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 As the Summer Breeze Concert season draws to a close, Winter Wind Concerts are gearing up at the Performing Arts Studio. The intimate concerts in Norman’s historic train depot will warm hearts with music from some of the nation’s best singer-songwriters. Complimentary refreshments add to the ambiance of the Sunday evening concerts, all of which begin at 7:00 pm. Ticket prices vary with the artist.
The season begins October 4 and 5 with a special treat from Ellis Paul who, in addition to offering two adult concerts, will present a Family Concert on Sunday afternoon. Songs from Paul’s "Parent’s Choice Silver Honor Award" winning children’s CD, Dragonfly Races, will delight adults and children alike. The Family Concert begins at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $5 for children and $10 for adults. The Saturday and Sunday evening concerts by this much loved artist are $20. Paul, a Maine native currently living in Virginia, has made a name for himself in Oklahoma as he has been a regular at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival since its inception in 1998 and has even been given a key to the city of Okemah. October 26 brings Terri Hendrix with Lloyd Maines ($20.) Terri, a San Antonio native, is a highly regarded singer/songwriter who has garnered rave reviews in Rolling Stone. Maines, who frequently tours with her, happens to be the father of Dixie Chicks Natalie Maines.
Tracy Grammer follows on November 9th ($10.) Joan Baez has called her a brilliant artist. Born in Florida and raised in California, Tracy is a gifted multi-instrumentalist and singer. The Boston Globe has called her “one of the finest pure musicians anywhere in folkdom.”
December 7, Slaid Cleaves will perform ($20.) Originally from Maine, Cleaves now resides in Texas. Entertainment Weekly has written that “Cleaves tells gorgeously compact stories in a voice packed with Texas trail dust.” He writes songs that capture the essential struggle of us all in a way that no one else has really done before.
After the holiday blues can be washed away by listening to the blues as only Watermelon Slim can play and sing them. Slim takes the stage -- solo -- on January 11 ($15.)
Don’t miss local favorite Mary Reynolds, joined by Emily Kaitz and Louise Goldberg on January 25 ($10.) The Tulsa World wrote that “Mary Reynolds has the most beautiful voice in the world.” Mary and Louise play with the jazz band Miss Brown to You and the vocal group the Sisters of Swing. Emily writes humorous original songs about a variety of subjects in diverse musical styles from folk to country and beyond.
February 8 brings Radoslav Lorkovic with his keyboard and accordion. “Rad” was a hit as a guest performer with Ellis Paul last year ($10.) You can’t help but love him. He is known in the singer/songwriter music world as the “Croatian Sensation” Radoslav draws from a multitude of musical influences ranging from classical, jazz and blues to folk.
Indiana native Carrie Newcomer will brighten the stage on February 22 ($20.) Her songs urge listeners to discover beauty in the ordinary, to expect miracles in common places, and to slow down and reflect as to what makes life extraordinary. Her voice has been described as being “as rich as Godiva chocolate.”
Peter Mayer, Minnesota’s folk hero, returns to the Depot after many requests from audience members who were enthralled when he performed his first Winter Wind concert. He closes out the season on March 22, ($15.) His guitar playing is amazing, his lyrics moving, his voice soothes the soul. His songs are full of vivid imagery and are both humorous and profound.
Winter Wind chair Becky Grider says “This season’s line-up is a nice blend of returning performers who have graced the stage at the Depot previously to sold out shows, and artists we will be hosting for the first time. Many of our attendees do let us know who they would like to see return and we do try to book some of these artists again, yet we want to bring new performers to Norman as well. Our artists are a diverse group and are from all over the country. I’m very excited about our line-up this year.”
To purchase tickets, or to get further information about The Performing Arts Studio programs, call 405-307-9320. Online ticket sales through OKCTickets are available now on this website - click here. PAS members receive a 10% discount on Winter Wind tickets. Office and gallery hours are 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM Tuesday through Friday and 1:00 to 5:00 on Sunday.
Winter Wind Concerts are made possible in part with grants from the Norman Arts Council, Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from sponsors: Tom McAuliffe of Don Cies Real Estate, Mark and Teresa Marsee of Avanti Skin Care, Therapy in Motion and Nancy McClellan. Skye Diers of Gingerbread Nursery School, Becky Grider and Danna Primm also provide funding. Residence Inn by Marriott provides in-kind support. |
