By Marilyn Delk
DCCA News
Following Darke County Center for the Arts’ highly successful “Barbecue and Blues” concert that drew a crowd which filled the spacious lawn at Greenville Public Library last Friday night, many people were speculating about how DCCA might follow the well-received event. Well, that speculation cannot be publicly addressed prior to final signatures on contracts, so this column will not directly address the issue; but it will hint at what you can expect, so read on.
An eclectic trio whose catch phrase,”Where rock meets Bach,” hints at their musical style will open the Artists Series season—think “Orange Blossom Special” mashed up with “Flight of the Bumblebees,” “Amazing Grace” combined with phrases by Bach, Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo” and “Texas Hold ‘Em” mingled together. Sounds like interesting fun, as well as a highly enjoyable and unique opportunity to expand your listening palate while having a really good time!
Aside from the highly enjoyable fun part, a completely different musical style will fill Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall later this year. A Grammy-award winning vocalist who has appeared with the likes of Garth Brooks, George Strait, and Reba McEntire will bring her trio to the stage, along with bits of humor and down-home stories about life on the road.
A group that first got together as college freshmen in 2006 and were later crowned as world champions in their field will entertain at Memorial Hall in early 2025. These six talented singers have entertained at the Vanity Fair Oscars party singing on the red carpet, as well as on PBS specials and grand concert halls around the world.
The 2024-2025 Artists Series season-closer will not come as a complete surprise to long-time DCCA season-ticket holders, but will offer something a little different from the classical strains usually emanating in the auditorium sometime in May. You will learn more later.
But wait—there’s even more!
Missoula Children’s Theatre will once again provide an opportunity for local youngsters to star in a fully-produced musical this Saturday when DCCA presents MCT’s unique version of classic tale The Pied Piper at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. inHenry St. Clair Memorial Hall. But that is only the beginning of family-friendly offerings during the new season.
DCCA’s Family Theatre Series presents programs that will entertain adults while delighting youngsters; the series will open in December with a production appropriate for the holiday season. Following a probable encounter with friendly reindeer, FTS audiences will discover an entirely different creature inhabiting the stage at St. Clair Memorial Hall in January, enabling an amazing encounter “65 million years in the making!” This show has played at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., as well as toured internationally. The FTS season will end in March with an award-winning multicultural family band that has wowed audiences across the nation while creating eight award-winning albums and numerous music videos, some of which have been featured on Nick Jr. and Nickelodeon TV.
Darke County Center for the Arts was founded to present artistic events encouraging cultural enrichment in our community. This lofty mission is annually met with presentations which enlighten, inform, and entertain audiences of all ages. Each season, DCCA presents diverse shows that easily meet its founding criteria, and that additionally offer a whole lot of fun!
