UNC Asheville’s popular Concerts on the Quad outdoor entertainment series returns for its 19th season Mondays June 4-July 9. This year’s diverse line up includes fun for the entire family, including puppetry, music and poetry.

The six free concerts will be held on the UNCA quadrangle and in Lipinsky Auditorium. The public is invited to bring picnics, blankets and lawn chairs. With between 500 and 2,000 people attending each concert, lawn-chair seating will be separate from blanket seating in order to preserve sight lines; please look for signage when arriving on the quad. In case of rain, the concerts will be held in Lipinsky Auditorium.

* The series opens with two indoor performances by the Hobey Ford Puppet Theatre at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. June 4, in Lipinsky Auditorium. There is limited seating for each performance. Ford, winner of puppetry’s highest honor, the UNIMA Citation of Excellence and recipient of three Jim Henson Foundation grants, is known for excellence in puppetry performance and craft. Adapting folk tales from various cultures, Ford uses his own voice to bring life to these enchanting stories while incorporating a variety of puppetry styles.

* Husband and wife duo Al Petteway and Amy White take the stage at 7 p.m. June 11, on the main quad. Petteway’s guitar and vocal styles are strongly influenced by his love of Celtic music and his roots in folk, rock and blues, while White’s unique approach to composition reflects a combination of classical, jazz, folk and world music. Together, their performances have won critical acclaim and a number of awards.

* The MagDaddy’s, Asheville’s newest swing sensation, will have the audience dancing at 7 p.m. June 18. This group of six talented musicians, including a full horn section, plays toe-tapping swing and jump favorites from the Stray Cats, Elvis, B.B. King, James Brown, Louis Prima and others.

* Roger Day embodies zany, infectious fun through his action-packed, chart-topping tunes. Taking center stage at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. June 25, Day promises to put smiles on the faces of children of all ages with songs like "Jump Up & Turn Around" and "Mosquito Burrito." Roger, a veteran of the college and children’s show circuit, was recently awarded the prestigious Harry Chapin Award for Contributions to Humanity in recognition of the many pro bono shows he performs each season.

* The Asheville Civic Orchestra will jumpstart Independence Day celebrations with a patriotic, light classics and pop repertoire at 7 p.m. July 2. Under the direction of Ronald D. Clearfield, this 60-piece orchestra is composed of Asheville-area semi-professional and amateur classical musicians.

* The season’s finale brings blues guitar master Scott Ainslie and compelling professional poet Glenis Redmond to center stage at 7 p.m. July 9. Described as a magnificent musician and a mesmerizing historian, Ainslie’s music presents the African roots and American diversity of North Carolina’s own Piedmont blues style. Redmond brings her poetry to life, making words dance, sing, weep and laugh as they tell tales from her life, her family and her African American heritage. After individual performances, Ainslie and Redmond will join to perform selections from their recent production, "Southern Voices: Black, White and Blues."

For more information about the Concerts on the Quad series, call the UNCA Office of Student Life at 828/251-6584 or click here.