Martin Methodist College Fine Arts

Martin Methodist College Fine Arts Events 2015-2016

F ine Arts MartinMethodistC ollege 2015•2016 Mission The Martin Methodist College Fine Arts Series supports the presentation of high quality performance and educational outreach opportunities by local and national artists. Our mission is to provide Martin Methodist College students, Giles County K-12 students, and South Central Tennessee residents with exciting, informative and culturally diverse programs that highlight Martin Methodist College as a local leader in community outreach and arts education. The Fine Arts Series, together with the Martin Methodist College Departments of Music and Dramatic Arts, supports a haven where students and community members can share the experience of learning about and enjoying various arts performances. Learn more about our Della Clayton Lee Series, Songwriter’s Dream Series, Martin Methodist College Faculty and Student Performances, and CWN Community Arts Academy Programs by exploring our website. For more information, please contact Dr. Daniel McMasters by calling 931-424-7334 or at dmcmasters@martinmethodist.edu.

The CWN Community Arts Academy strives to further enhance the artistic life of local residents by providing arts educational opportunities to various members of our community. We offer music lessons to all students, regardless of age, ability and income, and our end of term performances are intended to be showcases for our student accomplishments throughout the year.

Della Clayton Lee Series features performers who are widely recognized for their artistic and teaching excellence. We seek out artists from a variety of traditions who present programs that are creative, entertaining, educational and inspiring. Individual tickets are $10 for Adults and Seniors, and free for all MMC Students and Employees. Children under 18 are free. Season tickets are available as well.

Martin Methodist College Fine Arts Events feature a variety of student and professional performances each semester. The Music Department supports a variety of student and faculty performances, including solo and ensemble performances by our Chamber and Concert Choirs, Quark String Ensemble, and our blue grass ensemble Richland Creek.

Our Dramatic Arts Department presents a number of events throughout the academic year .

Songwriters Dream Series The Songwriters Dream Series engages the extraordinary songwriting resources of middle Tennessee and north Alabama for events on the campus of Martin Methodist College. The six events each year enable songwriters to reveal the “story behind the song” in the unique listening-room atmosphere of the Recital Hall of the Gault Fine Arts Center. The brainchild of Grant Vosburgh, the college’s recently deceased director of communications; the Songwriters Dream Series is in its sixth year and has garnered quite a reputation for entertainment value. Tickets are sold on a seasonal basis by calling Chrissy Jordan at 931.363.9882 or at cjordan@martinmethodist. edu.

Spoken Word Poet Sarah Kay March 14th, 2016, 7:00 p.m.

Martin Hall Auditorium Sarah Kay is the founder of Project VOICE. She is perhaps best known for her 2011 TED talk, “If I Should Have A Daughter� which has been seen over seven million times online. Sarah holds a Masters Degree in The Art of Teaching from Brown University and an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Grinnell College. She has been invited to share her work on stages and in classrooms around the world.

Her books, B (Domino Project, 2011) and No Matter the Wreckage (Write Bloody Publishing, 2014) are both consistently top-ranked best- selling poetry books. http://www.kaysarahsera.com Sarah Kay is teaching a spoken word poetry workshop for Giles County High School students on the 14th of March at 11:00 a.m. and for MMC College students at 1:00 p.m. in the recital hall.

Ken Ford, “King of Strings” April 19th, 2016, 7:00 p.m.

Campus Green

Born on November 14, 1968 in St. Louis, Missouri, Ken lived in Detroit, Michigan with his Parents, before making their permanent home in Atlanta, Georgia. From The Jackson Five and Earth, Wind & Fire concerts to his father’s DJ gigs, Ken was immersed in music. Ken’s parents recognized a special gift in their only child one night when they overheard him at a party, playing along with an Al Green song note for note on a toy keyboard - long before his first music lesson! From that point on, they kept an instrument in his hands and eventually led him to the stringed instruments, and at the impressionable age of nine, he settled on the violin.

Throughout school, Ken trained classically to play the violin, which led him to becoming a founding member of the DeKalb Youth Pop’s Orchestra. He would also train himself how to play by ear by mocking the popular music heard on the radio. These experiences heightened his determination to continue his training to master the instrument. Always progressive with his music, Ken joined the African American Philharmonic Orchestra (AAPO) where he had the rare opportunity of performing background orchestral styling for the late, great Barry White. While a member of the AAPO, Ken had the honored privilege to work his way to, and hold the position of Concert Master.

During the early years of his career; Ken lived a dual life: he earned a degree in Com-

puter Information Systems and secured a position at a major technology firm as an IT Programmer; but at night, Ken’s passion with the violin landed him in some of Atlanta’s hottest jazz spots where he joined his favorite local artists in jam sessions.

He wasn’t playing the classical music from the orchestra, but instead he was drawing the sounds of jazz and R&B from his violin to electrify audiences. Finding himself unemployed in the mid 90s and with the backing of his family, Ken took a leap of faith to pursue his music full-time, putting 100% of his energy into the success of his career. Ken refers to these times as “the turning point,” and it was full speed ahead.

Ken develops his performances into dynamic and electrifying experiences. His years playing in Atlanta jam sessions and local events had acquired a fan base as well as sparked interest from national and international promoters. He continues to draw a diverse group of music lovers to his performances and leaves his fans in awe as they find themselves jumping out of their seats and moving to the funky, unique sounds of the electric violin.

Ken’s efforts pay him in many dividends. He now enjoys a solid and accomplished career, playing along side some of contemporary jazz, soul and R&B greats such as Ledisi, Wayman Tisdale, Wyclef Jean, and Lalah Hathaway. The list goes on and on, and it continues to grow as audiences across the nation are introduced to this electrifying instrumentalist. With three successful CDs under his belt, his first release Burnt Toast, his sophomore release Chevelle Lane, and his third release Right Now, Ken continues to top the charts.

In addition to creating unique music and entertaining music lovers Worldwide, Ken aspires to give back to the community by developing a non-profit foundation to bring music back into the schools, with a focus on stringed instruments. Ken hopes to inspire young kids to think the word “cool” in association with these instruments, especially the violin.

Despite Ford’s undeniable success, he remains to be true to himself and understands that his talent is a mere blessing and because of that he continues to be thankful and knows there is still room to grow in his craft as Ken Ford, Electric Violinist. http://www.kenford.net Ken is giving a workshop for MMC strings students on Wednesday April 20th at 3:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall.

S ongW ritersD ream September 24th James House, 7:00 p.m.

Gault Recital Hall October 15th Leslie Satcher, 7:00 p.m.

Gault Recital Hall November 5th Casey Kelly, 7:00 p.m.

Gault Recital Hall January 28th Phil Odonnel, 7:00 p.m.

Gault Recital Hall February 25th Frank Meyers, 7:00 p.m.

Gault Recital Hall March 24th Moose Brown, 7:00 p.m.

Gault Recital Hall

D ramaticArtsE vents October 15th - 18th & 20th Romeo & Juliet, 7:00 p.m.

Campus Green December 2nd - 7th Winter Drama Production 7:00 p.m.

Martin Hall Auditorium February 26th - March 1st Boycott Show, 7:00 p.m.

Martin Hall Auditorium April 20th - 25th Einstein’s Dreams, 7:00 p.m.

Upperman Hall