Keene State's Redfern Arts Center Presents Musical Flash Mob and World Premiere of Asphalt Orchestra's Unpack The Elephant
KEENE, N.H., 9/19/11 - The Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond at Keene State College gets its 30th anniversary season on the road when the electrifying musicians of Asphalt Orchestra march into Keene on Wednesday, October 5, to premiere their new work, Unpack the Elephant. The renegade street band Asphalt Orchestra begins its march on Keene at 2 p.m. from Keene State’s Young Student Center, proceeding up the city’s Main Street to Central Square for a spontaneous “flash concert.”
Then at 7:30 p.m., this boldly original 12-piece ensemble brings its infectiously hip sound and inventive choreography to the Redfern’s Main Stage with a concert that premieres Unpack The Elephant, a new show directed by Mark DeChiazza and Andrew Robinson, which reflects the inventive and eclectic spirit of this marching band. After the performance, band members will march to the lobby to answer questions and sign CDs.
“What we try to do is engage the audience in a really direct way,” said saxophonist Ken Thomson, who founded the New York City-based band along with piccolo player Jessica Schmitz. “We bring different genres of music together, but the main thing is our take on it we put them together in fun and interesting arrangements.”
Since its inception in 2009 Asphalt Orchestra has energized audiences from New York’s Lincoln Center to London’s Barbican Centre, and throughout the U.S. Now, Asphalt brings its anarchic spirit indoors with an inventive stage show featuring music by Frank Zappa, David Byrne and Annie Clark, Yoko Ono, Björk, and new music by members of this progressive ensemble. The show is a wild musical surprise, and Asphalt Orchestra reveals a new form altogether a mobile-musical-dramatic ensemble, bringing their unstoppable sound and top- notch talent to the stage.
“I am tickled pink that Asphalt Orchestra is coming to Keene State College,” said Redfern’s new director Shannon Mayers, who has worked with the ensemble in New York City. “It is musical magic when they perform and interact with the audience. It’s a whole new way to experience a marching band.”
Asphalt Orchestra’s afternoon march and flash performance is free and open to the public; tickets for the evening concert range from $27 to $11. To order tickets and for more information, contact the Box Office at 603-358-2168 or visit www.keene.edu/racbp.
Asphalt Orchestra’s performance at Keene State is funded in part by the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the six New England state arts agencies. NOTE TO MEDIA: Asphalt Orchestra founders Ken Thompson, Jessica Schmidt, and Director Mark DeChiazza are available for phone interviews, to arrange an interview contact Jackie Hooper at the Redfern Arts Center, 603-358-2173 or jhooper@keene.edu.
About Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond 30th Anniversary
The Arts Center is named in honor of Dr. Leo F. Redfern, Keene State College (KSC) President from 1969 to 1979 for his vision, commitment, and eloquence on behalf of the arts that made funding and construction of the facility a reality. In 1981, KSC inaugurated this new performing arts center, with the goal of providing unforgettable artistic encounters for the campus and community. Since then, the Redfern stage has hosted hundreds of amazing shows, from internationally renowned artists to emerging young talents to KSC’s own student performers.
Over the years, the Redfern has expanded its outreach programs and community partnerships, becoming an indispensible resource for the Keene community and beyond. An exhibit celebrating the Art Center’s 30th anniversary is currently on display in the Redfern lobby. The exhibit includes articles and photos of the ground breaking and construction of the Arts Center as well as posters and photographs of performances through the years by the Music, Theater and Dance, and Art departments. Visit www.keene.edu/racbp for more information on the season and to purchase tickets.
About Keene State College
Founded in 1909, Keene State College is one of the most preeminent public liberal arts colleges in the nation. With more than 40 programs of study, including a new nursing program and the nation’s only baccalaureate degree program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Keene State College prepares students to think critically, act creatively, and serve the greater good. Keene State College: Wisdom to make a difference.
