UNC Asheville Kicks off 23rd Annual Concerts on the Quad Series June 6;
Rich Willey & Company Heads Lineup

UNC Asheville will kick off its 23rd annual Concerts on the Quad summer music series at 7 p.m. Monday, June 6, with a big band performance by Rich Willey & Company. The concerts, which are free and open to the public, will be held on UNC Asheville’s Quad Mondays through July 11. In addition, the only Asheville performances of Folkmoot USA will be held on July 23-24. Folkmoot is a ticketed event.

Concerts on the Quad is fun for the entire family. The public is invited to bring picnics, blankets and lawn chairs. Sorry, no pets allowed. With nearly 3,000 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. Café a la Quad will sell sandwiches, wraps, fruit, snacks, beverages, desserts and ice cream from 6-8 p.m.

In case of rain, the concerts will be held in Lipinsky Auditorium. No food will be served at the rain location. Location decisions will be made at 5 p.m. the day of the show. Patrons may call 828/232-5000 after 5:15 p.m. to hear a recorded announcement about the location of that evening’s performance.

The June 6 concert will feature the big band sounds of Rich Willey & Company beginning at 7 p.m. The Reuter Center Community Chorus will perform as the opening act at 6:30 p.m. Willey, a talented trumpeter, has performed with a long list of legends, including Maynard Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Rosemary Clooney and Mel Torme. Willey is director of the Spartanburg Jazz Ensemble and is a UNC Asheville adjunct music instructor. He will be joined in concert by Matt Olson on tenor saxophone, Rick Simerly on trombone, Aimee Sullivan on alto saxophone, Richard Shulman on piano, Mike Holstein on bass, Byron Hedgepeth on drums, Ozzie Orengo on percussion and guest vocalist Bruce Lang.

Other concerts in the series include:

June 13 – A Russian musical odyssey awaits concert-goers at the second installment in the series. Russian folk singer Jamuna will perform as the opening act from 7-7:30 p.m. Moscow Nights will then take center stage. This Russian trio performs authentic folk music and is being heralded as one of the fastest rising folk groups in the United States. Their repertoire ranges from gently humorous songs to elaborate lyrics centered on the masterpieces of Russian folklore.

June 20 – The Biscuit Burners will perform their own unique version of traditional old time and bluegrass music. Based in Asheville, this four-piece band has taken home top prizes from the International Bluegrass Music Association, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, the Mountain State Fair and the National Dobro Competition.

June 27 – Widely heralded vocalist Kendra Shank will present an evening of jazz standards. This New York artist has been praised as “supremely talented, innovative and at the same time readily accessible” by the Village Voice. TIME magazine has urged listeners to “get in on the ground floor: this lady is going up.”

July 4 – Yawo will perform danceable West African tunes for this Independence Day concert. Yawo incorporates Afropop, beat, funk and reggae for a blend called “refreshingly upbeat” by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Led by Yawo Attivor, a native of Togo, West Africa, this ethnically and culturally diverse band brings a new perspective to modern music.

July 11 – Christine Kane, one of Asheville’s finest singer-songwriters, will be joined by friends for a rousing concert. Kane has released five CDs on her own label and is gaining critical acclaim nationwide. Her album “Rain & Mud & Wild & Green” was named “Best of 2003” in the folk category by Borders Books & Music. Kane has performed with a wide range of musicians, including Los Lobos, Nanci Griffith, John Mayer, Shawn Colvin and John Gorka.

July 23-24 – The 22nd annual Folkmoot USA festival, a ticketed event, features folk dance, music and culture from around the world. Patterned after classic European festivals, performers from around the globe will share their cultural heritage through colorful costumes and traditional music and dance. These performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. General admission tickets will be available for purchase after May 31 at the Folkmoot USA office in Waynesville, online at www.folkmoot.com or by phone at 828/452-2997.  

For more information about the series, call UNC Asheville’s Special Events Box Office at 828/232-5000 or visit the Concerts on the Quad Web site at www.unca.edu/summerquad/.

Media Contacts:

• Barbara Halton-Subkis, UNC Asheville Office of Cultural and Special Events Director, 828/251-6674
• Jill Yarnall, UNC Asheville Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526