The Center for the Arts presents
Sunday, February 12, 7:30PM
A fundraiser for the heartbeat of The Center, our Steinway Grand Piano
$20 members, $25 non members
$45 members, $50 non members: Limited table seating includes one bottle of Champagne and special chocolate treats at your table.
and long-stem roses by Foothill Flowers in the Center’s lobby.
The Center will unveil a plaque thanking those who have
purchased piano keys as part of our 88-key fundraiser.
Back by popular demand,
Kenny White returns to Nevada County.
His 2011 opening set for Judy Collins at
Veterans Memorial Auditorium
drew a standing ovation and an
enthusiastic call for a return performance.
| HEARTSTRINGS |
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Join us in being part of the
Heartbeat of The Center for the Arts Purchase a string on the Center’s Steinway grand piano – $50. The Center for the Arts has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Over the past few years, we’ve presented world-class entertainers such as Rickie Lee Jones, Judy Collins performing with Kenny White, and blues great Mose Allison. One of the reasons that we are able to bring such great artists to our relatively small town is our ability to provide production services and equipment, including the addition of our Steinway Grand Piano in 2009, that rivals any big city venue. The beautiful Steinway Grand lies at the heart of The Center for the Arts, providing a fine piece of in-house equipment that can be used by classical artists to rock n’ rollers and carry the artists musical message with style, elegance, and excellence. Fine musical instruments like a Steinway come with a price tag in the neighborhood of $50,000 to $100,000. We were fortunate to have the ability to purchase a used Steinway at the lower end of the pricing scale and, while we’ve come a long way in the past two years in raising the funds to pay for this beautiful instrument with our Piano Key Program and other fundraising efforts, we are not there yet. You’re invited to be a part of the “heartbeat” of The Center for the Arts by participating in our Heart Strings campaign. Show your support of the fine talent being brought to Nevada County by purchasing a piano string on the Steinway Grand for $50. It’s our goal to sell all 230 strings, so buy one for yourself and buy one for a friend. You’ll receive a commemorative token of your purchase and our heartfelt thanks for your support. Piano strings will be available starting February 1 either online or at The Center. |
Kenny White has driven a long and interesting road to bring him to this moment. At eight years old, upon being asked whether he’d practiced this week’s piano lesson, Kenny remarked, “yeah…but HERE’S what I wrote.” Those songs have not always come easily, however, after many successful years of various musical endeavors, they have led to White’s new Wildflower Records release, “Comfort in the Static.” A collection of wonderfully crafted songs, this album continues to follow the human condition with both unbridled detail and humor.For many years, White was a fixture in the NY studio scene, writing and producing literally hundreds of commercials for TV and radio. In this capacity, he worked with artists like Gladys Knight, Linda Ronstadt, Dwight Yoakam, Ricky Skaggs, Kim Carnes Felix Cavaliere, Dobie Gray and Aaron Neville among many others
His relationships with Marc Cohn and Shawn Colvin led to his producing Colvin’s Grammy-nominated, “I Don’t Know Why” and to his involvement in Cohn’s eponymous platinum debut record. White went on to produce three records for legendary J. Geils Band leader, Peter Wolf. The second of which, “Sleepless,” garnered the distinction by Rolling Stone magazine of being one of “the 500 greatest albums ever made,” as well as giving Kenny a chance to work with Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, and Steve Earle. A brand new release with Wolf entitled, “Midnight Souvenirs” will be released in the Spring of 2010.As a contributing writer/musician, White worked on many a film soundtrack including, Message in a Bottle, Ed TV, Forces of Nature, A Walk on the Moon, Where the Heart Is, Edie & Pen, and four films by indie master, John Sayles.
After being hailed by reviewers from the NY Times to the SF Chronicle for his thrilling and unique piano playing, White chose to devote himself to making his first album and subsequently, “hitting the road.” His work in the studio enabled him to assemble an A-list team of players for that release, 2002′s “Uninvited Guest.” He traveled and opened shows for many mainstays, including Cheryl Wheeler, Shawn Colvin, Peter Wolf, Richard Shindell and Jonathan Edwards, quickly gaining a reputation as a ‘dazzling’ and ‘not-to-be-missed’ performer. An early copy of his follow-up record, “Symphony in 16 Bars” landed in the hands of folk legend Judy Collins who then signed White to her own Wildflower Records and released the CD in the winter of 2005. Showcasing another remarkable ensemble of talent, Symphony in 16 Bars picked up where Uninvited Guest left off, following a main character whose story, set in New York City, navigates the heart’s complexities through an ever changing urban landscape.
This year, in addition, Kenny is proud to announce his first non-musical publication. He joins a group of renowned essayists in a collection called, “The Black Body,” published by Seven Stories Press.
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It is wonderful to be part of a community brimming with art and talent. I can’t wait to buy my strings…one for my mother & one for my father, who taught me the value of giving, and one for myself to carry on their tradition! Pass it on, buy a string for love and art. I can’t wait to hear the music that night. Kenny White is awesome.