Since its inception in 1985, the Turtle Island Quartet has been a singular force in the creation of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. Winner of the 2006 and 2008 Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover Album, TIQ fuses the classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles, and by devising a performance practice that honors both, the state of the art has inevitably been redefined. Cellist nonpareil Yo-Yo Ma has proclaimed TIQ to be “a unified voice that truly breaks new ground – authentic and passionate – a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today.” The Quartet’s birth was the result of violinist David Balakrishnan’s brainstorming explorations and compositional vision while completing his master’s degree program at Antioch University West. The journey has taken Turtle Island through forays into folk, bluegrass, swing, be-bop, funk, R&B, new age, rock, hip-hop, as well as music of Latin America and India…a repertoire consisting of hundreds of ingenious arrangements and originals. As Turtle Island members continue to refine their skills through the development of repertory by some of today’s cutting-edge composers, through performances and recordings with major symphonic ensembles, and through a determined educational commitment, the Turtle Island Quartet stakes …
Tony DeSare
Tony DeSare performs with infectious joy, wry playfulness, and robust musicality. Named Rising Star Male Vocalist in Downbeat magazine, DeSare has lived up to this distinction by winning critical and popular acclaim for his concert performances throughout North America and abroad. From jazz clubs to Carnegie Hall to Las Vegas and headlining major symphony orchestras, DeSare has brought his fresh take on old school class around the globe. DeSare has four top ten Billboard jazz albums under his belt and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, NPR, A Prairie Home Companion, The Today Show, and his music has been posted by social media celebrity juggernaut, George Takei. DeSare has also collaborated with YouTube supergroup Postmodern Jukebox. He has been a featured guest artist with over 100 symphony orchestras with some highlights including the Cleveland Orchestra, The New York Pops, The San Francisco Symphony, The Houston Symphony, and The Chicago Symphony.
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Cécile McLorin Salvant is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The late Jessye Norman described Salvant as “a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings.” Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, theater, jazz, baroque, and folkloric music. Salvant is an eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded, forgotten songs with strong narratives, interesting power dynamics, unexpected twists, and humor. Salvant won the Thelonious Monk competition in 2010. She has received three consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album for The Window, Dreams and Daggers, and For One To Love, and was nominated for the award in 2014 for her album WomanChild. In 2020, Salvant received the MacArthur fellowship and the Doris Duke Artist Award. Nonesuch Records released Ghost Song in March of 2022, and has since gone onto receive two Grammy Nominations as well as appearing on several year-end best lists for 2022
Smells like Nirvana with Dead Original
Smells Like Nirvana (Tribute to Nirvana) with opener Dead Original Celebrate the legendary sounds of Nirvana & Kurt Cobain with Smells Like Nirvana as they perform songs from Nevermind, In Utero, Bleach, and more (B-sides & rare songs) with support from the band Dead Original. Make this show special by submitting a song request at smellslikenirvanatribute.com. Show opener Dead Original starts things off with a 30-minute set of songs from their first album. The band features an ex-member of the Grammy® nominated metal band Trivium and hit musical Rock of Ages vocalist Paul Wandtke, with bassist, Mike Petrasek, and drummer, Christopher Scheutz. Dead Original has toured and supported the legendary rock band Candlebox and other bands such as Seether, Jonathan Davis (Korn), 10 Years, and more. Flat Floor Standing Concert
Pirate School!
Pirate School: Sea Dreams is a madcap, swashbuckling solo show created and performed by veteran New York actor David Engel. Set to an original cartoon-inspired musical score, complete with sound effects, Pirate Professor Billy Bones teaches the finer points of lighthearted mischief and offers up zany lessons on how to stand, talk, sing, and laugh like a boisterous buccaneer, all while promoting good manners, polite behavior, and social courage. Children have a natural fascination for adventure and the pirates’ life on the high seas. With eye-popping puppetry, eccentric props, and slapstick sword play, Pirate School! is a riotous, interactive variety show suitable for ages four and up. Where else can you find a talking skull and the world’s only wearable pirate ship? Kids (and adults) are encouraged to attend in costume.
Pirate School!
Pirate School: Sea Dreams is a madcap, swashbuckling solo show created and performed by veteran New York actor David Engel. Set to an original cartoon-inspired musical score, complete with sound effects, Pirate Professor Billy Bones teaches the finer points of lighthearted mischief and offers up zany lessons on how to stand, talk, sing, and laugh like a boisterous buccaneer, all while promoting good manners, polite behavior, and social courage. Children have a natural fascination for adventure and the pirates’ life on the high seas. With eye-popping puppetry, eccentric props, and slapstick sword play, Pirate School! is a riotous, interactive variety show suitable for ages 4 and up. Where else can you find a talking skull and the world’s only wearable pirate ship? Kids (and adults) are encouraged to attend in costume.
SALLY KING BENEDICT
JULY-AUGUST EXHIBITION: “RE/CREATION” with SALLY KING BENEDICT For the past fifteen years, Benedict has built an impressive following with major solo shows and features in Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Domino and Southern Living. Now a Ketchum resident, she’s thrilled to present her first body of work inspired by life in the Wood River Valley. For Benedict, “I have come to realize that the ways I now recreate have also, in fact, re-created me.” Opening Night reception with artist on July 7th from 5:00-7:30PM
Paint a Legacy 5k
Help us leave a legacy of smiles, Wood River Valley! This 5k color run will be supporting our local non-profit, Dental Legacy Foundation. Please wear a white shirt and sunglasses! Each racer will be given a race bib, and a cup of paint to throw at the start line, and a medal at the finish line. The race will start at 11:00 am. Please show up early to pick up your bib and check in before the race starts. The race will start at the dirt parking lot in front of the High School. Please park at the Wood River High School and Community Center. We can’t wait to see. you there!
Steve Hackman • The Times, They Are A-Changin’
A musical visionary of incomparable gifts, Steve Hackman is a daring voice leading the charge among a new generation of classical musicians intent on redefining the genre. Equally adept in classical and popular forms, his breadth of musical fluency and technique is uncanny – he is at once a composer, conductor, producer, DJ, arranger, songwriter, singer, pianist, and even rapper. He uses those wide-ranging abilities to create ingenious hybrid compositions that blur the lines between high and pop art and challenge our very definitions thereof. The Times, They Are A-Changin’ is an evening of reimagined music by Bob Dylan. Special two night package pricing available for the July 26 & 27 shows. Cabaret Seats • $75 Tiered Seats • $40 Young Adults 30 and under • $20
Steve Hackman • And I Love Her
A musical visionary of incomparable gifts, Steve Hackman is a daring voice leading the charge among a new generation of classical musicians intent on redefining the genre. Equally adept in classical and popular forms, his breadth of musical fluency and technique is uncanny – he is at once a composer, conductor, producer, DJ, arranger, songwriter, singer, pianist, and even rapper. He uses those wide-ranging abilities to create ingenious hybrid compositions that blur the lines between high and pop art and challenge our very definitions thereof. And I Love Her is an evening of reimagined music by The Beatles. Special two night package pricing available for the July 26 & 27 shows. Cabaret Seats • $75 Tiered Seats • $40 Young Adults 30 and under • $20