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DURANGO, Colo. – Tickets for the Winter/Spring 2009 Performing Arts Series at The Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College are now on sale, available on the web at www.durangoconcerts.com, by calling 970.247.7657, or visiting the Ticketing Services Office in Downtown Durango at 7^th and Main Ave. The line-up of confirmed shows for Winter/Spring 2009, including brief show descriptions, follows below.

The Community Concert Hall is located in the growing arts complex of Fort Lewis College. It operates through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, as well as the city of Durango, and with financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.

 

Robert Earl Keen

Thursday, January 8, 2009

7 p.m.

$27/$35

Widely considered the founding father of Texas country music, Robert Earl Keen is said to blend the fugitive spirit with a taqueria reality, writing about the West from his soul.  He has forged a line between wry literary delicacy and fiery roadhouse fervor, the latter which has earned him the reputation as a “yee-haw party boy.”

  

Sam Bush

With special guest Corb Lund

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

7 p.m.

$25/$35

A perennial Durango favorite, Sam Bush is revered for extending the musical capabilities of the mandolin and fiddle to incorporate a seamless blend of bluegrass, rock, jazz, and reggae. As the founder and leader of the New Grass Revival, Bush pioneered and guided the evolution of modern hill country music, while on his own, continuing to explore an eclectic musical spectrum.

 

Melissa Manchester

Sunday, February 8, 2009

7 p.m.

$25/$30

Grammy-award winner Melissa Manchester brings all her sensual ballads “up-close and personal.” From “Whenever I Call You Friend” and “Don’t Cry Out Loud” to “Midnight Blue,” Manchester is one of the most compelling singer/songwriters in contemporary music, with sold-out concerts across the country.

 

 Fred Garbo Inflatable Theatre

Sunday, February 22, 2009

2 p.m.

$15/$20

Young imaginations are sure to “expand” with Fred Garbo’s fast-paced and theatrically clever inflatable world. Garbo, along with ballerina Daielma Santos, engage audiences of all ages, leaving them amazed with the tumbling, juggling, bouncing, quaking and dancing that the New York Times called “Helium light and hilarious.”

  

One Night of Queen: Live in Concert

Performed by Gary Mullen and The Works

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

7 p.m.

$25/$35

Freddie Mercury lives again as Gary Mullen, and his back-up band The Works, recreates the sensation that was Queen. Including dramatic staging, lighting and all the effects of a Queen concert at its height, the performers ensure, “We will, we will rock you!”

  

The Lowe Family

Saturday, February 28, 2009

7 p.m.

$25/$35

From very young ages, the Lowe Family siblings began studying and performing the music of the masters. Accomplished on dozens of instruments, they offer an amazing blend of show-stopping classical, Broadway, Celtic, jazz, bluegrass, old-time favorites, gospel and more.

  

Julie Fowlis

Sunday, March 1, 2009

7 p.m.

$20/$30

With breath-taking vocal power, Scottish instrumentalist and singer Julie Fowles brings centuries old songs from the windswept islands of the Hebrides to a modern audience. Performing in Scottish Gaelic, Fowles remains steadfastly true to her roots in North Uist, presenting traditional music at its most seductive, which has earned her, among many awards, the BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year 2008.

 

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Friday, March 6, 2009

7 p.m.

$38/$46

Over the last 40 years, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has taken its combination of South African musical traditions and Christian gospel music beyond the stage to become a cultural force and a leader in World Music. “Discovered” in the US following the group’s performance on Paul Simon’s Graceland, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is revered for the stirring sound of bass, alto and tenor harmonies.

 

Cherryholmes

With Special Guest The Badly Bent

Thursday, March 12, 2009

7 p.m.

$20/$25

Described as “The American Bluegrass dream,” Cherryholmes is considered by many to be the hottest and most innovative band on the American stage today. With Mom and Dad leading the way with their Celtic-styled musicianship, and a quartet of gifted young sibling pickers as its engine, the Cherryholmes sound is made up of hard-driving instrumental virtuosity and explosive vocal harmonies.

 

Grupo Fantasma

(Jazz on the Hill Remembers Russ Serzen)

Saturday, March 14, 2009

7 p.m.

$25/$35

Known as the funkiest, finest and hardest working Latin orchestra to come of the United States in the last decade, Grupo Fantasma is a soulful, take-no-prisoners rhythm machine. As described on Indyweek.com, “Grupo Fantasma is definitely a dance band, and any live show of theirs should probably come with a note from the Surgeon General: ‘Warning: Groove build-up could lead to house-quake conditions.’”

  

Los Lobos

Saturday, March 21, 2009

7:30 p.m.

$35/$45

One of America‘s most distinctive and original bands of the ’80s, Los Lobos may be most widely known for the hit “”La Bamba,” yet the song barely scratches the surface of the group’s talents. Los Lobos is eclectic in the best sense of the word, drawing equally from rock, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues and traditional Spanish and Mexican music.

  

Mike Marshall & Darol Anger with Väsen

Monday, March 30, 2009

7 p.m.

$20/$30

Two architects of new acoustic music in America, Darol Anger and Mike Marshall, join forces with Sweden‘s most influential instrumental ensemble, Väsen. Together, these five musicians create a new landscape of traditional sounds that forges the gap between the fiddle and dance tunes of Appalachia and the nyckelharpa and polskas of Sweden.

 

Indigenous

Friday, April 24, 2009

7:30 p.m.

$18/$24

Fans of guitar driven, blues-rock searching for the next Jimi Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughn will find him in the band Indigenous. Led by guitarist/lead vocalist Mato Nanji, who has been performing since his youth on a Lakota Sioux Indian Nation reservation in South Dakota, Indigenous lays down songs with deep grooves and plenty of passion. Writes the New York Times, “Indigenous offers blues-rock elevated to spectacular heights.”

 

Jonatha Brooke

Saturday, April 25, 2009

7:30 p.m.

$22/$25

Described by Rolling Stone as “…pure folk clarity cut with pure rock opacity,” singer/songwriter Jonatha Brooke’s music is marked by complex harmonies and poignant lyrics. With her latest release, The Works, she has transformed Woody Guthrie’s songs for female voice and modern ears – to wide critical acclaim.

 

“Greater Tuna”

Saturday, May 2, 2009

7 p.m.

$20/$25

The long-running theatrical comedy Greater Tuna covers a day in the life of Texas’ third smallest town, where the Lion’s Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. The hilarious satire paints a panoramic view of life in rural America and showcases the talents of the two gifted actors who portray the more than 20 eclectic inhabitants of Greater Tuna, Texas.

  

“Anne Frank: A Voice Heard”

Saturday, May 16, 2009

4 p.m.

$10/$14

A new musical based on the diary of Anne Frank, “Anne Frank: A Voice Heard” brings to life the renowned chronicle of two families secreted in a cramped garret in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation. Faithful to Anne’s diary with all its suspense, warmth and eternal optimism, the musical adaptation is told through the eyes of a woman who protected the Franks.

  

“Spotlight to Stardom”

Four Corners Talent Search

Sunday, June 7, 2009

7 p.m.

$10/$25

One of the region’s most beloved and fun-filled shows returns. Putting the “community” back in the Community Concert Hall, Spotlight to Stardom is a fast-paced, professionally-produced variety show celebrating the region’s talented performing artists. Auditions will be held March 15, 2009.

  

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