Press Releases

Mid Atlantic Tours Announces 2009-2010 Venues and Dates

Baltimore, MD - October 15, 2009 - Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation will provide a total of $147,000 in fee support for a total of 36 performing arts engagements through its Mid Atlantic Tours program during the 2009-2010 season. Performances by Habib Koite, Le Vent du Nord, Regina Carter Quintet, STREB, and Universes will take place throughout the mid-Atlantic region over the next year. A complete list of venues and dates can be downloaded here.  Patrons should contact tour venues directly for ticket prices, schedules, and other information. 

Habib Koite
Habib Koité is one of Africa's most beloved and popular musicians and "the biggest pop star of the West African nation of Mali" according to Rolling Stone Magazine.  His most recently released album, Afriki, features an appealing set of songs that reflect Habib's unique approach to the diverse styles of Malian music.  His strong fan base can be attributed to his gift of integrating the rock and folk sounds of the Western world, without watering down his cherished Malian roots. Habib descends from a line of griots, traditional troubadors who provide wit, wisdom and entertainment, and his charisma and magnetism translates across cultures.

Le Vent du Nord
Le Vent du Nord is one of Québec's finest traditional ensembles combining the bouncing, rhythmic fiddle styles, unique tunes and ancient songs of Québec's rich musical heritage.  The group's first recording in 2004 received a JUNO (Canadian Grammy) for Traditional Album of the Year/Group. In 2005, the group received an OPUS Award for Concert of the Year/Jazz and World Music and its second recording was awarded a FELIX Award for Traditional Album of the Year. Le Vent du Nord has toured extensively in the U.S, Canada and Europe and been featured in numerous international television and radio broadcasts, most recently on National Public Radio's Morning Edition.
 
Regina Carter Quintet
A virtuosic violinist receiving rave reviews in major press, Carter and her quintet have performed for enthusiastic audiences worldwide. She has played with a range of jazz luminaries such as Ray Brown, Dr. Billy Taylor, Marian McPartland, Kenny Barron, Wynton Marsalis and Cassandra Wilson as well as pop icons Dolly Parton and Billy Joel.  She has the distinction of being the first jazz musician and first African-American to play the legendary Guarneri del Gesu violin owned by classical music virtuoso and composer Nicolo Paganini, leading to a critically acclaimed recording of her playing the treasured instrument on Verve records. Carter is a 2006 MacArthur Fellowship recipient and the 2007 recipient of the International Society for the Performing Arts Distinguished Artist Award. 

STREB
Elizabeth Streb's daring choreography integrates the disciplines of dance, athletics, boxing, rodeo, the circus, and Hollywood stunt-work. The result is a bristling, muscle-and-motion vocabulary that combines daring with strict precision in pursuit of the public display of "pure movement." Founded in 1985, the company and its artists have received numerous awards, including a New York Dance and Performance "Bessie" Award. STREB has been seen on the David Letterman Show, CBS Sunday Morning, CNN Showbiz Today, Nickelodeon, NBC's Weekend Today, MTV, ABC Nightly News with Peter Jennings, and on Larry King Live. Streb is a 1997 recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.

Universes
Universes is an ensemble of multi-disciplined writers and performers who fuse poetry, theater, jazz, hip-hop, politics, down home blues and Spanish boleros to create moving, challenging and entertaining theatrical works. Recent works include their highly acclaimed full evening work Slanguage, where traditional theater synthesizes with poetry, storytelling rhythm, music, song and dance and BLUESUITE, a jazz-based work currently on tour. Live from the Edge showcases the ensemble's special brand of fusion theater in a "best of" evening that tracks the evolution of their poetic language, from childhood rhymes and community rituals to poetry and theater, hip-hop and gospel. 
 
Mid Atlantic Tours offers support to presenters interested in engaging MAAF-identified artists from within the region and internationally. The program places special consideration for touring contemporary dance, folk/traditional, jazz, and theater and providing presenters with affordable performance fees.

Funding for these tours is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts' Regional Touring Program.

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation celebrates and supports the wealth and diversity of the region's arts resources and works to make those resources widely accessible both in the region and beyond.