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Press Release
NEWS RELEASE
DATE: Dec. 31, 2007
CONTACT: Kim I. Plyler (610) 332-1300, Ext. 333 (kplyler@fest.org)
MUSIKFEST ANNOUNCES 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION;
FESTIVAL UNVEILS OFFICIAL 2008 ARTWORK;
BANANA FACTORY CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF COMMUNITY ARTS
BETHLEHEM, PA—A new singer-songwriter stage, a free music workshop series, special activities honoring Musikfest’s 25-year volunteers and more highlight the special events and attractions being planned to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the festival in 2008 and its theme, “The Art of Musik.”
“When the first Musikfest was presented in 1984, no one had any idea how popular the event would become and how much it would mean to Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley,” said ArtsQuest President Jeff Parks. “Over the past 25 years, the festival has received tremendous support from the entire community, including area businesses and sponsors, performers, our thousands of dedicated volunteers and, of course, millions of patrons.
“This year’s celebration is our way of saying ‘Thank You’ to everyone who has played a role in making the event so successful, and it is a way to reflect on 25 years of great music, art and family fun. We’re hoping that Musikfest 2008 is an event that many people will remember for a long time.”
The 2008 theme, “The Art of Musik,” is designed to explore the many elements that make up music, from the instruments to the songs to the performers themselves. One of the ways the festival is highlighting the theme is by adding a new Singer-Songwriter Stage on Main Street.
“We want to showcase what is at the heart of music, and so we decided to celebrate the singer-songwriter,” said ArtsQuest Director of Performing Arts Patrick Brogan. “Each year we receive hundreds of applications from talented singer-songwriters. We felt that we really need to showcase more of this incredible talent that is out there. The new stage will provide us with the opportunity to do so.”
The Singer-Songwriter Stage, the first new stage at Musikfest since Plaza Tropical in 2000, will feature local, regional and national blues, folk and rock acts playing every hour on the hour each day the festival is open. Just one example of the many performers who will take stage is Susie Keynes, vocalist and songwriter for the popular Australian folk-rock band Fruit, which is a favorite of many Musikfest fans.
Another new component to Musikfest will be the “Art of Musik Workshops” series at Peter Hall on Moravian College’s Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus. The workshops, which are free and open to the public, will take place at 1 p.m. daily Aug. 2-10.
Each Art of Music Workshop will focus on a different musical style or musical instrument. Performances are designed to give the causal fan, as well as the diehard music aficionado, an intimate look at a performer and how he or she creates her music. Two of the performers scheduled to perform in the series are pianist Leon Bates, who will take the stage Aug. 4 for “The Art of the Piano,” and guitarist Ernie Hawkins, who will discuss “The Art of Piedmont Guitar” Aug. 2.
As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, Musikfest is also welcoming back some past Musikfest favorites. One such group is legendary rock act Jethro Tull, which will return to the Musikfest RiverPlace main stage Aug. 7.
Led by charismatic frontman Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull has sold some 60 million albums and performed more than 2,500 concerts in 40 countries during its career. The Grammy Award-winning band, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2008, is making its second visit to Musikfest, having performed to a sold-out RiverPlace crowd in August 2003.
Tickets for the Jethro Tull show and all other announced Musikfest concerts will go on sale beginning in April.
In addition to celebrating the diversity of music and art that makes Musikfest special to so many people, ArtsQuest will pay tribute to another of its incredible resources - its volunteers. Special honors will go to the handful of individuals who have shared their time and talents at all 25 festivals since 1984.
“Although we have nearly 2,000 volunteers annually, there are less than 35 who have volunteered every year Musikfest has been held,” said ArtsQuest Director of Community Resources Karen DeLuca. “During the festival, we’ll be recognizing our dedicated 25-year volunteers with special events, a collectible 25-year volunteer pin and more.”
Musikfest 2008 is set for Aug. 1-10 in historic Bethlehem. The festival, which is presented by ArtsQuest, features more than 500 musical performances on 14 indoor and outdoor stages, as well as a wide variety of food, children’s activities, visual arts and crafts and a closing-night fireworks spectacular. The event is supported by more than 140 sponsors annually. Returning sponsors in 2008 include Sands BethWorks, 6abc, 69-WFMZ-TV, 99.9 The Hawk, Coca-Cola Bottling Company of the Lehigh Valley and more.
For more information on Musikfest, visit www.musikfest.org or call 610-332-FEST.
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MUSIKFEST UNVEILS OFFICIAL 2008 ARTWORK
Vibrant colors, cascading musical notes and swirling artwork blend together to pay tribute to 25 years of music and art in “The Art of Musik,” the official Musikfest 2008 poster artwork designed by Saraceno Design Inc. of Bethlehem.
“The Art of Music,” which was created by Saraceno artist/designer Stacie Pearson, combines elements of both art and music while featuring a musician playing a trumpet amid a colorful, canvas-like background. Saraceno Design principal John Saraceno said he hopes that the poster appeals to a wide variety of people, just as Musikfest has done over the past 25 years.
“We chose a more subjective representation of the theme “The Art of Musik” because art and music tend to be interpreted differently depending on the individual,” Pearson said. “We were looking for imagery that conveys a specific message, but which was subjective enough to allow room for individual interpretation.”
Saraceno Design Inc., which is located at 26 E. Third St. in Bethlehem, was founded in 1983. Guided by John Saraceno, it delivers fresh and relevant creative services and project management for companies, corporations and nonprofit organizations. The 2008 Musikfest artwork is the third done by the design firm, which also created the official Musikfest posters in 1994 and 1995.
“The Art of Musik” poster will be available for purchase on the Musikfest website, www.musikfest.org, and at the Gallery Shoppe at the Banana Factory, 25 W. Third St., Bethlehem, beginning April 1.
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BANANA FACTORY CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF COMMUNITY ARTS
The coming year is a special one for ArtsQuest’s Banana Factory, as the Bethlehem-based art center celebrates 10 years of dynamic community arts programming in 2008.
Opened in January 1998, the Banana Factory features 28 studio artists, the GlassWorks glass studio, Olympus Digital Imaging Center, community classrooms and the Gallery Shoppe. Dedicated to promoting and sharing the visual arts with people from all walks of life, the art center reaches out to more than 40,000 people annually, including more than 20,000 students, via its diverse outreach programs, arts-in-education programs, exhibitions, classes and workshops.
The Banana Factory’s 10th Anniversary festivities get underway at the February First Friday celebration, 6-9 p.m. Feb. 1, when the art center will serve up a slice of birthday cake to everyone who enters its doors.
In April and May, Native American artist John Fitzgerald Toya, the Banana Factory’s artist in residence in spring 2005, will return to the Lehigh Valley for an artist’s residency during which he will visit area schools to share his art, his heritage and his culture. Toya, the artist of the Musikfest 2005 artwork, will also have an exhibition at the Banana Factory and demonstrate traditional American Indian dances during his residency.
Other special 10th Anniversary events include a raku demonstration at the March 7 First Friday and art demonstrations at the Nov. 7 First Friday by the students participating the Banana Factory’s B-Smart after-school enrichment program. The 2008 gallery schedule features 15 different exhibitions, including solo shows by former United Nations photographer John Isaac and fiber artist Ted Hallman, who is represented in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
For more information on the Banana Factory and its 10th anniversary events and exhibitions, please visit www.bananafactory.org.
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