They’re a little bit classical, they’re a little bit rock n’ roll. They’re also humorous, a little bit manic and a whole lot entertaining. STRINGFEVER simply dazzles! If you’re looking for an evening’s entertainment like you’ve never seen before, then meet Giles, Ralph, Graham & Neal Broadbent aka Stringfever.

A British family of musicians classically trained take to their electric instruments and live beat-boxing, the worlds first genetically modified string quartet combine exceptional musical skill with a real talent for involving and engaging audiences to provide you with a night you’ll never forget. They are clearly immensely talented and have managed to create an act that appeals to the widest of audiences.

This band exudes charisma and warmth coupled with talent and humor. The visual and aural treat of three brothers and a cousin entwined around the instrument and each other to coax four harmonies from a single cello is stunning!

STRINGFEVER

Friday, February 10
8:00 PM

Pearce Auditorium

Tickets: $30 Adult; $28 Senior; $27 Student

Series Tickets: $80
AC members please call for discount, 770-534-2787

Buy Tickets

Meet the Filmmaker Q&A Reception

The Arts Council
Smithgall Arts Center

Tickets (includes reception):
$7 Adults;
$5 Students/Seniors

CLICK TO SEE THE TRAILER

The Arts Council, Inc. and Gainesville State College are proud to present “Ahead of Time,” with Producer Zeva Oelbaum as part of the South Arts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers at the Smithgall Arts Center on Thursday, November 10, 2011. Ticket price includes the movie and the Meet the Filmmaker Q&A session following the film screening.

SYNOPSIS

Ahead of Time is a feature-length documentary film on the remarkable life of 97-year-old Ruth Gruber. Born in Brooklyn in 1911, Ruth became the youngest PhD in the world at age 20. As a student in Germany in 1931, she attended a Hitler rally observing first-hand the rising tide of Nazism.

Ruth became a foreign correspondent and photojournalist at age 24. A feminist before feminism, Ruth was the first journalist to enter the Soviet Arctic in 1935. She traveled to Alaska as a member of the Roosevelt administration in 1941, where she was the first civilian on the Alaska Highway.

Ruth’s unique perspective of the events surrounding WWII is a result of her involvement in many of those historical moments. She was chosen by the Roosevelt administration to escort 1000 Holocaust refugees from Naples to New York in a secret wartime mission in 1944.

As a journalist, she accompanied leaders to the Middle East where they studied the problems of displaced persons and Palestine. Ruth covered the Nuremberg trials in 1946 and her photos of the ship Exodus 1947 were published in Life Magazine and around the world.

With her love of adventure, fearlessness and powerful intellect, Ruth defied tradition and in the process, emerged as the eyes and conscience of the world. Today, Ruth still has the moxie and sharp wit that propelled her career, and the film interweaves vérité footage with interviews and archival material.

MEET THE FILMMAKER

Following a screening of her feature film, “Ahead of Time,” Producer Zeva Oelbaum and the audience will engage in a discussion about the film and her work as a filmmaker.

Zeva Oelbaum is an award winning producer and the founder of Reel Inheritance Films. In addition to producing Ahead of Time, she directed and produced a short film on Ruth Gruber which is being shown at the International Center of Photography through August 28th in conjunction with Ruth’s photography exhibition. She was Executive Producer of Rene and I, a documentary film on twins Irene Hizme and Rene Slotkin who survived Josef Mengele at Auschwitz.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE “AHEAD OF TIME” WEBSITE

The 2011-2012 Southern Circuit is a program of South Arts. Southern Circuit screenings are funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and local partner organizations. Special support for Southern Circuit was provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Media Sponsor:

May 13
8:00 PM

The Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center

Tickets: $30/Individual,
$25/Groups of 6 or more

Rochester, NY native Steve Cunningham began playing guitar at age 14, where he was influenced by such diverse artists as Led Zeppelin, Pat Metheny, Yes, and the Brecker Brothers, as well as classical and bluegrass music. After years of playing and touring with various rock, country, and Top 40/dance bands, including his own original instrumental rock trio “The Value of X”, Steve released his first solo CD, “Travels”, in 1995. Featuring blazing, yet tasteful electric, acoustic, and slide guitar playing, “Travels” still enjoys steady sales, as well as daily airplay on national radio. Later in ’95, Steve relocated to Atlanta, where he began playing the lap steel, immersing himself in the styles of David Lindley, western-swing great Tom Morrell, and Sacred Steel player Aubrey Ghent. In 2003, Steve released his second solo CD “Dubious Tones”, a blend of jazz, rock, blues, and bluegrass. “Dubious Tones”, has received national airplay and rave reviews in publications such as “Modern Drummer ” and “20th Century Guitar” along with on-line publications including www.musicdish.com and www.guitarnoise.com. In 2006, Steve released “Rustic Spirit”, a collection of hymns performed on slide guitars combined with his own unique musical voice complementing these traditional songs. “Rustic Spirit” is a roots-based instrumental approach with a blend of blues and gospel, with jazz inflections added in. This soulful and introspective blend of styles is a favorite of all music lovers. In 2008 Steve released his fourth solo cd, “Slide”, an instrumental composition showcasing Steve’s talent on the lap steel and slide guitar. The music is a blend of all styles from swampy rock jams to latin ballads and smoky jazz tributes. Steve let’s his singing strings soar with this release that’s sure to appeal to all music fans! One of the most in-demand guitarists on the Atlanta scene, Steve performs over 200 dates a year playing jazz, R&B, rock, funk, gospel, country, blues, pop and western-swing among other styles. He has played with Grammy nominated Susan Tedeschi, long-time members of the James Brown band, and Grammy Award winner William Bell, as well as opening for Jeff Beck, The Barenaked Ladies, Kool and the Gang, Dream Theatre, The Four Tops, Chuck Mangione, Eddie Money, and Blondie. In addition, he has performed at the Southeast Emmy Awards, The World Series, and headlined at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Steve is a first-call session player, playing on hundreds of local and national CD releases, TV and radio commercials, and movie soundtracks. He has recorded for Coca-Cola, Ford, IBM, Cartoon Network, Microsoft, CNN and NASCAR to name a few, as well as recording with the London Symphony Orchestra.

]]> http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/jazz-series-to-close-with-cunningham-trio/feed/ 0 http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/11-year-old-jazz-prodigy-to-play-arts-council/ http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/11-year-old-jazz-prodigy-to-play-arts-council/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 08:39:59 +0000 Lake Lanier CVB http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/?p=3979 Evenings of Intimate Jazz Series:
Morgan Guerin Quartet

April 16
8:00 PM

The Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center

Tickets: $30/Individual,
$25/Groups of 6 or more

]]> http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/11-year-old-jazz-prodigy-to-play-arts-council/feed/ 0 http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/electricity-fairy-lights-up-finale-of-film-festival/ http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/electricity-fairy-lights-up-finale-of-film-festival/#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:00:04 +0000 Lake Lanier CVB http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/?p=3992 Read More]]> CLICK TO SEE FILM TRAILER The Electricity Fairy
Apr 14
7:30 PM

Tom Hansell, Director

Meet the Filmmaker Reception

Gainesville State College Continuing Education Building – Room CE108

Tickets (includes reception):
$7 Adults;
$5 Students/Seniors

Series Tickets:
$38 for 6-Film Series

The Arts Council, Inc. and Gainesville State College present “The Electricity Fairy” with Director Tom Hansell as part of the South Arts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers at the Gainesville State College Continuing Education Building – Room CE108 on Thursday, April 14, 2011.

Meet the Filmmaker:
Following a screening of his feature film, “The Electricity Fairy,” Tom Hansell and the audience will engage in a discussion about the film and his work as a filmmaker. A reception with the filmmaker will be provided by The Holbrook of Lake Lanier Catering Services.

Synopsis:
“The Electricity Fairy” is a documentary that examines America’s national addiction to fossil fuels through the lens of electricity. The film follows the story of a proposed coal-fired power plant in the mountains of southwest Virginia, connecting the local controversy to the national debate over energy policy. Coal produces half of America’s electricity, and the energy policy currently before Congress identifies coal as a key to America’s “energy independence.” Present-day documentary footage is remixed with early educational films, connecting past policy to America’s current energy crisis.

About the Filmmaker:
Thomas S. Hansell is a documentary filmmaker and installation artist who lives and works in Appalachia.  He teaches Appalachian Studies and Documentary Studies at Appalachian State University and has 20 years of experience at Appalshop.  He is the recipient of grants and fellowships from the Kentucky Arts Council, the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. This most recent documentary project premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2010.

Reviews:

“This film, more than any of the earlier films about coal, shows how citizens, activists, politicians, and industry people played their roles in the current energy debate. I think that many people should see this film as a place to START their own discussion about America’s energy future.” —Steve Fesenmaier, The Charleston Gazette

“Electricity Fairy is terrific!”
Sally Berger, film curator, Museum of Modern Art

“The fight over the power plant in Wise County, Virginia represents a larger struggle to define progress and development in American society as a whole.”
—Dr. Ron Eller, Historian, University of Kentucky

“I can’t imagine a more timely film, timely for everyone who lives, who breathes in Appalachia and beyond. Hansell capably shows that all of Appalachia is the front line for our country’s addiction to electricity, whether its in the coal mines of central Appalachia or the massive generating plants in the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys. This is a must see film.” —Dr. Chad Berry, director of the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center, Berea College.

The Electricity Fairy
Producer: Appalshop Films
Director and Editor: Tom Hansell
Length: 52 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Release Date: August 1, 2010

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE ELECTRICITY FAIRY WEBSITE

Independent Filmmakers Series Corporate Sponsors:

The 2010-2011 Southern Circuit is a program of South Arts. Southern Circuit screenings are funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and local partner organizations. Special support for Southern Circuit was provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Meet the Filmmaker Receptions

Gainesville State College Continuing Education Building - Room CE 108

Tickets (includes reception):
$7 Adults;
$5 Students/Seniors

Series Tickets:
$38 for 6-Film Series

The Arts Council, Inc. and Gainesville State College are proud to present a screening of Kristy Andersen’s feature film “Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun,” as part of the South Arts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers at the Gainesville State College Continuing Education Building – Room CE 108 on Thursday, March 17, 2011.

Meet the Filmmaker:
Following a screening of her feature film, “Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun,” Kristy Andersen and the audience will engage in a discussion about the film and her work as a filmmaker. A reception with the filmmaker will be provided by The Holbrook of Lake Lanier Catering Services.

Synopsis:
Flamboyant, scandalous and unpredictable, writer Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was the first black anthropologist in the United States. Born to former slaves, she embraced black culture and chided race champions for their angry diatribes. She was strongly criticized by the black male intelligentsia for her failure to take a political stance, and died in poverty and obscurity. This documentary includes rare footage of black culture shot by Hurston in the 1920’s and 1940’s, as well as interviews with Maya Angelou, Henry Louis Gates and Alice Walker.

About the Film:
Jump at the Sun is the first feature length documentary on Zora Neale Hurston. With footage of Zora, and her actual voice singing and talking, it’s a tour de force. Chock full of her anthropological footage shot or produced in 1927 and 1943, it swells with an honest verve, never losing its melodic pace. Today there’s no question that Zora is a major force, a race champion, one of the greatest writers of her time, and a pioneer in feminist perspective and philosophy. The film puts to ample use the blues and folk music that Zora gleaned with musicologist Alan Lomax, and includes Zora’s explanations of African-American tradition and verse. The film is narrated by S. EPATHA MERKERSON and stars ZORA NEALE HURSTON as herself as well as KIM BROCKINGTON as Zora Neale Hurston. Also featuring MARCELINE HUGOT as Mary Margaret McBride. Featured Interviews include conversations wtih ALICE WALKER, MAYA ANGELOU, DOROTHY WEST, and HENRY LOUIS GATES.
Produced and Written by KRISTY ANDERSEN
Directed by SAM POLLARD

About the Filmmaker:
Kristy Andersen has worked in the broadcast television industry since 1975. In 1989, her interest in Hurston was galvanized and started her on an 18-year journey. At the time, many of Zora Neale Hurston’s works were out of print. Through collective efforts with the Library of Congress, she uncovered a cache of 45 minutes of Hurston’s film footage.  Through research at the Smithsonian Institution, Andersen brought to light field materials titled “Folktales from the Gulf States,” the basis for Hurston’s book “Mules and Men.”  These materials later became the first major new book by Hurston in more than 40 years, “Every Tongue Got to Confess.”

About Zora Neale Hurston:
Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American folklorist and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Of Hurston’s four novels and more than 50 published short stories, plays, and essays, she is best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Hurston was the fifth of nine children. Her father was a Baptist preacher, tenant farmer, and carpenter, and her mother was a school teacher. Her family moved to Eatonville, FL, the first all-Black town to be incorporated in the United States, when she was three. Her father later became mayor of the town, which Hurston would glorify in her stories as a place black Americans could live as they desired, independent of white society. Hurston spent the remainder of her childhood in Eatonville, and describes the experience of growing up in Eatonville in her 1928 essay “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”.
Hurston was sent away to boarding school in Jacksonville, Florida, but was eventually expelled for failure to pay tuition. She later worked as a maid to the lead singer in a traveling Gilbert & Sullivan theatrical company. In 1917, Hurston began attending Morgan Academy, the high school division of Morgan College in Baltimore, Maryland. It was at this time, and apparently to qualify for a free high-school education, that the 26-year-old Hurston began claiming 1901 as her date of birth. She graduated from Morgan Academy in 1918.
When Hurston arrived in New York City in 1925, the Harlem Renaissance was at its peak, and she soon became one of the writers at its center. By the mid-1930s, Hurston had published several short stories and the critically acclaimed Mules and Men (1935), a groundbreaking work of “literary anthropology” documenting African American folklore. In 1930, she also collaborated with Langston Hughes. Her last published novel, Seraph on the Suwanee, notable principally for its focus on white characters, was published in 1948. –Courtesy of Wikipedia

Independent Filmmakers Series Corporate Sponsors:

The 2010-2011 Southern Circuit is a program of South Arts. Southern Circuit screenings are funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and local partner organizations. Special support for Southern Circuit was provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Featuring James Westfall on piano, Jason Weaver bass, and Brent Solnick drums

March 12
8:00 PM

The Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center

Tickets: $30/Individual,
$25/Groups of 6 or more

Out of the great city of New Orleans, where music is as important, delicious and rich as its food and jazz music seeps through the walls and cracks of every historical building and sidewalk, vocalist Sasha Masakowski is blossoming as a very impressive key figure in the newest generation of jazz musicians destined to keep the musical legend of the city and her family afloat and ever-expanding. Sasha’s musicality can be seen as a direct influence of her mother and father. Ulrike and Steve Masakowski are both virtuoso professional musicians. Ulrike, her mother, is a concert pianist and author of highly acclaimed educational piano book series, “Reeka Rules.” Steve Masakowski, world renowned 7-string jazz guitarist, has done two albums under the Blue Note label and toured with the likes of Bobby McFerrin and Dianne Reeves, among others. Steve is currently the Coca-Cola endowed chair of the Jazz Studies department at the University of New Orleans and plays with one of New Orleans’ greatest modern jazz quartets, Astral Project. Sasha began singing at 8 and decided at a very early age that she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her parents and pursue the career of a musical artist. In high school she attended the prestigious New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and graduated as a highest level senior with a certificate in Musical Theatre. There she studied intensively the art of singing, as well as acting and dancing, and began frequently performing in major musical works around the city. Just weeks after Hurricane Katrina swept her wrath across the city, Sasha left to pursue an offer to study overseas on a full scholarship in the Netherlands, at the Rotterdam Conservatory of Music. There she studied jazz and world music under some of Europe’s best improvising musicians. After returning to the US, Sasha was eager to bring her music to life in an artistic renaissance much needed to revitalize the decapitated state of her hurricane-ridden hometown. She began performing with her father and little brother (acoustic bassist Martin Masakowski) in venues throughout the city, from Snug Harbor to Club 300 to Donna’s. Soon thereafter, her father decided it was time to put his vocal wisdom from working with McFerrin and Reeves to the test and agreed to produce her first album, “Musical Playground.” Since the debut of her CD, Sasha has received vast acclaim from critics, fellow musicians, and general audiences alike throughout the U.S… Her reputation as a daring, fearless improviser and charming, creative interpreter has lead to reviews such as “Sasha Masakowski approaches songs as a musician, not as a character in a musical like so many jazz female vocalists” (Alex Rawls, jazz critic) and “The future of jazz is in great hands! Whether she’s singing a great standard or an obscure samba, her musical fearlessness is a joy to hear” (Leah Chase, jazz vocalist). In 2009 Sasha was nominated “Best Female Vocalist” and “Best Emerging Artist,” by Louisiana’s premier music magazine Offbeat. “Musical Playground” was also nominated “Best Contemporary Jazz Album,” in a category shared with Terence Blanchard and Christian Scott among others. Later that same year, Sasha was awarded the prestigious Big Easy Music Award for “Best Emerging Artist of 2009.” Sasha is constantly seeking to progress the sound of her music and has deeply explored many subgenres of jazz music to help cultivate her exotic style; from Brazilian music to experimental free-jazz to electro/rock to traditional jazz. She fronts two bands of her own: Musical Playground and Puppy Chow, both fundamentally spirited with New Orleans passion and charm, but stylizing in completely separate genres of music. She is also a current member of New Orleans’ premier indie rock/electronic band Bionica as well as contemporary Brazilian jazz quintet Nova Nola. Sasha has been featured at New Orleans’ greatest music festivals, including Jazz and Heritage Festival, French Quarter Festival, and Satchmo Festival, and performs regularly at legendary New Orleans clubs such as Snug Harbor, Blue Nile, Balcony Music Club, Mimi’s in the Marigny, Spotted Cat, Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse, and many others.

]]> http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/sasha-masakowski-musical-playground-hit-the-high-notes-in-jazz-series/feed/ 0 http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/the-arts-council-evenings-of-intimate-jazz-series%e2%84%a2-final-3-shows/ http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/the-arts-council-evenings-of-intimate-jazz-series%e2%84%a2-final-3-shows/#comments Sat, 05 Mar 2011 16:00:48 +0000 Lake Lanier CVB http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/?p=3967 Read More]]> Small tables, candle light, and the smooth sounds of jazz create the perfect atmosphere for one of The Arts Council’s most loved series, Evenings of Intimate Jazz™. Held in the beautiful Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center, this six concert series features nationally recognized jazz artists in a quaint, intimate setting.

Tickets can be purchased by the performance or for the entire series. Click to purchase tickets online.
2010/2011 Evenings of Intimate Jazz Series™ Season

Sasha Masakowski & Musical Playground
March 12
8 PM
The Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center

Her traditional jazz/latin style earned her “Best Emerging Artist” (Big Easy Music Awards, 2010); and “Best Contemporary Jazz Album 2009.”
click for more information

Morgan Guerin Quartet
April 16
8 PM
The Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center

This 11 year-old saxophone and trumpet phenomenon will “blow you away.” Get ready to be amazed!
click for more information

Steve Cunningham Trio
May 13
8 PM
The Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center

Steve is a blend of jazz, rock, blues, and bluegrass. This soulful and introspective blend of styles is a favorite of all music lovers.
click for more information

The concert, featuring a variety of symphonic selections, will conclude with a medley of classic country hits.

Local singer Michelle Martin will show her skills as both a classical vocalist and a Patsy Cline impersonator. Tenor Russell Andrade will join her in a medley of selections from “Naughty Marietta” by Victor Herbert.

The concert will also feature the fabulous technique of Sam Skelton on alto and tenor saxophone.

Skelton is well-known in the area, having performed as a featured artist in the Nights of Intimate Jazz series at the Gainesville Arts Council.

Other selections will include John Philip Sousa marches, music from operettas, overtures and a suite Sousa wrote for his last tour of Europe.

Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $50 for students. Tickets are available at the Arts Council, 770-534-2787, or at the door.

Ronald J. Evans and Mercer E. Crook will be conducting.

‘A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline’

What: Arts Council Pearce Series

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday

Where: Hosch Theatre, Brenau University, 500 Washington St., Gainesville

Tickets: $28 adults, $25 seniors, $22 students; $98 to all three shows in the series; Arts Council members at $200 and above level receive a $20 discount

More info: 770-534-2787

ite Patsy Cline tribute stars America’s favorite Patsy Cline, Gainesville’s own,
Katie Deal. This happy, loving tribute to Country music’s most enduring superstar traces the
legendary singer’s rise from her hometown in Winchester, Virginia to the Grand Ole Opry,
Las Vegas and Carnegie Hall. Patsy Cline defined the term “crossover hit” by dominating
country, blues, pop and gospel charts simultaneously in the 1950’s and early ‘60’s. Features
twenty-one of Patsy’s greatest hits including Walkin’ After Midnight, Sweet Dreams, I Fall
to Pieces, Crazy, She’s Got You, Seven Lonely Days and the title song, A Closer Walk
with Thee.

Our Arts Council Pearce Series Corporate Sponsor:

*Discounted Series Tickets rate applies to Arts Council members who joined or join at
the $200 level or above between July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011. ]]> http://www.lakelaniercvb.com/governor-deals-daughter-to-headline-arts-council-event/feed/ 0