Ladysmith Black Mambazo
to Open Festival’s
Season Concert Series
October 11, 2008
Port Angeles High School
Performing Arts Auditorium

The Juan de Fuca Festival is excited to announce that the internationally renowned group LadySmith Black Mambazo will open our 2008/09 season on Saturday, October 11, 2008, at the Port Angeles High School Performing Arts Auditorium.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo represents the traditional culture of South Africa and is regarded as the country’s cultural emissary at home and around the world. They have performed at Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies and for President Mandela’s inauguration in 1994, and are considered a natural treasure of the new South Africa.

It has been over twenty years since Paul Simon made his initial trip to South Africa and met Joseph Shabalala, and the other members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Simon was captivated by the stirring sound of bass, alto, and tenor harmonies and incorporated these traditional sounds into the “Graceland” album, a project regarded by many as seminal to today’s explosive interest in World Music.

Their first album release for the U.S. was produced by Simon and won the Grammy Award in 1987 for Best Traditional Folk Recording. Since then they have been nominated for a Grammy Award eleven additional times, winning again in 2005. In May, 2007, Paul Simon asked the group to join him on stage when he was awarded the inaugural Gershwin Award in Washington DC.

Their latest CD is a celebration of the group’s history and they are joined by Natalie Merchant, Sarah McLachlan, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Pete Seeger and the Mahotella Queens.

Tickets for this concert will be available in early summer. Please stop by the information booth and sign up to receive notification of ticket availability or contact the Festival office.
www.ladysmithblackmambazo.com

Fundraising Celebration
& Dance
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Elks Club Ballroom

Join the festivities at the Festival’s Fourth Annual Fall Dance & Celebration of the Arts. Enjoy delicious food, great music and dancing and a delightful silent auction.

This annual gala fundraising event will be held at the Elks Club Ballroom 131 E. First St. located in downtown Port Angeles. Proceeds raise funds for the Festival’s arts programs in the schools.

More information is available at the Festival Information booth or contact the Festival office.

Battlefield Band
Friday, November 21, 2008
Port Angeles High School Auditorium

Inspired by their rich heritage or Celtic music and fired by the strength and vibrancy of today’s Scottish cultural scene, which indeed they have done much to create and fuel, they have led, and been at the forefront, of a great revival in Scottish music. Refusing to be limited musically, they have mixed the old songs and music with a new self-penned repertoire, all played on a fusion of ancient and modern instruments - bagpipes, fiddle, synthesizer, guitar, flutes, bodhran and accordion.

Battlefield band have been on the world’s roads for just on 30 years, distilling their own unique form of Scottish spirit and bottling it in concert and onto disc in Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Italy, Switzerland, Syria, India, Egypt, and the USA. They have broken down barriers and pioneered many new directions which others have followed.

Their continued creativity, freshness and enthusiasm is what continues to make them so popular. Their music, joyful, raucous, contemplative is always fresh and accessible to all.

Tickets will be available in early summer. Please stop by the information booth and sign up to receive notification of ticket availability or contact the Festival office.
www.battlefieldband.co.uk

Tyva Kyzy
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Peninsula College Little Theatre

In 1998 some of the most gifted women musicians of Tuva joined under the direction of Choduraa Tumat toa form Tyva Kyzy, the first and only all-female folk ensemble performing tuvan throat-singing. Their distinctive form of singing combines the female voice with the rarely heard beauty of female throat-singing.

Tyva Kyzy utilizes a wide range of folk instruments including their own signature instrument, the chadagan, which resembles a hammered dulcimer. Their vividly textured songs fill audiences with energy and amotion. Their performances bring to life the traditions and sonic landscapes of Tuva with humorous joy, sweetness and thundering power. Tyva Kyzy brings an exciting breath of fresh air to the overtone rich melodies and natural rhythms of today’s Tuvan music.

Since its inception, the group has participated in numerous international festivals of music in Europe, Japan and the United States. Several members perform in the Tuvan National Orchestra. Their repertoire is developed through a blend of innovation and tradition. They perform a wide variety of songs from their elders and of the land. Many of their songs are very old and have rarely been heard outside of Tuva.

Tickets will be available in early summer. Please stop by the information booth and sign up to receive notification of ticket availability or contact the Festival office.
www.tyvakyzy.com