Heritage Brass Quintet were canceled.

Representatives with the USAF Heritage of America Band were apologetic to the public for this inconvenience.

The City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department is proud to host a free afternoon concert by the United States Air Force Heritage Brass of the USAF Heritage of America Band at the Sterett Hall Auditorium on the former Charleston Naval Base on Sunday, March 17, at 3:00pm. The concert will feature the diverse talents of five professional Airman-musicians from Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia, whose commitment to excellence has earned worldwide acclaim and military distinction. From Bach to the Beatles and patriotic favorites, Heritage Brass offers a musical experience sure to be enjoyed by all audiences.

The Heritage Brass, formed in 1973, tours the Mid-Atlantic region from South Carolina to Delaware, always leaving audiences impressed and delighted with the ensemble’s world-class musicianship and entertaining showmanship. From classical to jazz and popular music, the quintet brings its brilliant brass sound to all music genres, providing a variety of music that’s as educational as it is exciting.

These gifted musicians hold master’s degrees from several of the nation’s top music schools, including Eastman, Indiana, and Carnegie Mellon, and bachelor’s degrees from Texas University at Austin, Lynn University, Roberts Wesleyan College, and California State University, East Bay. They’ve performed with the Pittsburgh, Midland-Odessa, New World, and Virginia Symphonies. The group has also performed the National Anthem and other patriotic music at Phillies and Orioles games and NASCAR’s Dover 400. Additionally, Heritage Brass performs in a variety of other venues including concert halls, theaters, schools, museums, and hospitals, and often presents clinics at the elementary, secondary and collegiate levels. Aside from their concert tours, Heritage Brass provides patriotic music and fanfares at important military ceremonies. Recently, the quintet participated in the opening of the Fisher House at Dover Air Force Base and the merger of Naval and Air Force Bases in Charleston, South Carolina, to form Joint Base Charleston.

The USAF Heritage Brass concert is free, but advance tickets are required. Tickets may be obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope with request to: Tickets, City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, PO Box 190016, North Charleston, SC, 29419-9016. Please limit 6 tickets per mail-in request. Tickets are also available for pick up Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm, from the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department office on the second floor of North Charleston City Hall, located at 2500 City Hall Lane, North Charleston, SC 29406. Unclaimed seats will be available to non-ticket holders 15 minutes prior to concert time.

For more information about this concert or other programs and services offered by the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, call 740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit http://bit.ly/culturalarts

MLK Jr. Celebration Concert - Free Tickets Available

The City of North Charleston's Cultural Arts Department is proud to sponsor a commemorative concert honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at 7:00 pm on Saturday, January 14, 2012, at Royal Missionary Baptist Church (4761 Luella Avenue, North Charleston).

The Charleston Symphony Orchestra Gospel Choir, under the direction of Sandra S. Barnhardt, and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Spiritual Ensemble, under the direction of Nathan L. Nelson, will perform an inspirational concert, titled His Light Still Shines, as a tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The concert is FREE, but advance tickets are required. For tickets (limit 4), pick up in person at the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department office on the 2nd floor of North Charleston City Hall. Tickets are also available for pick up at Royal Missionary Baptist Church.

USAF Heritage of America Band to Present Free Concert in North Charleston

Performance presented in Honor of Armed Forces Day

The United States Air Force Heritage of America Concert Band, from Langley AFB, VA, will recognize Armed Forces Day with a memorable evening of musical entertainment at the Sterett Hall Auditorium on the former Charleston Naval Base on Saturday, May 21, 2011, at 7:00 pm. The 90 minute concert will feature the full 50-piece orchestra and includes John Philip Sousa’s military and patriotic marches as well as heritage themed musical selections.

The Concert Band is the largest musical component of the USAF Heritage of America Band. Formed in 1941, the band entertains one million people each year in over 500 performances. They have performed for several Presidents of the United States, the President of France, and the Queen of England. Additionally, the band has been presented numerous mayoral proclamations and has earned the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, the Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, and the Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence Award.

TICKET INFORMATION
The Armed Forces Day concert is free, but advance tickets are required. Tickets may be obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Tickets, City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, PO Box 190016, North Charleston, SC, 29419-9016. Please limit 6 tickets per mail-in request. Tickets are also available for pick up Monday through Friday, 8:30 am-4:30 pm, from the North Charleston Cultural Arts Dept. office on the 2nd floor of North Charleston City Hall, located at 2500 City Hall Lane, North Charleston, SC 29406. Unclaimed seats will be available to non-ticket holders 15 minutes prior to concert time.

For more information, contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843) 740.5854 or email culturalarts@northcharleston.org.