Thursday, January 12, 2012

David Garrett Rocks the Benedum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Today's date:
January 6, 2012

Contact:
Veronica Corpuz
(412) 471-6082
corpuz@trustarts.org

Diana Roth
(412) 471-8717
roth@trustarts.org


The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents international virtuoso violinist David Garrett - Rock Symphonies II Tour

Sunday, January 29, 2012, at 8:00 p.m., Benedum Center

Internationally-acclaimed violinist David Garrett will return to Pittsburgh on Sunday, January 29, 2012, at 8:00 p.m., at the Benedum Center. This concert is part of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Cohen and Grigsby Trust Presents series, and is a presentation of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

David Garrett’s current U.S. tour, Rock Symphonies II, coincides with and promotes his 2011 CD with same title. Along with his five-piece band, the tour will feature Garrett’s arrangements of rock anthems mixing a little classical with a lot of rock: Vivaldi vs. Vertigo (U2), Walk this Way (Aerosmith), Kashmir (Led Zeppelin), Master of Puppets (Metallica) and Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana) to name a few.

Tickets ($30.50-$43.50) may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at www.trustarts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets, please call group sales (412) 471-6930.

David Garrett began playing violin at age four and was signed to the prestigious classical music label Deutsche Grammophon by age thirteen. Already described as “…an entire corpus of virtuoso violin art, expounded with a fearsome beauty beyond comprehension” by BBC Music Magazine, David Garrett has achieved a lifetime of musical accomplishments early in his musical career. Garrett has gained international stardom, with gold and platinum selling discs internationally, and chart-topping albums in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Far East and the U.S., plus a Top 20 U.K. hit.

Garrett comments, “Every good musician is always, in effect, a musician of instinct - throughout the course of their life, no matter how much theoretical knowledge is accumulated. For only when you really trust your innermost being, so absolutely convinced of one thing, (then) you can also inspire others.”

David Garrett has been winning over audiences since the release of his self-titled debut album in June 2009. His numerous appearances have included performances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, Today Show, Fox News Channel, CBS Saturday Early Show and his first PBS smash, “Live in Berlin.” His technically jaw-dropping performance of “Flight of the Bumblebee” was recorded in the 2010 Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest-ever performance of the piece (a blistering 66 seconds), wowing crowds across the world. In addition to being the best-selling new classical artist of 2009, he also was Billboard’s #9 highest-charting new artist overall, across all genres. His CD, David Garrett, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover Chart, and held the #1 position for nine weeks, remaining in the Top 10 for more than 40 subsequent weeks. In 2010, Garrett received the Echo Classic Award, “Bestseller of the year,” and in 2011 received the Echo Award for National Male Rock/Pop Artist category.

Posted on behalf of Joanne Quinn-Smith by Joyce Kane. Joyce is the Owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping. Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business. www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh





Gallery 937 Hosts War Exhibit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Today's date: January 11, 2012

Media Contact:
Scilla Wahrhaftig
Program Director, American Friends Service Committee PA
(412) 371-3607
SWahrhaftig@afsc.org



Murals, Poems and Personal Witness Illuminate the Realities of War in Afghanistan and Iraq



January 27 – February 12, 2012, Gallery 937 on Liberty Avenue. Opens in conjunction with The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Gallery Crawl on January 27.


For three weeks in January and February, art, poetry and personal witness come together around the stunning exhibit Windows and Mirrors: Reflections on the War in Afghanistan, which is paired with the Pittsburgh-based War Dialogues Project. The exhibitions reveal the everyday realities of refugees, civilians and soldiers who are suffering through wars that remain invisible to much of the American public.

Windows and Mirrors is a traveling exhibit of 45 murals from artists across the U.S., shown alongside drawings collected from Afghan high school students about their daily lives. This art invites us to view the war through the eyes of the Afghan people as they move from despair to hope.

In the War Dialogues Project, refugees and military veterans of the same wars collaborate through art and storytelling. Featuring two local artists—Joyce Wagner, a U.S. Iraq veteran, and Mina Al Doori, a high-school Iraqi refugee. (Sponsored by The Sprout Fund, a nonprofit supporting innovative grassroots community projects that are catalyzing change in Pittsburgh.)



Who Should Attend: All who are interested in civilian and soldiers’ experiences of war; the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; peace-making; Pittsburgh war-refugee communities; interfaith dialogue; mural art and poetry.

Exhibit Sponsor: American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization that works worldwide on peace and justice.

Gallery Hours: Wed and Thurs 11:00 am – 6:00 pm; Friday and Sat 11:00 am – 8:00 pm; Sunday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Events:

January 29, 1:30 pm - Disarming Words. Gallery talk and poetry readings by Terrance Hayes and Lynn Emmanuel at the Out of Rubble exhibit at SPACE gallery; 2:30 pm - singing escort by the Raging Grannies to Windows and Mirrors; 2:40 pm - readings of translated Iraqi public poetry and poetry by war veterans.

February 4, 6:00 pm: Women and War: Women and Peace. Testimonies by women on the impact of war and their search for peace, followed by improvisational performance by Pittsburgh Playback Theatre.

February 11, 3:00 pm: Lessons Learned from Iraq. Peter Lems, American Friends Service Committee Program Director for Iraq and Afghanistan, discusses how the lessons of troop withdrawal from Iraq can help us speed up withdrawal from Afghanistan.

www.afsc.org/office/pittsburgh-pa

http://www.windowsandmirrors.org/

Posted on behalf of Joanne Quinn-Smith by Joyce Kane. Joyce is the Owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping. Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business. www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh




Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole Bring the Bayou to the Burgh

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Today's date:
January 11, 2012

Contact:
Veronica Corpuz
(412) 471-6082
corpuz@trustarts.org

Diana Roth
(412) 471-8717
roth@trustarts.org



Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust



Wednesday, February 8, 2012, at 7:30 PM, Byham Theater, 101 Sixth Street


Resurrecting the ancient sounds of French and Spanish dances alongside the spiritual rhythms of the Congo tribes of West Africa, Louisiana musician Cedric Watson and band members Bijou Creole perform on Wednesday, February 8, 2012, at 7:30 PM at the Byham Theater. The concert is a part of the Cohen and Grigsby Trust Presents Series, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

One of the most promising talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole, and Louisianan Zydeco music, Cedric Watson is a four-time Grammy nominee from San Felipe, Texas, who made his first public appearance in Houston at age 19. “An aggressive and gifted reanimator of Louisiana Creole music, Cedric Watson sings in entrancing brays and yelps and plays fiddle and accordion in cocksure fashion” – The New York Times. Watson received a Grammy nomination for his self-titled debut album, released in 2008. He has performed on six additional full-length albums, including three with his own band, Bijou Creole – members: D’Jalma Garnier (fiddle and guitar), Ryan Poullard (drums), Lance Boston (clarinet), and “Zydeco” Mike Chaisson (percussion).

As a singer, fiddler, accordionist, and songwriter, Watson is a diverse young artist whose repertoire ranges from old Creole melodies to more modern Cajun and Zydeco songs. The band also draws on various musical styles, often incorporating bluegrass or string band numbers into performance sets. Additionally, Watson composes almost all of the band’s songs on his own accordion. The band’s 2009 release L’ésprit Créole received a Grammy nomination and featured entirely original material. In 2011, Watson and the band released their self-produced album Le Soleil est Levé. The album features Watson's special mix of Caribbean and Cajun flavor, crossing international barriers while delivering songs of joy.

Drawing on their mixed cultural heritage and varied musical backgrounds, Watson and Bijou Creole combine Spanish, African, French, and Native American sounds to make a unique tapestry during their performance which “runs the gamut” of Cajun and Creole music. “[I]t manages to retain an organic quality that makes for an engaging listen. ... Stirring vocals weave expertly around and through well-crafted rhythms and melodies.” – Living Blues. Watson finds the interrelation of cultures in his music extremely important, particularly the Native American rhythms, and works to create a unique sound that is at once both progressive and nostalgic.

Tickets ($18.00-$35.00) for the February 8, 2012, performance of Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole at the Byham Theater may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at www.TrustArts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.

Posted on behalf of Joanne Quinn-Smith by Joyce Kane. Joyce is the Owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping. Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business. www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh