Tim O'Brien News

The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center announced the 2017-18 Bemis Company Education Series last night to a group of educators attending from throughout Northeast Wisconsin.

Stone is the consummate collaborator, unearthing musical artifacts and magnetizing extraordinary artists to help rekindle these understudied sounds. He is a passionate educator and producer.

Danny Barnes is already known as an iconic American musician, a banjo playing innovator who's earned high praise from everybody from Bill Frisell and Dave Matthews to Steve Martin, who presented Danny with the Prize for Excellence in Banjo in 2015. From the days with his groundbreaking Austin band, the Bad Livers, to his two decade solo career experimenting with electronic music, jazz, old time string band music and more, he's a genre bending, rule breaking original who prefers to color outside the lines.

The Steel Wheels and the Red Wing Roots Music Festival are pleased to announce a fifth consecutive year of great music and great fun at Natural Chimneys Park in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. This year's music festival will be held from July 14-16, 2017.

Danny Barnes is already known as an iconic American musician, a banjo playing innovator who's earned high praise from everybody from Bill Frisell and Dave Matthews to Steve Martin, who presented Danny with the Prize for Excellence in Banjo in 2015.

Stone is the consummate collaborator, unearthing musical artifacts and magnetizing extraordinary artists to help rekindle these understudied sounds. He is a passionate educator and producer.

David Bromberg, a godfather of Americana music, award-winning multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, gifted song interpreter and lauded bandmate pays a return visit to the South Orange Performing Arts Center on May 11 at 7:30 p.m., along with his quintet.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2017, Irish super group Lunasa gives a festive performance at Carnegie Hall on Friday, March 3 at 8:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall. The concert features singer Karan Casey, one of the most innovative and provocative voices in Irish folk music today.

BOSTON, Nov. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has acquired Imagine, a picture book featuring the lyrics of John Lennon's iconic song and illustrated by the award-winning artist Jean Jullien. The book follows a young pigeon on a journey to spread a message of peace and tolerance and will be published in partnership with Amnesty International, the human rights organization, which has more than eight million supporters worldwide. Amnesty will receive a portion of the proceeds from every copy of the book sold.

Having introduced thousands to the delights of all styles of fiddle music, supergroup Childsplay returns to the Northeast for a limited run of performances this November.  Childsplay, a who's who of more than two dozen virtuoso fiddlers, will present an all-new production with special guest vocalist Karan Casey. Tickets are now on sale for concerts at the Harwich Center in Cape Cod, Symphony Space in New York, Portland High School Auditorium in Portland, Maine and at the Somerville Theatre in Somerville, MA at www.Childsplay.org

Curious George, the iconic character adored by kids and grownups alike, is celebrating his 75th birthday on Sept. 17, popularly known as Curiosity Day.

NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt(HMH) announced today that it will publish Tools of Titansby #1 New York Times bestselling author Tim Ferriss on Dec. 6, 2016.

Bayou 'n Brooklyn and Jalopy Theatre bring local talent together with an amazing line-up of Louisiana musicians for three full days of music, dance, workshops, community jam sessions, and food in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Louisiana-born Courtney Granger and Blake Miller are this year's headliners, and to welcome back long time supporter of the festival, Jesse Lege. Also in this year's line-up are Amelia Biere and Darren Wallace. The celebration kicks off with dance hall bands on Friday May 13, 2016 at 8pm, and the party continues until late Sunday night May 15, 2016. This three-day festival takes place at Jalopy Music Theatre (315 Columbia Street, Between Hamilton & Woodhull, Brooklyn, NY 11231). Three-day Weekend Passes are available for $60, and attendees may participate in music workshops in guitar, Cajun Song, Country Song, Cajun fiddle, Cajun accordion and bass for $30 each. Admission for day passes ranges from $25 to $35. For more information and to purchase workshop tickets, visit http://shop.jalopy.biz/product-p/sh-051316.htm.

Singer Kaitlyn Baker, who has been attracting attention since the release of her singles “Burn” and “Coal Train,” will bring her “coal country” style of music to the WDVX “Blue Plate Special” in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, March 16. The program broadcasts Monday through Saturday in front of a live audience at the Knoxville Visitors Center.

Scot Copeland, longtime producing artistic director of Nashville Children's Theatre and one of the world's leading proponents of theater for younger audiences, died during the overnight hours of February 25 from an apparent heart attack. He is survived by his wife, Rene Dunshee Copeland, producing artistic director of Nashville Repertory Theatre, his two sons, many family members and countless 'chosen family' and friends all over the world.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, and Blue Star Families, the country's largest chapter-based military families non-profit organization, are pleased to announce the second round of the Blue Star Theatres Grant Program. Through support from MetLife Foundation, the Grant Program will fund efforts that deepen the relationship between participating Blue Star Theatres and their local military community: veterans, children of active duty military, military spouses and/or active duty military. Each theatre will receive $5,000 to support activities that can include talkbacks, outreach programs, sponsored tickets, performances, playwriting workshops, readings, and workshops that focus on military themes and service.

Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD) announced Grant Hier, Chair of Liberal Arts and Art History, has been nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize.

Joshua Davis, one of the finalists from 'The Voice', will perform a solo concert at a benefit for St. Cecilia Music Center on Sunday, October 4th. The benefit concert will help raise funds to support St. Cecilia as the official ArtPrize music hub. Opening acts for the benefit concert include local folk rock veterans Troll for Trout and bluegrass favorites Fauxgrass Quartet.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced today that it will publish the debut book by HGTV reality stars Jonathan and Drew Scott-known as the Property Brothers. The book, entitled Dream Home: The Property Brothers' Ultimate Guide to Finding & Fixing Your Perfect House and based on the brothers' hugely popular home improvement television programs, will be released in April 2016.

A radical new portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been commissioned by Royal Northern Sinfonia, to reflect what they and their Music Director Lars Vogt see as the 'true' face of a composer we all think we know.  “Somehow we've come to think of his music as pretty, brilliant and maybe even a little two-dimensional,” says Vogt, lamenting what he calls the 'chocolate box' idea of Mozart, “But in fact the more you listen to him the more you realise that we've got him wrong. That music is often dramatic, daring, edgy and, yes, dark, and those qualities must have been there in the man.”