On July 26-27, 2014, the 3rd annual Boston Summer Arts Weekend will once again take over Copley Square. Presented by Citizens Banks, this free outdoor festival in Copley Square is a celebration of the Arts in Boston.
Some of the highlights from this year’s event:
· Three Grammy Award Winners – Los Lobos, Arturo Sandoval and Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder. Los Lobos will play on Saturday evening while Arturo Sandoval and Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder will both perform on Sunday.
· The Soul Rebels will be making a return trip to the event. This 8-piece New Orlean’s based brass ensemble rolls soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock and pop all into one performance.
· Canadian guitarist and JUNO award winner Jesse Cook– billed as one of today’s most influential guitarists in world music
· The StepCrew, a dancing production that features the best of Ottawa Valley stepdance, Irish stepdance and tap.
· The Boston Conservatory Dance Revue, showcasing some of the Conservatory’s best contemporary dancers
· The Boston Landmarks Orchestra will be back again, this year performing with concert violinist Anne Akiko Meyers
· Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band, a unique local performance group that combines the rich musical history of the circus of Europe with the energy of jazz, funk and the fund of vaudeville.
· Acclaimed international blues guitarist and former Berklee student Shun Ng.
· Family fare will include performances from local favorites Steve Songs, The Gizmo Guys and Debbie and Friends.
Grammy-Award Winners Los Lobos, Arturo Sandoval, and Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder to headline
3rd Annual Boston Globe WGBH Boston Summer Arts Weekend Scheduled for July 26-27, 2014
American Concert Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, New Orleans’ Soul Rebels, Dance Sensation The StepCrew, World Music Guitarist Jesse Cook and Boston Landmarks Orchestra among other Scheduled Performers
Presented by Citizens Bank, Program Will Showcase Music, Theater, Dance and Visual Arts
Boston, MA (June 16, 2014) – The Boston Globe, WGBH and Citizens Bank are teaming up again to host the 3rd annual Boston Summer Arts Weekend. Grammy-Award winners Los Lobos, Arturo Sandoval and Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder will headline the festival, designed to celebrate and promote Boston’s arts community. The free outdoor festival will take place on Copley Square in the Back Bay on July 26-27 and will also feature special offers from arts organizations around the city, a series of Arts Walks and Talks and a Baroque Brunch featuring the Handel and Haydn Society.
Multi-Grammy Award winners Los Lobos will bring their hybrid of traditional Mexican folk music and American rock and roll to Boston Summer Arts weekend on Saturday, July 26. They’ll be joined by the Soul Rebels, an eight-piece New Orleans based brass ensemble that brings soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock and pop music into one performance. Canadian guitarist and Juno award winner Jesse Cook will showcase the talent that makes him one of today’s most influential guitarists in world music, and the dancers and musicians of The StepCrew are expected to exhilarate the audience with their versions of Ottawa Valley stepdance, Irish stepdance and Tap.
Rounding out the afternoon will be Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band, a circus band that combines the rich musical history of the circus with the raw energy of avant-garde jazz as well as blues guitarist and sing/songwriter Shun Ng. Early in the day, the stage in Copley Square will be the perfect destination for the entire family, with performances from local favorites Steve Songs, The Gizmo Guys and Debbie and Friends. Music on the main stage starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
On Sunday, the day begins with the annual Baroque Brunch at the Fairmont Copley Plaza featuring a performance from the Handel and Hayden Society. Outside in Copley Square,, performances begin on the main stage at 1 p.m. with a contemporary dance review from The Boston Conservatory followed by a special performance from American violinist Anne Akiko Meyers with The Boston Landmarks Orchestra.
Following Landmarks Orchestra, Cuban jazz trumpeter and Grammy-award winner Arturo Sandoval will bring his amazing sound to the stage followed by Grammy-award winner and one of the true giants of Bluegrass music, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder.
“For more than 60 years, WGBH has connected the community with greater Boston’s vibrant arts scene,” said WGBH President and CEO Jon Abbott. “Boston Summer Arts Weekend, with a diverse line-up of local, national, well-known and up-and-coming artists, is a fun, energetic event that showcases everything there is to love about summers in Boston.”
In the week leading up to Boston Summer Arts Weekend, WGBH, The Boston Globe and Citizens Bank will extend the programming, featuring a series of Boston Summer Arts Weekend Walks & Talks. This will include a Newbury Street gallery tour and art auction, as well as exclusive talks with artists and authors at venues across Boston. More information on the Walks & Talks will be available soon at www.BostonSummerArts.com
“For the third year in a row, the arts will come to life in Copley Square,” said Mike Sheehan, Chief Executive Officer of The Boston Globe. “Artistic performances have a way of bringing people together and in the month of July, there will be incredible opportunities for residents and visitors alike to experience what the city has to offer. We are delighted to be working with WGBH and Citizens Bank to bring this celebration to Boston.”
Local arts organizations will offer discounts and unique programming for the public, all of them featured in a special guide. All arts and entertainment organizations are invited to list their events in the guide and on the Summer Arts Weekend website free of charge. The guide will be distributed in The Boston Sunday Globe and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and will be available online at WGBH.org. To submit a listing, please visit www.BostonSummerArts.com.
“Boston Summer Arts Weekend is an amazing opportunity to showcase the rich and diverse culture of the city, and we are excited to be a part of it,” said Robert Matthews, Vice Chairman of Citizens Bank. “The collaboration with The Boston Globe and WGBH is a great example of how local companies can come together to help enliven and enrich the community where we live and work.”
Summer Arts Weekend is presented by Citizens Bank. Other supporting sponsors to date include The Lincoln Motor Company and The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. For more information, visit www.bostonsummerarts.com.
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About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web, including primetime, lifestyle, and children’s series. WGBH also is a major source of programs for public radio, a leader in educational multimedia, and a pioneer in accessible technology. Television channels include WGBH 2, WGBX 44, and the digital channels World and Create. WGBH Radio serves listeners across New England with 89.7 WGBH Boston Public Radio; 99.5 WCRB; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. More information at www.wgbh.org
About Citizens Bank
Citizens Bank is a division of Citizens Bank, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 252 branches and 754 ATMs in Massachusetts. RBS Citizens, N.A., is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $122.2 billion commercial bank holding company. It is headquartered in Providence, R.I., and through its subsidiaries has approximately 1,400 branches, over 3,500 ATMs and approximately 18,600 colleagues. CFG has over 80 retail and commercial non-branch offices located both in its geographic footprint and in five states and the District of Columbia outside its branch footprint.. Its two bank subsidiaries are Citizens Bank, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. CFG is owned by RBS (the Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc). CFG’s website is citizensbank.com
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