Press Releases

Mid Atlantic Tours Announces Artists Roster for 2007-2008

Baltimore, MD - Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation will provide support for the presentation of Aquila Theatre, Jason Moran and The Bandwagon, Mick Moloney, Morgan State University Choir, and Taylor II, during the 2007-2008 season through the Mid Atlantic Tours program. Mid Atlantic Tours allows the Foundation to select tours that are targeted for special purposes, such as reaching presenters addressing communities that are underserved by the arts, focusing on specific art forms, and supporting international cultural exchange. Funding for these tours is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program.

These artists in the following performing arts disciplines are available for booking between June 2007 and August 2008:

Choral:  Morgan State University Choir
Widely recognized as one of the nation’s most prestigious university choral ensembles, the Choir’s repertoire spans several centuries and includes classical, gospel, and contemporary popular music.  The 40-member traveling ensemble is also noted for its emphasis on preserving the heritage of the spiritual, especially in the historic practices of performance. The Choir tours internationally on a regular basis and appears with the finest American and European orchestras. www.msuchoir.org

Dance: Taylor II
Paul Taylor Dance Company, now in its 42nd year, celebrates the artistry of Paul Taylor and performs his dances throughout the world. Taylor 2 was established in 1993 under the direction of Linda Hodges to accommodate the demands on the Paul Taylor Dance Company for increased teaching and community outreach. Like the original Taylor ensemble of 1954, Taylor 2 is comprised of professionals with a particular gift for the choreographer's style who can introduce Paul Taylor's work to audiences in markets not able to accommodate the larger Company. Taylor 2’s repertoire includes works that reveal the broad spectrum of Paul Taylor’s work. Currently, the Company's repertory includes works such as Airs, Arden Court, Book of Beasts, Company B, Esplanade, Funny Papers, Images, and Runes. Performed in various combinations, they introduce new audiences to the athleticism, humor, and range of emotions found in the work of Paul Taylor. www.ptdc.org

Folk/Traditional Arts: Mick Moloney
Irish impresario and musician Mick Maloney has been teaching, promoting, and nurturing traditional Irish music and dance in the U.S. for decades. He has recorded and produced over fifty albums of traditional Irish music, written scores of liner notes for assorted recordings and acted as advisor for festivals and concerts all over America during the past thirty years. In 1999 he was awarded the National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts – the highest official honor a traditional artist can receive in the United States. For this tour, Mick will be joined by an ensemble of four musicians on mandolin, fiddle, button accordion, and uillean pipes.  Two dancers performing traditional Irish hard and soft shoe dance will also travel with the group.  http://www.mickmoloney.com

Jazz: Jason Moran and The Bandwagon 
Since his formidable emergence on the music scene in the late 90s, Jason Moran has become a leading light and an artist to watch in modern jazz.  Moran uses an “impressionistic” approach to playing piano and composing pieces, visible in his critically acclaimed trio/quartet The Bandwagon and in his work with jazz contemporaries such as Cassandra Wilson, Don Byron, Steve Coleman, Greg Osby and Stefon Harris.  A deft conceptualist finding inspiration in spoken word, film, jazz, pop and hip-hop, Moran has performed at leading clubs and jazz presenters and festivals worldwide, as well as receiving commissions by several major arts institutions.  Beyond his live performances, his recorded works including two Blue Note releases, Same Mother and Artist in Residence have led critics to claim that Moran is becoming one of the most provocative thinkers in current jazz. www.jasonmoran.com

Theater: Aquila Theatre
Aquila is the foremost producer of touring classical theatre in the United States, visiting 60-70 American cities per year. With precision, sensitivity and unity of ensemble, The Aquila Theatre Company articulates the human essence inherent in classical drama.  For the 2007-2008 season, the Company will tour Julius Caesar, bringing one of Shakespeare’s most relevant and timely works to life. The Company will also tour a new production of CATCH-22, using Joseph Heller’s own stage adaptation of his classic novel. CATCH-22 explores the important and timely questions of the absurdity of war and its impact on American society. http://www.aquilatheatre.com/

Presenters in the Mid Atlantic region (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, USVI, VI, and WV) are eligible to receive support toward artist fees, although not all the roster artists are eligible for support in all the states and jurisdictions. Supported engagements must include at least one complementary activity that builds appreciation for and a greater understanding of the performance or the art form.

Presenters interested in booking any of the 2007-2008 Mid Atlantic Tour artists and receiving fee support should contact the groups’ agents directly. While there is no application process involved for Mid Atlantic Tours funding, funds are limited. Presenters are encouraged to pursue this opportunity and secure artist engagements as soon as possible to increase their chance of receiving funds. 

Agent Contact Information

Dance:
Taylor II/Paul Taylor Dance Company
Tom Ward
212-431-5562
tw@ptdc.org

Choral:
Morgan State University Choir
Eric Conway, Director
442-885-3598 or 410-598-2586
econway@morgan.edu

Jazz:
Jason Moran and The Bandwagon
Jeanna Disney
978-283-2883
jeanna@imnworld.com

Traditional/Folk Art:
Mick Moloney
Herschel Freeman Agency
901-757-4567
hfreeman@herschelfreemanagency.com

Theater:
Aquila Theatre
Marc Baylin, Baylin Artist Management
267-880-3750
mbaylin@baylinartists.com


Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation supports the richness and diversity of the region’s arts resources and promotes wider access to the art and artists of the region, nation and world. To learn more about MAAF, its programs and services, visit our Web site at www.midatlanticarts.org.