South Bend Civic Theatre to Welcome Michael J. Miles, 5/29-30

South Bend Civic Theatre welcomes master banjo player Michael J. Miles for one weekend only May 29-30, as he performs an evening of music and memories of the American experience.

From Senegal to Seeger: Stories of the American Banjo is Michael J. Miles' acclaimed show featuring musical and written works by Pete Seeger, Carl Sandburg, Woody Guthrie, Walt Whitman, Johann Sebastian Bach, Mark Twain and others.

Protest, passion, politics and poetry - the banjo is the voice of the people and From Senegal to Seeger unshackles that voice. From Senegal to Seeger is a journey through Americana - a social and political portrait of America through the eyes of the banjo.

In this 90-minute tour-de-force, Michael performs on seven banjos, playing music that spans 300 years and charts the transformation of the banjo from an African instrument to the quintessential expression of the American voice.

Protest songs, fiddle tunes, minstrel sounds - a dazzling array of banjo playing forms the backbone of From Senegal to Seeger, but it is the poetic words of participants and Michael's masterfully woven narrative that complete this portrait of the American experience.

From Senegal to Seeger: Stories of the American Banjo is presented in the Wilson Theatre at South Bend Civic Theatre, 403 N. Main Street in South Bend. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased by calling 574-234-1112 or at sbct.org. Performance times are 7:30 PM Friday and Saturday.

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