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ASU announces summer lineup, ticket
sales open
Kenny Loggins
Joan Baez
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Appalachian State University announces the 25th Anniversary
season of its premier summer arts attraction, An Appalachian
Summer Festival.
The 2009 season is scheduled from June 27 through July 25 and
features several of the festival’s most popular artists
from the past, including Pilobolus Dance Theater and the Celtic
sensation Leahy, as well as artists new to the festival, such
as Joan Baez, Melissa Manchester and Kenny Loggins.
Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased by calling (800)
841-ARTS, (828) 262-4046 or clicking www.appsummer.org.
An Appalachian Summer Festival began as a small, chamber music
series that was brought to the university by Arnold and Muriel
Rosen, Florida residents with a summer home in the High Country.
A partnership soon developed, and Appalachian State University
joined with the Rosens and other generous individual and corporate
supporters to transform the vision of a major summer arts festival
into a reality.
To the chamber music series was added symphony performances,
later ballet and contemporary dance, theatre, visual arts—both
two and three-dimensional—and finally, a film series. True
to a university-based arts festival, educational opportunities,
including lectures and opportunities to meet artists, artistic
directors, competition jurors and other experts have always
been an important component of festival programming.
Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock and his wife, Rosanne, have
been involved with the festival since its inception. Rosanne
Peacock was one of the very first of the festival’s volunteer
ushers, a group that has now grown into a corps of over 100
volunteers who are the faces of the festival, greeting and directing
more than 26,000 festival attendees each season. Chancellor
Peacock is among a distinguished group of Appalachian State
University chancellors who have developed and sustained the
festival, creating a summer attraction that rivals the artistic
menus offered in major metropolitan areas.
Peacock said, “Since 1984, An Appalachian Summer Festival
has embraced a mission of enhancing the cultural life of North
Carolina’s High Country—by bringing the world’s
most accomplished and respected artists to our university, while
also supporting emerging artists, commissioning new works and
offering educational opportunities that are accessible to all.
I invite you to join us as we celebrate the accomplishments
of the past 25 years, and begin celebrating another 25 years
of exceptional artistry.”
The 2009 season opens on Saturday, June 27, with a tried and
true festival favorite, Leahy, a family of eight extraordinarily
talented instrumentalists, singers and dancers who bring a rare
level of energy, originality and musicianship to the stage.
Leahy was last at An Appalachian Summer Festival in 2005, receiving
a standing ovation and roaring applause.
The finale concert, held in the Holmes Convocation Center
on Saturday, July 25, features Kenny Loggins. In 1984, Loggins’
title track for the Footloose motion picture soundtrack spent
three weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. His
expansive body of work also includes Loggins & Messina classics
like “Danny’s Song,” signature solo tracks including
“Celebrate Me Home” and the Grammy-winning “This
Is It.” This is Loggins’ first appearance at An Appalachian
Summer Festival.
Between June 27 and July 25, the festival will host a full
slate of the finest artistic talent, including the Eastern Festival
Orchestra with Sarah Chang, violin (July 12) and Horatio Gutierrez,
piano (July 19); Joan Baez (July 23); the Halpert Biennial,
a national juried competition and exhibition; Pilobolus Dance
Theater (July 7); Melissa Manchester (July 2); Buckwhweat Zydeco
(July 11); Paula Poundstone (July 17); the Broyhill Chamber
Ensemble Concert Series (June 28, July 1, 6, 15 and 20); Triad
Stage’s production of Oleanna (July 21 and 22); Mike Cross
(July 18); the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Pops (June 30);
the 23rd Annual Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition & Exhibition;
Paul Taylor Dance (July 14) “Dinner and a Show at Westglow,”
featuring Sophie B. Hawkins (July 5); films, lectures, workshops
and several special events, including a history party, Family
Day at the Turchin Center and a spectacular silent auction.
An Appalachian Summer Festival’s success is due in large
part to generous support from loyal private donors, as well
as a dedicated group of corporate and media sponsors, many of
whom have supported the festival for more than a decade.
Festival sponsors include: Blue Ridge Electric Membership
Corporation, Westglow Resort and Spa, SkyBest Communications
Inc., McDonald’s of Boone, Mast General Store, Best Western
– Blue Ridge Plaza, Allen Wealth Management, Footsloggers
Outdoor & Travel Outfitters, Peabody’s Wine & Beer
Merchants, Chetola Resort, the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center,
WBTV, WCYB, Charter Media, The Mountain Times, All About Women
magazine, the Winston-Salem Journal, the High Country Press,
Mac 100.7FM, Mix 102.3FM, WHKY AM 1290 Talk Radio and WHKY-TVDT,
Mountain Television Network, WDAV 89.9FM, WFDD 88.5FM, WETS
89.5FM, WNCW 88.8FM and WASU 90.5FM.
Tickets to an Appalachian Summer Festival performances range
from $5 to $30. Most visual arts and educational events are
free of charge. The festival offers two flexible ticket passes:
the “Pick 5” offers a 15-percent discount off of any
purchase of five or more tickets; the “Festival Pass”
offers a 25-percent discount and priority seating for those
who purchase a ticket to each performance.
For tickets and information, call (800) 841-ARTS (2787) or
(828) 262-4046 Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
or visit www.appsummer.org.
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