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INDIANA UNIVERSITY AND THE CITY OF BLOOMINGTON
TO PRESENT STONESONG, A NEW SUMMER ARTS FESTIVAL
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Bloomington has added a festive new item to its well-established cultural menu. Indiana University President Myles Brand and Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez announce StoneSong: The Bloomington Summer Festival for the Arts, July 1-3, 1999.
By day, StoneSong will offer free workshops, campus and city tours, lectures, and exhibits for children and adults. By night, an array of classical, jazz, country, blues, folk, world and other popular music can be seen and heard live, by nationally known musical artists as well as our area's leading entertainers.
Scheduled performers include:
-- Six-time Grammy-nominated Kronos Quartet, voted Best New Music Ensemble, 1997.
-- Delta Bluesman David "Honeyboy" Edwards, a vocalist/steel guitarist in his 80s, who is a 1999 inductee of the Blues Hall of Fame.
-- Grammy award-winning Ramblin' Jack Elliott, who learned folk music from Woody Guthrie and passed it on to Bob Dylan. Along with folk, Elliott embraces blues, country and western.
-- Kelly Willis, the Rykodisk recording artist earning top national reviews for her latest country-blues-infused CD, "What I Deserve."
-- Mercury recording artist Laura Love, known for her own "Afro-Celtic" style, a successful marriage of African/Caribbean rhythms and intriguing harmonies.
A variety of other performing artists, including Bloomington's own Poetry Society and modern dance troupe Windfall Dancers, will round out the festival line-up.
"This festival is the perfect blend of all of our community's resources," Fernandez says, "and what we are seeing in StoneSong is the making of a world-class arts festival for the entire region to enjoy."
Brand says he is impressed with the festival's eclectic offerings. "For a community accustomed to leading talent, from our own world-renowned School of Music to the rich local arts scene, StoneSong will be a welcome addition to our cultural calendars. This festival offers something for everyone -- great music, great arts and a community eager to share it. We can't miss," says Brand.
In addition to its entertaining and educational components, StoneSong is expected to impact the area economically. The Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau reports that overnight visitors to this area spend an average of $120 per person daily; and according to Americans for the Arts, cultural tourists spend 50 percent more than other tourists.
One of the most ardent supporters of StoneSong is Coach Bob Knight, who contributed $100,000 to help the festival get started.
"I am pleased to lend my support to this premiere music and arts festival," Knight says. "I see StoneSong as an investment that will provide substantial dividends to the community and region for many years. This event has legacy written all over it, and I'm happy to be a part of it from the very beginning."
Families are encouraged to bring a picnic blanket, food and beverages (no glass bottles). Refreshments also will be available for sale at Woodlawn Field, the event site. Tickets are $5 per day or $10 for a three-day pass and are available at TicketMaster and at the IU Auditorium Box Office. Children 12 and under will be admitted with the donation of a nonperishable food item to benefit Hoosier Hills Food Bank. For more information, call 812-856-FEST; send an e-mail to festival@indiana.edu; or visit our Web site at http://stonesong.indiana.edu
In addition to StoneSong, Raymond Lepard, musical director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, will conduct the IU School of Music's Summer Festival Orchestra on July 1 at 8 p.m. at the Musical Arts Center. Call 812-855-7433 for tickets. The weekend will culminate with the traditional Bloomington Pops Orchestra's "Picnic at the Pops" concert on July 4 at 7 p.m. For details, call 812-336-8747.
(DeAnna Hines, 812-855-0850, djhines@indiana.edu)