DAILY SCHEDULES:   Children's Day July 8   ~   July 9   ~   July 10   ~   July 11   ~   July 12

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ~ Friday, July 10, 2009

b = Button required for admittance

NOTE: Our schedule is growing, below is what we have confirmed so far. Please check again soon for more offerings!

The Artists’ Showcase
The Artists’ Showcase will be held outside Willard Building on the Penn State Campus and in the plaza of the State College Borough Building on South Allen Street. Each artist demonstrates for roughly one hour. You’ll enjoy seeing and hearing how some of our talented exhibitors work.

Demonstrations are at 10:00 am, noon, 2:00 pm, and 4:00 pm at Willard Building and 10:30, 2:30, 12:30 and 4:30 at the State College Borough Building

Heritage Brass
12:00 p.m.; Allen • oldies brass
Comprised of music teachers – past, present and (one hopes) future – Heritage Brass has played at many festivals and events in Central Pennsylvania, including the Christkindl Market in Mifflinburg, Music in the Park in Lebanon and the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Jim Ressler (717) 250-4393

Fieldstone
2:00 p.m.; Allen • Celtic/Appalachian
Giving Celtic music an artful American twist, Fieldstone mixes traditional Scottish and Irish tunes with Old Time and Appalachian Influences. Drawing from their varied musical backgrounds, the trio moves from Old World to New, incorporating Renaissance melodies with original material, coloring jigs and reels with a bit of bluegrass, offering up fresh versions of centuries old ballads. Fiddler Tara Sansom is a two time Pennsylvania State fiddle champion.
Bekki Titchner (814) 772-8389 
www.fieldstonemusic.com

Vocal Jazz Quartet
4:30 p.m.; Shell • jazz
VJQ, the Vocal Jazz Quartet, is a Williamsport, PA-based group formed by musicians seeking to bring the vocal jazz genre to Central Pennsylvania. Performing a wide spectrum of vocal jazz, VJQ’s repertoire includes standards, blues, Latin jazz, funk, swing, and pop. The sing orginial arrangements as well as charts made popular by groups like the Manhattan Transfer.
Lucy Henry is the group’s soprano, and she is joined by Cathy Byham singing alto, Craig Weaver singing tenor and Thom Shellenberger as the bass. The group is backed by a trio of accomplished jazz musicians. VJQ has performed at many public and private events, including a performance of the National Anthem at the final game of the Little League World Series.  
Tom Shellenberger (570) 326-4807
www.vocaljazzquartet.com

Kelly Birtch
5:30 p.m.; Parklet • Spanish guitar/rock
Kelly Birtch is a guitarist and a composer with amazing diversity and range across many musical genres. Her distinctly powerful still string sound transitions seamlessly between Spanish guitar music and rock.  Her repertoire includes guitar music in the following genres: Spanish, Blues, Rock, Jazz, and Classical, all played in the self-accompaniment style (interchanging chords and melody).to the listening audience. Reviewer after reviewer has heaped praise on her, saying, in short: “This lady can really play the guitar. Always a good time.” Her debut album is called simply, Kelly Birtch. In 2009 she will release her second CD and also a DVD, Kelly Birtch Live, capturing many great performances both as a solo artist and with others. Kelly Birtch (646) 284-3418
www.kellybirtch.com

Ted McCloskey & The Hi-Fi’s
6:00 p.m.; Allen • indie rock
Ted just released his fifth record in May 2009. The sprawling 23 track romp, One Night Bland serves up a rock and roll that just isn’t made anymore. You can hear the Stooges, the Rolling Stones, the Replacements, and the Kinks weaving in and out of each track. Ted McCloskey has opened shows for musical luminaries such as Alejandro Escovedo and Ryan Adams. And as if he weren’t busy enough, Ted keeps an extraordinarily busy playing schedule with his band, the Hi-Fi’s. Ted is joined by Molly Countermine on vocals, Rene Witzke on bass, and Daryl Branford on drums.
www.tedmccloskey.com

Essence of Joy
B 7:00 p.m.; State College College Presbyterian Church  • gospel
Since its first performance at the Festival a few years ago, Essence of Joy’s appearance has come to be a highlight of the Festival for both music lovers and casual listeners.
Essence of Joy is a choral ensemble in the Penn State University School of Music. Organized in November, 1991 by Anthony Leach, the choir performs sacred and secular music from the African/African American choral traditions. Essence II was organized in August 1999 to provide an opportunity for singers from the State College area and beyond to perform sacred and secular music from the African/African American choral traditions. Essence of Joy Alumni Singers were formally organized in October, 2005. Membership in this ensemble is limited to singers who participated in the resident choir, Essence of Joy.
http://www.clubs.psu.edu/up/essenceofjoy/

Cartoon
Sponsored by Gemini Enterprises, Black Walnut Body Shop, House Wire, Inc. Brown & Associates
  
B 7:30 p.m.; Schwab • folk
READ ABOUT CARTOON'S HISTORY
Listen: Lady Jamaica
Cartoon brings the rich vocal harmonies of Jon Rounds, Randy Hughes, Kevin Dremel and Glenn Kidder to a repertoire of original songs.  The group was founded in 1980 in State College and played throughout Pennsylvania in the ‘80s.  Cartoon has recorded several albums, including In the Living Room, Native State and Hubba Hubba. A performance by Cartoon is as much a part of the festival as an ice cream cone from the Creamery or Chicken on a Stick.

Northwest Territory
7:30 p.m.; Parklet • bluegrass
Northwest Territory has been entertaining audiences since 1989 with bluegrass, gospel, country, fiddle tunes, and original compositions. Family humor and a fast paced stage presence make the band a favorite wherever it performs. Mike Gorrell (330) 567-3388
www.nwtbluegrass.com

Parkwright
8:00 p.m.; Allen • rock
Parkwright is a five-piece rock band based from Philadelphia that has been compared to the Counting Crows, Jack Johnson, and Pearl Jam.  While only together for a year, they have played an impressive list of venues including Doc Watson's, World Café Live, and The Fire. The band's live experience, fronted by the captivating Farrell, has an energy that rivals that of any arena act out there and has put the band in the category of "You have got to see them live". Their debut EP is called West of Love.  Parkwright is George Farrell on vocals, CJ Morgan on bass and vocals, Paul Hocynec on lead guitar, Chris "Wags" Wagner on guitar, and Chris Mehr on drums.
George Farrell (215) 480-3183 
www.myspace.com/parkwrightmusic

Ronnie Burrage’s Blue Noise
8:30 p.m.; Shell • jazz
A versatile drummer who also plays vibes and marimba, St. Louis native Ronnie Burrage has forged a style as much at home with the bristling pace of hard bop and bebop as with the heavy backbeats of funk, soul and R&B. Burrage's mother was a classical pianist, and he sang in the St. Louis Cathedral boys' choir and played drums with various funk bands.  The lineup at the Festival will feature Burrage on drums, keys, percussion & voice; Essiet O. Essiet on acoustic & electric bass; Benito Gonzalez, piano & keyboards; Eric Delente, electric & acoustic violin;  Marvin Horne, guitars.
www.ronnieburrage.com

Trixie Neptune
9:30 p.m.; Parklet • jazz/rock/progressive
Trixie Neptune, a five piece rock band from State College brings a wide range of rock, jazz, and progressive music to the stage. They’ve garnered a large and loyal following in central Pennsylvania. A Trixie show moves from the Beatles to Crosby, Stills, and Nash to Steely Dan and then some. It’s a great time with great tunes, expertly played.
www.trixieneptune.com

The Ultra Kings
10:00 p.m.; Allen • rock & roll/rockabilly
The Ultra Kings are a Roots Rockabilly/Rock ‘n’ Roll band from Center Valley, Pennsylvania. They’ve played all the hot rockabilly spots from the Blue Comet in Philadelphia to the Rockabilly BBQ in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The Ultra Kings play a mixture of rockabilly, rock ‘n’ roll, blues, and country. While they have released three CDs, including their latest, Church of the Weak, The Ultra Kings really shine in live performance. They have played diverse gigs such as at the Jalopy Showdown, at the Hot Rod Hoedown, and the Forged in Ink Tattoo Convention.
Rick Kuebler (610) 966-9911
www.ultrakings.com

Family Brew
11:00 p.m.; Shell • sing-a-long
Members of the Family Brew have been performing together in State College for over twenty years. They brew up a show of folk, rock, country, and, of course, audience participation. They’re all Penn State fans and so you just might hear a lion roar at the show. Their aim is to share their love of music and to have a darned good time doing it! Come join new and old friends for a memorable and traditional festival sing-along of songs of yesterday. Penn State President, Dr. Graham Spanier has been known to join the group on washboard
Jennifer Hesketh, (814) 867-8611

DAILY SCHEDULES:   Children's Day July 8   ~   July 9   ~   July 10   ~   July 11   ~   July 12