JANUARY 14, 2010 ISSUE
A 2009 Appalachian Summer Festival
Appalachian State University once again brought the finest in music, dance, theatre, visual arts and film to Boone in 2009 during the quarter-century anniversary season of An Appalachian Summer Festival.
The festival traditionally takes place throughout the month of July, but it began in June for the second consecutive year to accomodate a schedule overflowing with notable performances and events.
The 2009 festival drew about 26,000 attendees to the High Country, and three shows—Joan Baez, Paula Poundstone and Pilobolus—sold out. Below are just a few of the artists presented during the 25th season of An Appalachian Summer.
June 27
Leahy
Leahy
An Appalachian Summer Festival kicked off on June 27 with a dynamic performance by Leahy, a group of eight musical siblings. Hailing from Lakefield, Ontario, Leahy embraces its Irish and Scottish roots, and incorporates sounds from many other musical genres as well, creating original songs that display an astounding amount of energy as well as mastery of numerous instruments, vocals and dance. The group regularly tours Canada, the U.S. and Europe, and previously took the stage at ASU in 2005.
June 28, July 1 and 6
Broyhill Chamber Ensemble
Broyhill Chamber EnsembleThe Broyhill Chamber Ensemble, led by Artistic Director Gil Morgenstern, presented Reflections—solo and chamber music mixed with art, poetry and prose from around the world at ASU, in three distinct shows. The June 28 performance, titled “The Passing of the Torch,” featured musical compositions by Antonín Dvorák, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms. The July 1 performance, “1795-1825: What a Difference 30 Years Makes,” explored the evolution of strings and piano in German chamber music by composers Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn. On July 6, the group presented “Falling Bodies,” an imagined meeting of the 17th-century “father of modern science” Galileo Galilei and 20th-century author of Survival at Auschwitz, Primo Levi. The show, written and directed by Jonathan Levi, with music by Bruce Saylor, incorporated actors and musicians and has been performed in both the U.S. and Italy.
July 7
Pilobolus
Pilobolus
Pilobolus, the innovative dance company that began in 1971 and continues to grow today, performed at ASU on July 7 for the first time since 2006, again to a sold-out crowd. The group is renowned for its unusual collaborative methods that draw from improvisation and creative play. Pilobolus was featured on CBS’ 60 Minutes in 2004, the 2007 Academy Awards hosted by Ellen Degeneres, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
July 11
Buckwheat Zydeco
Buckwheat Zydeco
The sounds of the swamp resounded at ASU when four-time Grammy nominee and Lafayette, La.-native Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural, Jr. took the stage on July 11. Courtesy of Buckwheat Zydeco’s exemplary accordion-playing and bandmates on keyboard, washboard, guitars and other instruments, the ASU audience enjoyed authentic zydeco music—a combination of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and blues, soul, rock, country and Cajun sounds. Buckwheat Zydeco has collaborated with musicians such as Eric Clapton and Mavis Staples and last thrilled the Boone audience with his energetic music in 2006.
July 17
Paula Poundstone
Paula Poundstone
Emmy Award-winner comedienne Paula Poundstone shared her quick wit and flawless comedic timing with a sold-out crowd at ASU on July 17. Among other noteworthy acclaim, Poundstone is an author, the star of several HBO comedy specials, her own TV show, a regular panelist on National Public Radio’s weekly news quiz program Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me and was the first woman to perform at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Poundstone’s well-received first appearance at ASU left many audience members in tears from laughing so hard.
July 23
Joan Baez
Joan Baez
For the past five decades, Joan Baez has left her mark on the country’s musical landscape, and she gave a passionate performance July 23 at ASU. From traditional ballads to blues to cowboy tunes to ethnic folk songs, Baez reflects the culture through song while fighting for human rights in the U.S. and in other countries around the world. Baez toured and recorded with Bob Dylan, had eight gold albums and six Grammy nominations and received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 from NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences). She stood by Nelson Mandela during his 90th birthday celebration in London, England, in 2008, and at her ASU performance, as is her trademark, demonstrated the heartfelt understanding of the human condition that makes her singing so poignant.
July 25
Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins
Audience members came to reminisce, to hear some favorite songs performed live and maybe even to listen to Kenny Loggins’ songs for the first time. But for whatever reason that motivated them, they came. More than 4,500 people attended the Kenny Loggins performance on July 25 that served as the finale for An Appalachian Summer Festival. With an adept band and back-up singers, Loggins performed selections from his vast repertoire, including “House at Pooh Corner,” Loggins and Messina classics and “Footloose,” which spent three weeks as No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in 1984. Loggins’ first appearance in Boone was received by an audience that did not hesitate to dance, cheer and sing along.
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