2022-2023 PERFORMANCE SEASON
SUSAN HERNDON & THE BELLA COUNSEL
Saturday, June 10th, 2023 (22-23 Season)
Playing around 200 gigs a year (pre-pandemic) for more than a decade, Susan Herndon has retained that true troubadour’s ethos, sharing her passion for song and stirring thousands of kindred spirits throughout Oklahoma, Texas, the American heartland, and in Europe.
TRAVIS LINVILLE
Friday, September 15th, 2023 (22-23 Season)
When someone comes from as strong a musical stock as Travis Linville, a conventional life and the path not taken are irreversibly conjoined. His preternatural musical work ethic was ignited as a small child on the built-in stage in his grandparents’ music room, and since then, Linville’s thirty-something years of sweat equity have culminated in a winding, successful career built of disparate parts: veteran and up- and-comer, mentor and underdog, session player and bandleader, sideman and songwriter.
TRACY SILVERMAN
Thursday, November 16th, 2023 (22-23 Season)
Redefining the role of the violin in contemporary music, Tracy Silverman has contributed significantly to progressive string playing, to the repertoire and to the development of the 6-string electric violin. “Strings should participate organically in our popular musical culture or they will become old-fashioned and irrelevant. Strings must evolve or they may perish.” - Tracy Silverman
AL BOSTICK
Tuesday, December 5th, 2023 (22-23 Season)
Al Bostick has directed and performed his storytelling nationwide in educational settings and performance halls alike. An Oklahoma Governor’s Arts Award winner for his work in education, as well as a recipient of a Citation of Excellence in the State, Bostick is an accomplished storyteller, playwright, actor, and director who believes all children can learn once they remove “I can’t” from their vocabulary. This event is part of our celebration of Black History Month.
SUGAR FREE ALLSTARS
Thursday, January 25th, 2024 (22-23 Season)
Chris “Boom!” Wiser and Rob “Dr. Rock” Martin first met as music majors at Southwestern Oklahoma State University where both were members of the school’s top jazz ensemble. Over the next several years they gained experience as bandmates in musical groups of varying styles and eventually parted ways. Though fate still had big plans for the dynamic duo and would bring them back together in 2001 where they re-joined forces as the Sugar Free Allstars. They have since developed into the bowtie-clad two-piece groove machine beloved by families across the country.
UNT 1 O'CLOCK LAB BAND
Friday, September 15th, 2023 (22-23 Season)
The One O’clock Lab Band, under the direction of Alan Baylock, is the premier performing ensemble of the internationally acclaimed University of North Texas jazz studies program. With an unprecedented seven Grammy Award nominations from the library of over eighty critically acclaimed recordings to date, the One O’clock Lab Band is noted for exceptional individual musicianship and tight ensemble performance.
VENEGAS DUO
Thursday, November 16th, 2023 (22-23 Season)
The Venegas Duo is a classical string ensemble. Francisco and Elizabeth Venegas provide musical samplings from various cultures. Attendees will experience a wide variety of styles including Latin American, Classical, Modern, Irish, and Pop! Francisco teaches at El Sistema, works with the youth, and plays in the Edmond LifeLight band. Elizabeth is a violinist who has played in symphony orchestras across the region such as the OKC Philharmonic, Fort Smith Symphony, Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, just to name a few.
OSU BRASS QUINTET
Tuesday, December 5th, 2023 (22-23 Season)
The OSU Faculty Brass Ensemble has performed as soloists internationally in Chile, Argentina, Germany, Switzerland, as well as nationally with the Tulsa Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Austin Symphony, Sarasota Music Festival, Banff Festival, Austin City Limits, and the Austin Symphony Orchestra, as well as several regional symphonies. They have a combined teaching experience of more than forty years.
[DALLAS] MEMPHIS SOUL
Thursday, January 25th, 2024 (22-23 Season)
Memphis Soul is a classy, high energy 8-piece group showcasing a distinctive sound and style inspired by such artists as Earth, Wind and Fire, Otis Redding, Al Green, Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin. The Memphis Soul Band features a solid rhythm section, fiery horns and dynamic male and female vocalists. Their style displays the rich musical legacy of the 1960s and 1970s mixed with currently popular classic soul and R&B styles. Memphis Soul also performs popular standards from Motown to current dance music to round out its musical variety.