Photo courtesy of Paisley Blue Photography
Rural Musicians Forum continues its tradition of bringing fun and engaging concerts to the unique space of the Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright as a public school, the strikingly beautiful center is located on Highway 23 between Spring Green and Dodgeville and features soaring roof lines and bands of windows.
Bring your picnic chairs and blankets and join the Rural Musicians Forum for two unforgettable toe-tapping outdoor nights filled with music, dancing, drumming and an art installation!
This September, the RMF audiences will have an exclusive opportunity to enjoy the music of two percussion-based groups.
On Sept. 1, the Madison-based steel drum group Panchromatic Steel will perform music from the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. Using instruments built from 55-gallon oil drums, their sound is positively intoxicating and has near universal appeal. The super danceable music will transport people to their happiest moments in the sun, featuring styles including calypso, soca and other “island” styles, to complex jazz-inspired compositions, as well as arrangements of hits by pop artists such as Stevie Wonder, Prince and The Beatles.
Grounds open at 5 p.m. and music begins at 5:30 p.m. A featured Trinidadian cocktail will be available for sale at this performance. Tickets are $15 per person, free entry for children 12 and under.
The second concert on Sept. 22 will feature The Himmelfarb Project in a concert titled “Percussion Truck.” This performance showcases an exciting collaboration between percussion performers, composers and the celebrated American visual artist John Himmelfarb of Chicago and Spring Green. The award-winning Northern Illinois University percussion ensemble will perform a dozen original works using Himmelfarb’s vehicular sculpture “KB-3” as a musical instrument. To add to the fun, some pieces will call for audience participation.
Earlier this year, the NIU students and faculty visited the “KB-3” sculpture to appropriately build a collection of sounds through striking, scraping and bowing every part of the artwork. This one-of-a-kind concert is the only performance that begins with the musical instrument being driven onto the stage and it will close the 2019 Rural Musicians summer season. Grounds open at 2 p.m. and music begins at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person with free entry for children 12 and under.
Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy these exceptional performances at the beautiful Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, located at 6306 State Hwy 23, Spring Green. Rain shelter available for both performances if needed. Please visit ruralmusiciansforum.org for tickets.