JANUARY 8, 2009 issue
A 2008 Appalachian Summer Festival
Story by Anna Oakes
In 2008, An Appalachian Summer Festival—which takes place annually throughout the month of July—had so packed a schedule that it had to start in June. Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder kicked off the 24th season of An Appalachian Summer on June 28.
Each year, Appalachian State University hosts the annual cultural arts festival that features music, dance, theatre, visual and mixed arts from around the world, drawing more than 26,000 attendees to the High Country for the events. The 2008 schedule did not disappoint. Following are just a few of the artists presented last year.
June 28
Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder
The fireworks may come at the end of An Appalachian Summer Festival, but the festival organizers got things started off with a bang with bluegrass and country powerhouse Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder on June 28.
The concert featured 37-year musical veteran 13-time Grammy Award-winner Ricky Skaggs along with his band Kentucky Thunder, featuring Andy Leftwich on fiddle, Cody Kilby on lead guitar, Mark Fain on bass, Darrin Vincent on rhythm guitar and vocals, Paul Brewster on rhythm guitar and vocals and Jim Mills on the banjo.
July 1
Charlotte Symphony Pops
The Charlotte Symphony Pops, conducted by Albert-George Schram, performed for An Appalachian Summer for the very first time in 2008. The performance was a celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s 90th birthday titled American Stage & Screen. The performance featured selections from West Side Story, Porgy & Bess, Guys & Dolls and Carousel.
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is the largest and most active professional performing arts organization in the central Carolinas, employing more than 100 professional musicians, 64 on full-time contracts. Founded in 1932, it is also the only orchestra in the Southeast with a 76-year history of continuous programming.
July 9 and 13
Patagonia’s Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival
An Appalachian Summer featured the art of filmmaking with Patagonia’s Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival. Screenings of 20 short films took place on July 9 and 13.
The nationwide touring film festival seeks to inspire and motivate viewers to go out and make a difference in their communities and the world. The films included such topics as bioengineering, water issues, wilderness preservation, citizen activism and more.
July 18
Doug Varone & Dancers
Doug Varone & Dancers delivered a beautiful and thought-provoking performance on July 18 at Farthing Auditorium. The highlight of the concert was the highly acclaimed work Lux, a 22-minute piece with eight dancers featuring music by Philip Glass.
July 19
Judy Collins
National folk artist Judy Collins returned to An Appalachian Festival for the first time since 1991, when she performed on an outdoor stage in the rain, holding an umbrella.
Collins’ 45-year career includes more than 40 albums, numerous top 10 hits, Grammy nominations, and gold and platinum selling records. Her influence in music and politics has spread over decades, and her love for folk music has brought other performers, such as Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell, to widespread public exposure.
July 23
Count Basie Orchestra
An Appalachian Summer couldn’t possibly pass by without a little jazz, and the famous Count Basie Orchestra came to town to serve it up as one of the final performers of the 2008 festival.
The 18-piece band is committed to upholding and advancing the American institution that is jazz. They are in demand for world tours and recordings, including Royal Command performances and presidential and gubernatorial inaugural events. The band has won every respected jazz poll in the world at least once—including 18 Grammys—and continues to accumulate awards and special recognitions.
July 26
Charlie Daniels Band
An Appalachian Summer culminated with “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”—the legendary tune saved for the very end of The Charlie Daniels Band’s concert in the Holmes Convocation Center.
Raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, on a musical diet that included Pentecostal gospel, local bluegrass bands, rhythm and blues and country music, Charlie Daniels’ resume includes recording sessions with artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Flatt and Scruggs, Pete Seeger, Mark O’Connor, Leonard Cohen and Ringo Starr. Elvis Presley and Tammy Wynette have recorded his songs. ABC’s 20/20 has documented his tour.
Dressed in a cowboy hat and outspoken as ever, Charlie Daniels and his band delighted the Holmes Center audience with a set of his classic hits. The festival-ending concert was held in the Holmes Center—rather than Kidd Brewer Stadium—because of ongoing construction at the stadium. Afterward, attendees gathered outside to watch a fantastic fireworks display.
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