Date: December 10th 2008

The Chisholm Trail Arts Council wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Joyful New year.
It has been a while since we have sent out a news letter and there is newness and updates below.

CTAC HAS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Chisholm Trail Arts Council’s Executive Director, Leena Frace. Please feel free to contact Leena anytime at the office for information or questions about the activities of the Chisholm Trail Arts Council.

UPDATE ON LIVE FROM THE CENTER

Even in tight economic times, people’s lives are enhanced by exposure to the arts, and their lifestyles are made richer by enjoying quality entertainment.

Not trying to sound too much like a carnival barker, but, you can’t find a better bargain than purchasing the amazingly affordable admission tickets for a Live From the Center performance. And you can’t satisfy the desire to be richly touched by the arts and be entertained more than by joining us for the second half of the 2008-09 season.

Chris Brubeck has impeccable musical bloodlines. One of three sons of jazz genius Dave Brubeck, for more than 40 years, Chris has been involved in a variety of music projects, including the Grammy-winning Two Generations of Brubeck group Chris and his siblings formed with their father in the late 1960s and early ’70.

On Saturday, Jan. 24, Chris Brubeck brings another musical adventure to town, when Triple Play hits the stage at the Simmons Center auditorium. In addition to Brubeck, a multi-instrument master, Triple Play includes two longtime friends, Peter “Madcat” Ruth and Joel Brown.

One of the world’s most skilled and creative harmonica players, who plays mean licks on guitar and several percussion instruments, Ruth has shared projects with Brubeck since the 1970s fusion group New Heavenly Blue.
Joining them in Triple Play is another longtime Brubeck sidekick, Joel Brown, who Brubeck describes as “a classically-trained guitarist, who loves The Beatles.”

All are involved in a variety of music enterprises, but trip has gotten together often enough to release two critically-praised albums (”Live” and “Watching the World”), and to play to sold-out crowds around the nation.
Triple Play’s repertoire roams from seminal blues tunes like Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” to jazz classics by Dave Brubeck (“Blue Rondo al la Turk”) and Paul Desmond (“Take Five”) to the trio’s folk- and rock-oriented original songs. “And we can’t resist a little bit of funk,” Chris Brubeck adds.

Seth Walker can’t match bloodlines with Chris Brubeck. But when it comes to having your talent endorsed by being asked to be an opening act for legends, Walker can go toe-to-toe with any blues man. A native of North Carolina, who’s been refining his chops on the Austin music scene for a decade, Walker has opened for icons such as Ray Charles, B.B. King, Robert Cray, Taj Mahal, Aaron Neville and Jimmie Vaughan.

Walker describes his music as “a different point of blue,” which combines textures of blues and soul with hints of New Orleans jazz. Although he’s proven to be a fine songwriter on original tunes that dominate five albums recorded since 1997, Seth also has a penchant for picking meaty songs to cover. His highly-touted 2006 self-titled CD includes tasty remakes of Jimmy Reed’s “I Know It’s a Sin,” Tom Waits’ “Picture In A Frame” and James Hunter’s “Kick It Around."

Seth and his band make a first-ever appearance in southern Oklahoma and the LFC series on Saturday, Feb. 7.

Live From the Center closes the 2008-09 season by stepping out of the music realm into a different genre of performing arts; one that will captivate those from 8 to 80 - a performance by the Golden Dragon Acrobats of China.

On the evening of Thursday, March 12, nearly 20 superbly-trained acrobats from the Republic of China will fill the Simmons Center stage with eye-popping feats of balance, timing, grace and strength. It’s a cultural exchange that is colorful, artistic, precise and, at times, bigger than life.

As a special treat, in addition to the evening performance for all ages, hundreds of area school children will get a free sneak preview on March 12, when the Golden Dragon Acrobats give a matinee performance that afternoon.

So, if you’re looking for great entertainment and a way to support the arts and the Chisholm Trail Arts Council, you can’t find a better bargain than the second half of the 2008-09 Live From the Center season.

Treat yourself. Come out and join us.

UPDATE ON ARTISTS IN SCHOOLS

The Chisholm Trail Arts Council has secured grant money for the Artists-in-Schools program, which includes every school within Stephens County for the 2008/2009 school year.

The Artists-in-Schools program process has become much easier and has been opened up to all grade levels, art mediums and length of instruction. There is a new grant application to fill out and submit for consideration.

Another change to the program is that using an artist from the Oklahoma Arts Council roster is no longer necessary, but if you choose to; here is a link to the web site for the artist roster. The web site is: www.arts.ok.gov/artist/air/airroster.

After the grant has been submitted, it will take at least 30 days for the approval process to be completed. Then contracts, pre-planning, and other administrative tasks must be completed, so, please keep all of this in mind when setting a date for the program and/or reserving time with the artist.

For a grant application, please contact Leena Frace at 580-252-4160 or Director@chisholmtrailarts.com

UPDATE ON ARTS EXPLOSION

The Arts Explosion camp is set for the week of July 13 – 17, 2009. Information regarding teachers, volunteers and applications to attend will appear in spring ’09.