Defiance College Schomburg Series
to open 33rd Season

Note: Location for the Sept. 23, Neil Jacobs and American Gypsy performance has been changed to the Schomburg Auditorium on the Defiance College campus. The event will still be held at 7:00 p.m.

The Defiance College 2008-09 Schomburg Series will bring another diverse and exciting slate of performers to the campus and community as it kicks off its 33rd season. This season will delight audiences with its variety, featuring components of gypsy, jazz, swing, Celtic music, and folk and contemporary ballads.

The season opens with Neil Jacobs and American Gypsy on Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. in the Arts and Media Center, downtown Defiance. Internationally acclaimed 12-string guitarist / composer Neil Jacobs, Ukrainian master violinist Arkadiy Gips, and award-winning bassist Steven Fox form this soulful, high-energy Gypsy “power trio.” American Gypsy has thrilled and mesmerized audiences across the United States and Europe as they transform Gypsy, jazz, and world folk into intriguing new American music. The performance is co-sponsored by The Hubbard Company.

Dwight Lennox and Orchestra will shine on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the Historic Valentine Theater, downtown Defiance. His impeccable instincts and mellow sound have garnered the attention of some of the finest musicians in the industry, including Sammy Tucker, Hank Marr, and Harold Jones. Dwight’s fluid style lends itself to a vast repertoire from Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, James Ingram, Stevie Wonder, Lou Rawls and many more. But his raw abilities are uniquely evidenced in his performance of original music.

Performing on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. in Schomburg Auditorium is Lee Murdock. He has uncovered a boundless body of music and stories in the Great Lakes. There is an amazing timelessness in his music. The music is grounded in the work song tradition, from the rugged days of lumberjacks and wooden sailing schooners. Lee’s fans have discovered a sweetwater treasure in his songs about the Great Lakes, lives of sailors and fishermen, lighthouse keepers, ghosts, shipwrecks, outlaws and everyday heroes.

One of the hottest bands on the traditional Celtic music scene will be performing on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 7 p.m.  in Schomburg Auditorium. The David Munnelly Band’s exciting sextet combines button accordion, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, piano, bodhrán and flute for a high-spirited instrumental sound colored with a bit of jazz and ragtime, topped with the singing of All-Ireland champion Shauna Mullin and the extraordinary percussive dancing of American Nic Gareiss. “The Irish band to see” (Irish Voice) has won special acclaim for incorporating the sound of the 1920s and 1930s and such bands from that era as the Flanagan Brothers with its traditional roots. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these outstanding Irish musicians.

Ernie Hawkins closes the 2008-09 Schomburg Series on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 7 p.m. in the Schomburg Auditorium. For many years Ernie Hawkins has been playing concerts, clubs, blues and folk festivals, workshops, colleges, museums, parties, fist fights and millennium celebrations in the United States, Canada, Japan and Europe. “Ernie Hawkins is an important link in the unbroken chain of blues and gospel artists. His guitaristry and love of the style is incomparable. From the Rev. Gary Davis into the future with his own style Ernie is one of the special ones!” acclaimed legendary guitarist Jorma Kaukonen.

Potential season ticket holders will be receiving a brochure in the mail. Season tickets may also be ordered online at www.defiance.edu/pages/schomburg.html. Individual performance tickets are also available at the door.

Support for this year’s Schomburg Series is provided in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Hubbard Company, Time Warner Cable, and radio stations WDFM, WZOM, WNDH and WONW.

Posted August 29, 2008