Punch Brothers and Sarah Jarosz to Play Celebrate Brooklyn!, 7/9

BRIC is pleased to announce that Punch Brothers will headline a free concert at the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival (Prospect Park Bandshell, 9th St. & Prospect Park West), which is presented by Squarespace, on Thursday, July 9. The concert, free to the public (with a suggested $3 contribution at the gate), begins at 7:30 P.M. with an opening performance by mandolin prodigy and singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz.

Punch Brothers, a virtuosic five-piece fronted by mandolin player Chris Thile, shifts its emphasis effortlessly "from instrumental wizardry to playful storytelling" (The New York Times). Their latest Nonesuch release, the T Bone Burnett-produced The Phosphorescent Blues, addresses with straight-up poignancy and subversive humor the power and the pitfalls of our super-connected era. Digitally fueled isolation may be a theme but this acoustic quintet offers its warmest, most emotive and elegantly melodic work to date - so invitingly human in its approach that it practically ushers the listener into the room as these guys assemble in front of a mic.

Since signing to Sugar Hill Records at age 16, Sarah Jarosz has barely stopped to catch her breath, even as she leaves audiences and critics alike breathless. Rolling Stone has compared her to Gillian Welch; Mojo labeled her a "newgrass prodigy" for her skills on the banjo, guitar and mandolin; and the New York Times heralded her as "one of acoustic music's finest talents," with songwriting chops to match her instrumental prowess.

DETAILS:

Punch Brothers / Sarah Jarosz
Where: Celebrate Brooklyn! at the Prospect Park Bandshell (Prospect Park West & 9th St., Brooklyn)
When: Thursday, July 9 at 7:30 P.M. (Gates open at 6:30 P.M.)
Admission: Free ($3 suggested donation)
More information: www.BRICartsmedia.org/cb or 718.683.5600

For more about the Punch Brothers, visit www.punchbrothers.com, and to find out about Sarah Jarosz, go to www.sarahjarosz.com.

About BRIC and the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival - Since its founding as a not-for-profit organization in 1979, BRIC has been the driving force behind a number of Brooklyn's most widely renowned and beloved arts and media programs. In the borough that is now this country's foremost creative hotbed, BRIC is unparalleled in its combination of artistic excellence, programmatic breadth and genuine accessibility.

BRIC presents performing arts (live music, dance and theater), contemporary art exhibitions and programs, and community media programs (Brooklyn Free Speech Television and Brooklyn Independent Media) that reflect Brooklyn's creativity and diversity. In 2013, BRIC inaugurated a new era of service to the borough when it opened BRIC House, a 40,000 square-foot arts and media facility located in the cultural hub of Downtown Brooklyn, featuring a flexible state-of-the-art performance space, a major contemporary art gallery, artist workspace, and multiple television and media production studios.

Emphasizing creative expression as varied and groundbreaking as the borough it serves, BRIC provides opportunities and platforms for Brooklyn artists and media makers to create and present new works. The organization champions the creativity of Brooklyn and work that expands the boundaries of artistic disciplines. BRIC's highly accessible exhibitions, performances, television programs and educational programs serve more than one million Brooklyn residents each year.

The Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival is BRIC's flagship performing arts program. Launched by BRIC in 1979 as a catalyst for a burgeoning Brooklyn performing arts scene, and to bring people back into Prospect Park after years of neglect, Celebrate Brooklyn! was an early anchor in the park's revitalization and has become Brooklyn's foremost summer cultural attraction. Over its history, the festival has presented over 2,000 artists, from emerging innovators to internationally established performers. Since 2011, BRIC has also produced a lively series of Celebrate Brooklyn! dance parties in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Celebrate Brooklyn's Executive Producer is Jack Walsh. The Festival's Artistic Director is Rachel Chanoff. Leslie Schultz is the President of BRIC.

For more information, visit www.BRICartsmedia.org.