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Barry
Louis Polisar
is a true pioneer in the world of books and music
for children. He is a four-time Parents' Choice
Award winner and began writing and recording songs
for children in 1975. Thirty years later his songs
and stories still stand out as unique and
refreshing.
Barry has written numerous children's books,
poems and stories and travels throughout the United
States and Europe as a visiting author in schools
and libraries. His songs and stories can be heard on
radio and television and Barry has performed at The
White House, The Smithsonian and The Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts. He has written songs for
Sesame Street and The Weekly Reader, starred in an
Emmy Award-winning television show for children, and
has been featured regularly on The Learning Channel.
Working with literacy groups, media specialists,
reading teachers and Title I programs in the
schools, Barry has won a Special Library Recognition
Award for his "ability to communicate with and
excite children to read."
Come experience the world of Barry Louis Polisar.... for
those who enjoy children's books and songs that are
witty, intelligent and a little different.
samples of books by Barry Louis
Polisar:
"...collection
of wonderfully witty poems about the funniest bugs
on the planet"
"Ben
tries to conform - but the results are disastrous
until he
realizes that he must be true to
himself."
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Jay
Armsworthy & Eastern Tradition
"Hard-driving
Traditional Bluegrass Music"
From California,
Maryland
Jay Armsworthy and Eastern Tradition
play a variety of "hard-driving" Bluegrass music. The band's
repertoire consists of traditional Bluegrass,
original ballads, energized instrumentals, and
old-time gospel. With their own arrangements, Jay
Armsworthy and Eastern Tradition insert a "punch" and a
"drive" into Bluegrass music
that is enthusing audiences of all ages.
With guitar, banjo,
mandolin, bass and effective vocal harmonies, this
acoustic ensemble is sure to delight festival goers.
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Nanjemoy
Creek Boys
(NCB)
Formed in 1997 the Nanjemoy
Creek Boys is an all-original four piece
band from
La Plata
,
MD
. The NCB sound is a product of each
member's technical proficiency and influences that
collaboratively creates a unique style of synergetic
jamming. A typical NCB set is characterized by
the segue of its original, written out material into
an all-out trail blazing jam that navigates through
many flavors of well-learned styles which include
rock, jazz, funk, jam, blues, polka, reggae, ambient
and electronica. While it's safe to say that
NCB could hold their own as a band strictly
performing any one of these genres, their
combination of these elements provides for a unique,
organic sound that defies classification. Although
NCB has their core fans, they are always able to
please a wide range of diverse audiences, by subtly
adjusting their music to fit the occasion. Don't
miss this band at River Artsfest 2007!
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Wayward
Street Players
The Wayward Street Players
is a totally out of control musical mob that will
change your attitude toward music and musicians. A
low-tech but high energy trio of musicians who
produce what discreet reviewers describe as
"unique musical entertainment." A jug band
without a jug, members include: Douglas Everton on
banjo and guitar; Tom Layton playing
washboard with cymbals, bells and a variety of noise
making gadgets: and Wes Butts playing
washtub bass that provides a surprisingly rich
throbbing bass line for the trio. Don't be surprised
if you hear a trumpet, or a trombone or a tuba or
the voices of Satchmo, Presley, Cash or the Ink
Spots.
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Jennifer
Keats Curtis and Rascal
Maryland children's author
Jennifer Keats Curtis and her pet diamondback
terrapin, Rascal, will be on hand at River Artsfest
to talk about how students throughout the state are
helping to preserve the state reptile through a
unique program that enables youngsters to partner
with turtle experts.
She will also read Turtles
in My Sandbox, her illustrated realistic fiction
which is based on the terrapin headstarting program.
The picture book, which is geared for elementary
school children, describes the tale of a young girl
who finds diamondback terrapin eggs in her sandbox.
The child becomes a "turtle sitter,"
hatches the eggs, then raises the babies until they
are big enough to fend for themselves in the wild
and she can release them. Along the way, she learns
about these unique animals and that she has made an
important contribution to their survival.
Ms. Curtis' first book, Oshus
and Shelly Save the Bay, won the Frederick
Douglass Award (Maryland Council of Teachers of
English Language Arts). The Severn River Association
received a portion of the proceeds for oyster
recovery initiatives. Besides writing children's
books, the
Annapolis
resident regularly writes for numerous publications,
like Maryland Life Magazine, It's Your
Life, and Corridor, Inc.
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Chesapeake
Choral Arts Society
The Chesapeake
Choral Arts Society will present music from this
year's Pop's Concert, entitled Shamrock
Shenanigans: A Celtic Celebration.
Come enjoy this community chorus as they sing such
songs as A Cohan Salute, Mairi's Wedding, When
Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Rose of Tralee, The Unicorn
Song, Cockles and Mussels, Danny Boy, and more.
The Chesapeake Choral Arts Society (CCAS) was formed
in 1996 to provide an opportunity for residents of
Charles County and Southern Maryland to sing and
perform complex choral compositions. Members
are selected through auditions and pay an annual
membership fee. High school and college
students of great musical promise are invited to
participate with CCAS as scholarship students.
Currently 30 members comprise the Society. New
voices are always welcome. For
information or to schedule an audition, contact
301-642-0594, or visit www.chesapeakechoral.com.
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Expanding Horizons
Expanding
Horizons strives to build bridges between cultures
through the performance arts by first studying
ethnic performance arts to better understand the
cultural and social context of various ethnic
traditions, and then incorporating the elements of
ethnic arts learned into their performance
ensemble. Come enjoy this enlightening group!
Seahawks
Jazz
Directed
by Robert K. Rausch, the Seahawks Jazz is comprised
of volunteer, 7th and 8th Grade musicians. Begun in
2004, the Seahawks Jazz has participated in a
variety of community and regional activities. They
have performed at the Charles County Arts Alliance
River Artsfest, the Clark Senior Center, and the
College of Southern Maryland and Towson University
Jazz Festivals. Also in April, they traveled to the
Philadelphia Heritage Festival, where they were the
only middle school jazz band in
competition with high school jazz bands, receiving a
rating of Excellent and a silver plaque. While in
Philadelphia, the group also gave a Sunday morning
concert at the Betsy Ross House. The Seahawks
Jazz once again looks forward to participating in
this year's River Artsfest.
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Nanjemoy
Creek Environmental Education Center Naturalist,
Mike Callahan presents Raptors Rule!
The
mission of Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education
Center is to provide meaningful outdoor learning
experiences which promote the development of a
lifelong environmental ethic of stewardship in
students. At River Artsfest, Naturalist Mike
Callahan will introduce festival goers to a
variety of live birds in a show entitled, Raptors
Rule!
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F2W
F2W - or Free 2
Worship is a band from
South
Potomac
Church
in
White Plains,
Maryland
. The members
of the group have been playing together in some
fashion for about 5 years.
F2W finds it roots in the contemporary
Christian worship music played on Christian radio
and made popular by groups like Passion (Chris
Tomlin, David Crowder, Matt Redman and Charlie
Hall), Acquire the Fire (Michael Gungor), Hillsongs
and Vineyard music.
Other musical influences include Kutless,
Third Day, Lincoln Brewster and Todd Agnew.
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Port
Tobacco Players' Encore Kids
The
Encore Kids will present a musical fairytale revue, The
Granny Awards. It
is the big night when Granny, who has retired from
show business, honors those fairy tale characters
who have given memorable performances in the
categories of Best Female and Male Vocalist, Best
Dramatic Scene, Best Choreography, Best Rap and the
most coveted Best Villain Award.
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Judy's
Studio of Dance
Judy's
Studio of Dance strives to provide the highest
quality dance instruction in the safest possible
environment. Judy's Studio offers a learning
institution with a friendly and positive atmosphere
that focuses on the needs of each individual
student. The instructors teach the love of dance to
every student from age three to seventy three.
SSt. Charles Brass
...a brass quintet (two
trumpets, French Horn, tenor trombone, and bass
trombone) consisting of professional performers and
teachers who live in Southern Maryland. The group
performs a variety of music including classical,
ragtime, and jazz standards. The music is lively
and upbeat!
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