It’s all connected

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The arts provide a link transcending time and space to connect past, present, and future in profound and moving ways; Darke County Center for the Arts’s recently announced 2016-17 season offers “Connections” to other cultures as well as our own, past eras as well as current trends, and possible peeks into what lies ahead.

DCCA’s Artist Series at Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall opens Sept. 24 with the world-class guitar duo, Loren and Mark, whose repertoire includes original music as well as a wide range of Americana, classical, jazz, and popular tunes; their performance will feature vocal duets as well as stunning instrumentals.

Loren Barrigar and Mark Mazengarb have toured extensively across the USA, Europe, Canada, and Mark’s native New Zealand. Loren started playing guitar when he was only 4 years old, and at age six played the Chet Atkins hit “Yackety Axe” at Nashville’s music mecca, the Grand Old Opry, establishing his own impressive connections. Loren and classically-trained Mark first met in 2005 at Jefferson Airplane alumnus Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch guitar camp in southern Ohio, where they worked with guitar great Tommy Emmanuel. How’s that for top-notch ties, guitar-wise!

And then on Nov. 12, DCCA presents a truly special event at Memorial Hall when Riders In the Sky present their “Salute to Roy Rogers;” a cornucopia of complex connections surround this show. The Riders, inducted into the Grand Ole Opry’s cast in 1982, are proud to be linked with the heritage of such Country Music Hall of Fame members as Gene Autry and the Sons of the Pioneers, as well as to Ohio native Leonard Slye, who became famous as the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers. This show will trigger memories for many, and introduce new generations to a heroic figure who epitomized the values of “The Cowboy Way.”

All you need to know about DCCA’s holiday presentation at St. Clair Memorial Hall on Dec. 17 is the title: A Christmas Carol. The Christmas season evokes its own memories, stirs its own hopes, and weaves bonding threads between people, reviving treasured traditions and creating new ones. Dickens’ classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge’s haunting journey to renewed connection with those around him will be brought to life by award-winning North County Center for the Arts National Touring Company. Filled with beloved music of the season, this superb production meaningfully celebrates the season with its timeless heart-warming message.

Two sets of brothers make up We Banjo 3, the unique and celebrated quartet from Ireland that will play Memorial Hall on Feb. 4. Banjo wizard Enda Scahill and his fiddle-playing brother Fergal join with seven-time All Ireland Banjo Champion Martin Howley and his multi-talented sibling David, who sings and plays banjo, guitar, and mandolin to provide the group’s rhythm section. Strongly connected to the traditional music of their homeland, this acoustic group rocks cutting edge bluegrass and Americana to energize international audiences with its virtuosity, fusing past, present, and future into each performance.

DCCA’s Artists Series closes on April 29, with a concert by the Toledo Symphony Orchestra that will link listeners to the sounds and styles of the Jazz Age. Featuring pianist Michael Chertock performing the music of George Gershwin and others of the era, TSO’s “I’ve Got Rhythm” performance further enriches the continuing collaboration with DCCA that connects skilled professional musicians to local audiences by simply playing music that people long to hear. By structuring their offerings to appeal to DCCA patrons rather than setting stringent limits on available repertoire, TSO has become a beloved tradition, enhancing DCCA’s seasons with shows that thrill, inspire, and entertain.

DCCA’s new season offers myriad opportunities to connect in diverse and abundant aspects; tickets are now on sale for all of DCCA’s offerings. The entire Artists Series (4 shows) is available for $75; single tickets to Riders in the Sky’s “Salute to Roy Rogers” cost $30, but $100 will purchase a season ticket plus entry to that Special Event. Create your own powerful connection to the arts; contact DCCA at 937-547-0908 [email protected] or order tickets online at www.centerforarts.net.

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DCCA News: It’s all connected

By Marilyn Delk

Marilyn Delk is a director of the Darke County Center for the Arts and can be reached at [email protected]. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

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