American Masterpieces
American Masterpieces is designed to acquaint audiences in the mid-Atlantic region with the nation’s rich and diverse cultural and artistic legacy. Tours supported by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation highlight the work of artists from within the region that celebrate the excellence and rich evolution of the performing arts in the United States. The Foundation offers fee support grants to presenters booking artists selected for the American Masterpieces roster. This roster of artists changes annually based on the tour theme selected in a given year.
Information about the artist selection process and booking guidelines, can be found here. For information on the 2011-2012 American Masterpieces Roster and schedule, click here.
Each American Masterpieces tour is built around a thematic framework, which changes annually. The 2012-2013 String Theory tour celebrates acclaimed artists and ensembles working across the realm of string instruments and musical styles—from classical and contemporary chamber, to folk and roots traditions, to jazz.
2012-2013 American Masterpieces: String Theory Tour
 Daedalus Quartet (New York, NY)
www.daedalusquartet.com/artist.php?view=dpk
besenarts.com/daedalus/
Click here for audio.
Praised by The New Yorker as “a fresh and vital young participant in what is a golden age of American string quartets,” the Daedalus (pronounced “DEAD-uh-lus) Quartet has established itself as a leader among the new generation of string ensembles. Since its founding ten years ago, the ensemble has received plaudits from critics and listeners alike for its technical prowess, interpretive unity, and sheer gusto in performances. The group has performed in many of the world’s leading musical venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress, the Musikverein in Vienna and the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Praised for its adventurous exploration of contemporary music, the group’s repertoire includes equal parts traditional string quartet repertoire and compositions by American composers, including Samuel Barber, Elliott Carter, and George Perle, and new commissions by Fred Lerdahl, Lawrence Dillon, Richard Wernick and Joan Tower.
“The Daedalus Quartet seemed it was flying not on wings of waxy feathers, but rather on jet-propelled rockets of blistering virtuosity... the music rang gloriously, and the audience emerged wowed and grateful.”—The Washington Post
Booking Contact: Robert Besen, Besen Arts; Phone: 201-386-8565; Email: Robert@BesenArts.com
 Campbell Brothers (Rochester, NY)
www.campbellbrothers.com/
folkloreproductions.com/CampbellBros.html
Click here for audio. (Click on cassette icon on the right of the webpage to listen to various samples.)
Click here for video. (Scroll down to view video.)
Donned “Best U.S. Gospel Instrumentalists of the Year” at the 4th Annual Real Blues Awards, the Campbell Brothers present Sacred Steel: African-American gospel music with electric steel guitar and vocal. As the music moves from sanctuary to concert hall and festival stage—including the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center and Brooklyn Academy of Music—secular audiences are now able to appreciate a performance both devoted and rocking. Pedal steel guitarist Chuck Campbell, a 2004 National Heritage Award Fellow, and his lap steel-playing brother Darick are two of the finest in this tradition. Rounding out the band is a high-energy rhythm section featuring electric guitar, drums, bass and classic, gutsy gospel vocals bringing the ensemble to a level of energy and expression that defies description. The Campbell Brothers offer a compelling, rich mix of material from the African-American Holiness-Pentecostal repertoire with a new twist: the growling, wailing, shouting, singing and swinging voice of the steel guitar.
“The Campbell Brothers play music that until recently was heard only in gospel churches, with pedal steel guitar lines swooping skyward like a gospel shouter; two Campbell brothers trade off leads, carrying the songs to peak after peak.”—The New York Times
Booking Contact: Mitch Greenhill, Folklore Productions; Phone: 310-451-0767;
Email: mitchg@folkloreproductions.com
 The Seldom Scene (District of Columbia)
www.keithcase.com/profiles/Seldom/index.htm
www.seldomscene.com/
Click here for audio and video. (Audio plays from home page. Scroll down for Video tab.)
A 2008 Grammy Award Nominee for best Bluegrass album, The Seldom Scene has long been regarded as one of the most progressive bands and finest acts working in the genre. The D.C.-based quintet has thrived on playing bluegrass a little differently than everyone else. If other bands used a fiddler, The Seldom Scene used a dobro; Where other bands relied on old standards, The Seldom Scene included rock classics like J.J. Cale’s “After Midnight.” Through skilled musicianship and an urban approach, The Seldom Scene has become one of the most influential bluegrass bands of the last several years. Tour options for 2012-2013 include The Seldom Scene by themselves or in concert with the legendary three-time Grammy-Award winner Dr. Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys, billed as The Retro Roots Tour.
“A bluegrass institution, The Seldom Scene presents vocal harmonies as close to perfect as any, lead vocals artistically restrained and expressive, instrumental virtuosity and polish, and one of the genre’s more interesting play lists.”―Soundstage
Booking Contact: Lee Olsen, KCA Artists; Phone: 615-327-4646; Email: Lee@Keithcase.com
 Ron Carter (New York, NY)
www.roncarter.net/officialSite.html
Click here for audio (playing on home page; make selections in the music lounge).
NEA Jazz Master and Grammy Award winner Ron Carter is one of the most original, prolific and influential bassists in jazz. With more than 2,000 albums to his credit, he has recorded and performed with many of music’s greats, including Tommy Flanagan, Lena Horne, Bill Evans, B.B. King, Dexter Gordon and Wes Montgomery. A member of the classic Miles Davis Quintet, Carter was named Outstanding Bassist of the Decade by the Detroit News, and Jazz Bassist of the Year by Downbeat Magazine. Available for touring in 2012-2013 will be The Ron Carter Quartet, featuring Carter on bass, Stephen Scott or Jacky Terrasson on piano, Payton Crossley on drums, and Rolando Morales-Matos on percussion. Also available is Carter’s Golden Striker Trio, with Russell Malone on guitar and Mulgrew Miller on piano.
“Carter is arguably the greatest bass player jazz has every known.”―Philadelphia Inquirer
Booking Contact: Contact JoAnne Jimenez, The Bridge Agency; Phone: 718-522-5107; Email: Joanne@roncarter.net
Photo Credit: Takehiko Tokiwa
For questions about the program and funding information, contact Krista Bradley at Krista@midatlanticarts.org or 410/539.6656 x 110.
Funding for these tours is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program. Additional funding provided by the Delaware Division of the Arts, Maryland State Arts Council, and the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.
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