Defiance College 2011-2012 Schomburg Series Begins September 13th

DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College Schomburg Series celebrates its 36th year of unparalleled entertainment with a diverse line-up of artists including past favorites Neil Jacobs and Robin Spielberg. The season kicks off during the campus’s Homecoming Week activities.

Nicholas Barron’s American folk music and blues performance will be the first performance of the season for the Schomburg Series. A guitarist based in Chicago, Barron was discovered by commercial jingle house producer Manny Mendelsohn. Soon, many major commercial houses were hiring Nicholas as well. All the while, Nicholas was also performing five to seven nights a week around town playing his original music. Barron has opened for Al Green, BB King, Joan Armatrading, Johnny Cash, War, Average White Band, Michael Bolton, Charlie Hunter, Medeski Martin and Wood, Karl Denson and Buddy Guy.

Barron will perform in the McCann Lounge of Hubbard Hall at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13. He will also be presenting a painting workshop in the Art Department on Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Hotlanta, a six-piece band from Atlanta, delights audiences with an experience that is every bit of the joy, energy, and humor of early American Jazz called Dixieland. Using clarinet, cornet, trombone, banjo, tuba and drums, they bring to life old favorites like “Royal Garden Blues,” “South,” “Riverboat Shuffle,” “Fidgety Feet,” and of course, the classic, “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In.” Palmer Wood, in Atlanta’s Highpoint Magazine calls Hotlanta “a trip to New Orleans without the hangover!”

Hotlanta will perform in Schomburg Auditorium on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 8:15 p.m. This performance is co-sponsored by the Defiance Community Cultural Council (DCCC) as part of its Mark Moats Ford Sundays at the Center. Series sponsors are The State Bank and Trust Company, Renovators, Inc. and Service master, and the event sponsor is Chief Supermarkets. Presale tickets may be purchased in advance for $8.00 at the following locations: Kissner’s, Defiance Public Library, and Defiance Development and Visitors Bureau.

Garnering rave reviews throughout Ohio and the surrounding states, Neil Jacobs and Lone Raven perform an eclectic blend of traditional music from various areas of the world, as well as their own original compositions. With more than 20 instruments on stage, the band soars through everything from fiery Irish reels to Gypsy fiddle tunes. It is no wonder that Lone Raven is considered one of the region’s most “in-demand” acts.

Neil Jacobs and Lone Raven will perform in Schomburg Auditorium on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m.

One of the most exciting new bands to emerge on the national bluegrass scene in the new millennium, NewFound Road specializes in a powerfully streamlined sound delivered with heartfelt honesty and passion. The band’s three equally capable, yet distinct vocalists, who are also formidable instrumentalists and songwriters, ensure that each song is executed with both emotion and precision - be it a bluesy solo vocal, soaring three part harmony or a solemn a cappella gospel treatment. Instrumentally, NFR is a role model for the modern self-contained bluegrass ensemble, providing both sympathetic accompaniment and thrilling, hard-driving solos. NewFound Road is contemporary bluegrass at its most soulful and sincere.

NewFound Road will perform in Schomburg Auditorium on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m.

The final performance of the season will be Robin Spielberg, one of America`s most beloved pianist/composers. With an impressive tour schedule and hundreds of thousands of recordings sold, this Steinway Artist has been winning the hearts of listeners around the world with her compelling melodies and sensitive piano technique since debuting her first recording of original solos for piano, “Heal of the Hand”.

Robin Spielberg will perform on Tuesday, March 27, at 7 p.m. in Schomburg Auditorium.

Defiance College, chartered in 1850, is an independent, liberal arts institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. The college website is www.defiance.edu.

August 16, 2011