CALLING ALL ARTISTS FOR ART AROUND TOWN
Art Around Town is a community art project for the residents of Garner and artists from surrounding areas to participate in a temporary art exhibit that will illustrate community and natural beauty and bring joy, healing, and civic engagement.
CALL FOR ARTISTS
The Downtown Garner Association (DGA) and the Town of Garner are looking for local and regional visual artists to participate in an outdoor Art Around Garner art installation beginning August – October 2021.
Art Around Town is a community art project for the residents of Garner and artists from surrounding areas to participate in a temporary art exhibit that will illustrate community and natural beauty and bring joy, healing, and civic engagement.
Artists will be required to submit their “Art Around Garner” idea, concept, or theme of painting at the time of application.
DGA will hold an artists interest meeting on May 13 at 6:30pm via Zoom.
Twenty local and regional artists will be selected to participate.*
$50-100 material stipends are available upon request.
Artists will be notified if their artwork is accepted and where it will be located.
Painting must be completed by July 1.
*This is not a juried exhibit; however, artwork not consistent with the theme will not be accepted.
SPECS & INSTALLATION
Artists will be provided with a 3′ x 4′ board to paint. Acrylic paint is recommended and pieces will be varnished by the exhibit coordinators to be weather safe.
The art will be on display August through October 2021 at the following proposed pedestrian-friendly locations including Town Hall, Garner Senior Center, Garner Rec Center (GRC), Garner Performing Arts Center, and other locations around downtown and town parks.
AUCTION
Upon completion of the exhibit, the art will be auctioned with 75% of the proceeds going to the respective artists and 25% to DGA to benefit future art projects throughout the Town of Garner.
The exact time, location and date of auction is yet to be determined but anticipated for November 2021.
INQUIRIES
Questions from artists should be directed to Lorie Clark at lclark@garnernc.gov.
Garner PRCR's Lorie Clark Receives Margaret Rigg Social Justice Award
Town of Garner Cultural Arts and Events Manager Lorie Clark has received the 2021 Margaret Rigg Social Justice Award, which recognizes an alumna who has demonstrated committed service in the advancement of gender and family justice since graduation from Eckerd College.
Town of Garner Cultural Arts and Events Manager Lorie Clark has received the 2021 Margaret Rigg Social Justice Award, which recognizes an alumna who has demonstrated committed service in the advancement of gender and family justice since graduation from Eckerd College.
Clark has worked for social justice in the Chapel Hill–Carrboro community of North Carolina for more than two decades. As a high school specialist to the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate Program (BRMA) in the Chapel Hill–Carrboro City Schools for 18 years, she provided opportunities for student growth with a social justice focus. In BRMA, she created experiences for students of color that empowered them to succeed in spaces not originally welcoming to them.
She also was the adviser of BRMA’s Youth Leadership Institute, serving 100 students of all races each year. Under Lorie’s guidance, the Blue Ribbon Leadership Institute was the third-largest extracurricular program in the school district and earned the University of North Carolina’s University Diversity Award.
"I am delighted and humbled to be this year’s recipient of the Eckerd College Margaret Rigg Social Justice Award," Clark said. "I believe my family's commitment to service and the experiences at Eckerd College prepared me for a life of service to others."
In her current role as youth adviser to the Chapel Hill–Carrboro NAACP Council, Lorie worked with students to organize peaceful protests in support of the changes asked by the Black Lives Matter movement. With homemade posters, students marched—socially distant and masked—in summer’s heat with community leaders from Chapel Hill–Carrboro’s NAACP and local churches.
Lorie’s work for social justice extends beyond the school system. She founded The Hannah Ruth Foundation to honor her maternal and paternal grandmothers, who have deep roots in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. By bringing together the youth and the elderly, bonds are built between generations, as bridges to the future. The youth learn about the elderly through service—including holiday meal delivery and organizing events such as a formal Valentine’s Day dance and a holiday party for seniors.
Lorie’s service has been recognized by many organizations, including the Chapel Hill–Carrboro NAACP and National Council of Negro Women. Among numerous awards for her community service, the Pauli Murray Service Award, given to Lorie in 2019 by the Orange County Human Rights Commission, is particularly significant. Born in the Jim Crow era, Pauli Murray—poet, writer, activist, labor organizer, legal theorist and Episcopal priest—overcame obstacles during her youth in nearby Durham, North Carolina. In learning about her, one student wrote that Murray reminded her of Lorie Clark: “Ahead of her time, and behind the scenes.”
Lorie began her employment with the Garner Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department in January of 2020 as the Cultural Arts and Events Manager.
Learn more about this award program.
Courtesy Town of Garner
A Different Kind of Christmas
A Different Kind of Christmas, which is being produced by Garner’s Show N Tell Ministries, is designed for a socially-distanced holiday. The on-demand Christmas special was created because many church and community holiday events have been cancelled because of the pandemic. The one-hour special is designed to bring the joy and excitement into the home.
A Different Kind of Christmas, which is being produced by Garner’s Show N Tell Ministries, is designed for a socially-distanced holiday. The on-demand Christmas special was created because many church and community holiday events have been cancelled because of the pandemic. The one-hour special is designed to bring the joy and excitement into the home.
The show is available for free viewing on YouTube.com at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THcuPybo2NI. The show also is scheduled to be shown during Christmas week on the Town of Garner's public access channel.
The special was filmed in a Los Angeles studio with Broadway and movie performers and is filled with traditional carols, holiday songs and some new music created just for this show.
Adapting to the Times
”Originally, we were going to have the singers tape themselves at home and send the tape in,” said Mark Vogel, who produced and directed the show. “But we were able to get studio time so we changed the format a little and used singers in the Los Angles area and brought them in to the studio one at a time. We did a thorough cleaning after each one and kept everyone socially distance.”
The show features Broadway’s David Burnham (Wicked), who has appeared in a record four Broadway Voices concerts at the Garner Performing Arts Center; Nita Whitaker (Ragtime and the motion picture The Bodyguard); Michelle Young (Frozen’s Elsa) and Connor Smith (Frozen’s Olaf); plus Broadway Voices favorite Lady Luck and Vogel, who has been the musical director for six Broadway Voices concerts.
Among the special’s original music are songs that Vogel wrote for a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie.
“We couldn’t do our usual Christmas Broadway Voices concert so I was looking for something to give to the community,” said Tim Stevens, who has co-produced Broadway Voices for the past 10 years. “There is a need because so many traditional holiday events have been cancelled. I really wanted something that was exciting and joyous so I got in touch with Mark. He was a church music minister for 21 years and has more than 30 years of experience in television. That is a rare combination.”
Vogel got his start in television on ABC’s “Full House.” He organized a band that appeared on the show _ Jesse and the Rippers. Vogel put the band together to be his church’s praise band.
After “Full House,” Vogel has had a varied career producing music for movies and television and working with entertainers such as Michael W. Smith, Sandi Patty, FFH, John Stamos, Kate Hudson, Marilyn McCoo and Megan Hilty. In his younger days, he worked with The Beach Boys, Bob Hope, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Bing Crosby, Natalie Cole and many others.
“Doing A Different Kind of Christmas is one of the most fun things that I’ve done,” Vogel said. “The people are tremendous to work with. I think everyone involved believes in what we are doing. Our country really needs something special this year at Christmas. So much of what we usually expect at Christmas isn’t possible this year. This show is designed to make people smile. It has some old favorites and some new songs.
“Being able to move to a studio has given us a great look with professional lighting plus great sound and a great group of technicians to work with. Every step of the way things have fallen into place. We’ve ended up with a show that a family can watch and enjoy together or someone who is self-quarantining can watch and have their spirits lifted. There’s even a sing-a-long guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s face and a song in everyone’s heart.”
Among the songs are “Silent Night,” “The First Noel,” “O Holy Night,” “Toyland,” “Up on the Housetop,” “Joy to the World,” and several others.
“We’ve got a mix of songs and styles,” Vogel said. “Once when I was touring with Joan Rivers she took me to the curtain and pointed to the audience. ‘That’s who is important,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t matter what you want to play or sing. The most important thing is that you entertain them.’ I’ve never forgotten that.
“This whole project has been about entertaining people. I think they will be entertained.”
Truist and The Town of Garner Present: LatinFest 2020
COVID-19 can’t keep Truist and The Town of Garner from proudly celebrating our diversity. This year GPAC hosted amazing artists and streamed it to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.
September 27, 2020
Lorie Clark Joins Town's Team as Cultural Arts and Events Manager
Lorie Clark has been hired as cultural arts and events manager for the Town of Garner’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department.
Lorie Clark has been hired as cultural arts and events manager for the Town of Garner’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources (PRCR) Department.
Clark worked with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School system as the Blue Ribbon High School specialist and Youth Leadership Institute service advisor. In this role she organized and planned numerous special events, conferences and trips for high school students and their parents and developed and implemented a summer youth leadership camp. She served in the school system for 18 years.
Prior to the school system Clark worked at the Stone Center in Chapel Hill as the publicist/information specialist. In this role she was responsible for all aspects of theater operations and management. Before her time there, she worked with Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation. She was responsible for special events including Apple Chill and Festifall. In this position she coordinated logistics, entertainment, food vendors, staff and security.
“Lorie Clark brings an eclectic range of professional experience to this position,” Garner PRCR Director Dr. Sonya Shaw said. “She is known for being a strong community-minded person who loves utilizing cultural arts programming to bring people together.”
Clark has earned numerous professional awards and recognition for the programs she has developed. Examples include the Pauli Murray Award (Orange County Human Relations Commission), Woman of the Year (Outstanding Community Service) and the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service and Involvement Award.
The cultural arts and events manager position will oversee the award-winning Garner Performing Arts Center, townwide special events and departmental marketing and sponsorship development.
“I look forward to seeing her use her creativity, love of people and vast experience in special events, arts and education to continue building the arts in Garner,” Shaw said.
For more information about the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, please go to the department’s main page or call 919.773.4442.
These Broadway Stars Bring Something Different
Broadway Voices has never had a concert quite like the one promised by Jeff Kready and Talley Sessions. “We think the audience can expect a great time,” Kready said. “We’ll make them laugh, we'll make them cry, hopefully even on purpose. It will be an evening of Broadway favorites, spirituals, and some new songs that will become favorites.”
Broadway Voices has never had a concert quite like the one promised by Jeff Kready and Talley Sessions.
“We think the audience can expect a great time,” Kready said. “We’ll make them laugh, we'll make them cry, hopefully even on purpose. It will be an evening of Broadway favorites, spirituals, and some new songs that will become favorites.”
A few tickets remain for the concert on Feb. 15 at the Garner Performing Arts Center.
Kready and Sessions bring impressive Broadway resumes . Talley will rush home to enter rehearsals for a highly anticipated revival of Company _ but when they get together hijinks ensue.
“We have a lot of fun,” said Kready, who delighted a sold-out audience last year in a solo concert at the GPAC. “Talley is super talented.”
Originally, Kready was returning to Garner this year with wife Nikki Renee Daniels. It was going to be a romantic evening for Valentine’s Day.
But when Daniels was cast in a major new musical and was unavailable for the concert, Kready turned to his pal Sessions, a University of North Carolina grad, for a revival of their fun-filled show.
“I can't wait to be back in Garner!’ Kready said. “We had such a wonderful audience last year that I was excited to have the opportunity to come back.
“This will be my fourth time performing in the area, and I'm thrilled to bring my good buddy Tally with me this time, especially since he is a native North Carolinian and UNC grad.”
The jokes will take a back seat to the singing, though. Kready currently is in Tootsie and was the youngest Broadway Jean Valjean in Les Misérables on Broadway. He also has appeared in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and Billy Elliot. Sessions is a veteran of Company, War Paint, Falsettos and School of Rock.
It is expected to be a night of soaring tenor and booming baritone. And laughs. And tears.
But the fun will start before the concert does. Kready and Sessions are coming into town early to conduct the PNC Arts Immersion Project. They, and their musical director Laura
Bergquist will be working with elementary and high school students in the area. The Garner Magnet High School singers will perform during the concert.
“Working with the students is what really makes this experience special,” Kready said. “Laura Bergquist and I were absolutely blown away by the talent of the kids last year, so we are thrilled to get to expand on that this year by not only having Die Meistersingers perform on stage again, but also by doing a program for elementary students the day before the concert. As a former elementary school music teacher, I'm looking forward to returning to my roots that afternoon.”
Art at the GPAC: Black History Month 2020- Visions Past & Present
See some of the triangle region’s most dynamic artists for this month's exhibit at the Garner Performing Arts Center.
Don't miss out on one of the best exhibits of the year. The GPAC lobby is open to the public Monday through Friday, 1:30pm- 5:00pm and during events at the center.
Click image to watch the video (Courtesy Town of Garner)
Visions Past & Present
See some of the triangle region’s most dynamic artists for this month's exhibit at the Garner Performing Arts Center.
Stop in the GPAC lobby to be blown away by some spectacular works centered around the theme of "Visions Past and Present". Willa Brigham, Sharon Barksdale Worth, Jermaine Powell, Wendy Dickerson, Terri Walker Pullen, Willie Bigelow, Michelle Davis Petelinz, Eric McRay, and LeGrant Tayor are just some of the incredible artists in this year's lineup.
Don't miss out on one of the best exhibits of the year and see these pieces of art with your own eyes.
The GPAC lobby is open to the public Monday through Friday, 1:30pm- 5:00pm and during events at the center.
Vogel is Coming to Entertain and for a Good Cause
The concert is a pay-what-you-will event with proceeds going to help fund bringing The Wall That Heals to Garner’s Lake Benson Park on April 16 through 19. The Wall That Heals is a ¾ scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and is accompanied by a mobile education center.
Mark Vogel put together the best -known church band in the world years ago when his home church pastor asked Vogel to assemble a few of his friends to help lead worship services.
He turned to one of his best friends to play the drums. John Stamos, yes, the John Stamos, agreed.
Later when Stamos became Uncle Jesse on television’s “Full House” and the series needed a band to appear periodically on the show, the little band that was assembled to play at church suddenly became known as “Jesse and the Rippers.”
“That’s the story,” Vogel said from Los Angeles before heading to Garner for a series of appearances this weekend.
Vogel is a composer, singer, musical director, producer, record executive, play write and actor. No. 1, though, is he is an entertainer.
He’s the musical director for Lady Luck on Saturday night during the divas’ Broadway Voices concert at the Garner Performing Arts Center.
He’ll return to his church roots Sunday morning to sing and play at Aversboro Road Baptist Church at 11 a.m., before returning to the GPAC for a holiday concert fund-raiser on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The concert is a pay-what-you-will event with proceeds going to help fund bringing The Wall That Heals to Garner’s Lake Benson Park on April 16 through 19. The Wall That Heals is a ¾ scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and is accompanied by a mobile education center.
Vogel said his solo show will have some Christmas music and some Broadway or movie tunes. He’ll also share some stories, like the origin of the Rippers, and stories about having worked with some of the best-known entertainers in the world.
As a youngster, he worked with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Rosemary Clooney, Fred Astaire, Joan Rivers, Ginger Rogers and scores of other entertainers during the golden era of entertainment.
The months that he toured with Diller impacted his life.
“She took me to the curtain once before a show and told me to look out,” Vogel said. “You’re not supposed to do that, but she insisted and asked me what I saw. The audience. Then she said to never forget the audience. You are there to entertain them. It isn’t about what you want to sing. The important thing is to sing what they want to hear. Entertain them. Not yourself.”
He was a music minister and worship leader at three different churches during a 21-year period and he often applied a similar principle in worship.
“It really doesn’t matter if you like a particular song,” Vogel said. “What is important is if that song helps you worship. That is the purpose of the song and of gathering for worship.”
He has worked with Sandi Patty, Michael W. Smith and others and helped FFH put 25 records on the top Christian music charts.
But he also has worked with The Beach Boys, John Stamos, Natalie Cole, Paula Abdul, Megan Hilty, Marilyn McCoo, The Fifth Dimension, David Burnham and Eden Espinosa. He has written for 10 television shows and eight motion pictures.
There are lots of stories in his experiences and he’ll tell some of them among selections from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, Christmas carols, holiday songs and other show songs.
He promises to sing White Christmas, a song that he once sang on NBC with Bing Crosby.
It promises to be a very entertaining afternoon.
Aversboro Road Baptist Church at 11 a.m.
Followed by attendance at GPAC for a holiday concert fund-raiser on Sunday at 2 p.m.
This Could Be Our Lady Luck Day
Lady Luck, a trio of Broadway divas and accompanied by remarkable musical director Mark Vogel, sold out the final concert of the ninth season of Broadway Voices in April. But before the last of their gowns were packed, the entertainers were asked to open the 10th season.
Neal Padgett and Tim Stevens, the co-producers of the award-winning Broadway Voices concert series, broke one of their unwritten rules when they invited Lady Luck to open the 10th season of the innovative series.
“We said we would never have an artist twice in one year,” Padgett said. “But our audience gave us little choice.”
Lady Luck, a trio of Broadway divas and accompanied by remarkable musical director Mark Vogel, sold out the final concert of the ninth season of Broadway Voices in April. But before the last of their gowns were packed, the entertainers were asked to open the 10th season.
“The reaction from our audience as incredible,” Padgett said. “People loved them. Lady Luck is totally about entertaining the audience and our audience recognized that. Over and over we heard that people wanted to see their Christmas show.
“Unwritten rules need to be broken occasionally.”
Heidi Webster, the redhead of the red, blonde and brunette trio, said it was quite an honor to be invited back so soon.
“We are the first ones? Really,” she said from Los Angeles as she packed the six gowns she will wear in the show. “That is really special. You have had some remarkable performers. We are excited to return and see some of our friends.”
Coming back so soon poses some problems for the group. They want to do some of the songs that the audience loved, but they want to perform a new show, too. They want to include lots of Christmas and holiday music, but they know people enjoyed their Broadway selections the last time.
“We really put a lot of thought into it,” said Webster, who is joined by best friends Nicole Kaplan and Rachel Tyler in the group. “We’ve got a lot of Christmas songs that will help people kick off their holidays in a happy mood, but we’ve included some great Broadway songs.
“We want someone who has never seen us to leave knowing what our usual shows are like, but for people who are coming back to see us again to experience something new. And, of course, the Christmas stuff is so much fun.”
Webster, Kaplan and Tyler met when they were cast in the mammoth “Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers “ in Las Vegas. They became great friends during the run of the show. When the show closed, they wanted to keep performing together.
Thus Lady Luck was born.
“It really is incredible to do all these fun shows and go to these exciting places with your best friends,” Webster said.
The harmony among the group is just as strong off stage as on.
Webster delivered one of the most memorable songs at the Garner Performing Arts Center in the spring. She has a Masters in Musical Therapy degree and has worked with hospice patients. She told the story of a Parkinson patient, who never spoke, suddenly singing “It Had to Be You” to his wife as Webster played.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the building, which Tyler acknowledged by throwing toilet tissue to the audience.
“They know how to entertain,” Padgett said.
Vogel, well known as a music producer as well as composer and entertainer, said Lady Luck is unusual because all three singers are remarkable.
“I love to watch the audience early in the show,” Vogel said. “The first one sings and the audience is mentally saying that she is the best. Then the next one sings and the audience is thinking, the third one must be the weakest. Then she sings and the audience suddenly realizes they are three great soloists in addition to having incredible harmonies.”
All three had solo careers before striking pay dirt together.
Webster has starred in Grease, The Music Man, Little Shop of Horrors, Into the Woods, Pippin and How to Succeed in Business.
Tyler, who is English, is known of London’s West End for Miss Saigon, Smokey Joe’s Café and the Rocky Horror Show. She spent two years on United States national tours of Mamma Mia.
Kaplan recently made her European stage debut in the Ukraine in Chicago. Stateside, she has performed in Camelot, Love Letters, Candide, Forum, The Little Mermaid and others.
A limited number of tickets, $35, are available at the Garner Chamber of Commerce or by calling 919-661-4602.
Garner Schools Perform Together for ‘Stars on Stage’
Elementary, middle and high school students from Garner area schools will perform at South Garner High School at 6:30 p.m. on November 13 for the annual event known as “Stars on Stage”.
Elementary, middle and high school students from Garner area schools will perform at South Garner High School at 6:30 p.m. on November 13 for the annual event known as “Stars on Stage”.
Last year, about 400 students performed and over 1000 members of the community attended the free event, which included choir, drumming, modern dance, orchestra and band performances.
“Stars on Stage allows them to present to our community the talents the kids have and promote the arts,” event coordinator Shalon Maxile said. Maxile is on the board of the Garner Educational Foundation, which sponsors Stars on Stage.
Last year’s performance culminated in a grand finale with all of the schools represented performing together, allowing the students from elementary schools to see examples of how they can continue in the performing arts as they get older.
“We hope the older kids get inspired by the younger kids,” Maxile said.
This year the students will perform “This is Me” from the Greatest Showman for the grand finale, said Sara McBrayer, the music teacher at Vandora Springs Elementary.
“I’m so amazed at not only the talent of these 4th and 5th grade students, but the dedication they have for an after school program. We have only had a handful of rehearsals to prepare for Stars on Stage, and they have definitely risen to the occasion. It’s been a joy to work with my students and the organizers of this event,” McBrayer said. “This is my first ‘Stars on Stage’, so I’m looking forward to seeing what Vandora Springs and other Garner schools showcase at this performance.”
The event is also a fundraising opportunity for the Garner Educational Foundation. Donations are accepted at the door, but the event is free and open to the public and the community is encouraged to attend.
The Garner Educational Foundation is a community-based non-profit organization founded in 1991 to serve all students in Garner. It brings together educators, parents and businesses and provides books and technology to schools, gives out awards and scholarships and sponsors other events like the Margaret Bingham Storytelling Festival.
This year the schools participating are Aversboro Elementary School, Bryan Road Elementary School, East Garner Elementary School, Rand Road Elementary School, Smith Elementary School, Timber Drive Elementary School, Vance Elementary School, Vandora Springs Elementary School, East Garner Magnet Middle School, North Garner Middle School, Garner Magnet High School and South Garner High School.
Other upcoming fundraisers for the Garner Educational Foundation include a Bunco Fundraiser on January 25 and a Murder Mystery Dinner Party on Valentine’s Day. More information can be found at www.garneredfoundation.org.
Art at the GPAC: Local Artist Wendy Dickerson
Meet Wendy Dickerson and all of her queens when you take a stroll through the GPAC lobby this month.
Meet Wendy Dickerson and all of her queens when you take a stroll through the GPAC lobby this month. This dynamic artist brings an array of bright and colorful art work that focuses on the depth and beauty of African-American women.
Brian Owens merges the King of Country and the Prince of Motown
Johnny Cash, the King of Country, and Marvin Gaye, the Prince of Motown, come from different genres of musical royalty, but they had the same heart throb. At least they do in the hands of Brian Owens, who will combine the music of both musical giants in his Thursday night concert at the Garner Performing Arts Center.
Johnny Cash, the King of Country, and Marvin Gaye, the Prince of Motown, come from different genres of musical royalty, but they had the same heart throb.
At least they do in the hands of Brian Owens, who will combine the music of both musical giants in his Thursday night concert at the Garner Performing Arts Center. The last time he was at the GPAC he focused on Gaye, who helped shape the sound of Motown.
This week, he is combining the sounds of Gaye with the music of Cash. To Owens, the two legendary entertainers often told the same message in different ways.
Rolling Stone magazine agrees.
Brian Owens played to a sold out crowd at GPAC 2017.
“Thanks to his passionate delivery and gift for interpretation, Owens successfully proves that the songs of Johnny Cash belong every bit in the soul canon as they do in country,” Rolling Stone wrote in October 2017.
The revelation of the link between Cash and Gaye came to Owens while studying the origins of Soul music. He was struck that Sam Cooke, who is called the King of Soul, and Cash had a shared inspiration.
“Sam Cooke and Johnny Cash grew up singing beneath the cross of Christ,” Owens said. “That was the starting place for both of them.”
From those similar roots, they followed different paths, helping to create distinctive sounds that out-lived either of them.
The lyrics that Cash sang and the music he played touched Owens. Owens was doing a tribute concert in St. Louis a few years ago. In addition to singing the songs of Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding, Owens wanted to include Cash’s “Walk the Line” in his set.
Owens decided to sing Cash’s songs an octave higher and add his on groove to the music.
The reaction of audiences convinced Owens that he wasn’t the only one who could see the connections between the King and the Prince.
Owens said that at the GPAC, you’ll hear “Ring of Fire” and “What’s Going On.” “Mercy Me” and “Man in Black.” “Walk the Line” and “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You.”
It all comes together to him.
Owens told Rolling Stone, “‘Folsom Prison’ is a blues song. ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’ speaks to his ability to interpret the work of others. And ‘The Man in Black’ is the quintessential biographical song. This is why I do the things I do – I identify with every single line in that song.”
Owens will be accompanied by his musicians, The Deacons of Soul.
Brian Owens
Thursday, Sept. 12
7:30pm
$28 advance, $33 at door
Or Box Office: 919-661-4602 Tuesday – Thursday 1:30-5pm
10th Season of Broadway Voices Features Biggest Lineup Ever
By Tim Stevens
The three-performance series at the Garner Performing Arts Center will feature six Broadway standouts, three remarkable musical directors and dozens of area high school students.
Heidi Webster of Lady Luck.
Garner’s award-winning Broadway Voices returns for its 10th season with its biggest lineup ever.
The three-performance series at the Garner Performing Arts Center will feature six Broadway standouts, three remarkable musical directors and dozens of area high school students. A new addition this year is the PNC Arts Immersion Partnership, which gives public school students of all ages the opportunity to work with Broadway stars Jeff Kready and Nikki Renee Daniels.
“We are excited to include so many of our community students this year,” said Neal Padgett, the president of the Garner Chamber of Commerce. “The opportunity to bring this level talent to our community and to have them work with our students is remarkable. This will be a memory forever for some of them.”
Sandwiching the Feb. 15 show and Master Class by Kready and Daniels are a holiday show by Lady Luck on Nov. 15, 2019 and a solo show by Broadway and television star Bryce Pinkham on April 25.
Season tickets for all three shows are available for $75 for a limited time (ends October 1st)
The regular price is $85.
Lady Luck
November 23, 2019
Garner Performing Arts Center
Lady Luck, a trio of Broadway veterans who electrified the GPAC last spring during a sold out performance, opens the season on Nov. 23, with a Christmas show.
Heidi Webster, Nicole Kaplan and Rachel Tyler’s holiday show is expected to include songs such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Silent Night,” “Santa Baby,” and other beloved Christmas songs, plus some Broadway favorites.
The spring concert was filled with laughs and a few tears. Webster, who is a music therapist, talked about working with a non-responsive Parkinson patient who broke into song when Webster began strumming “It Had To Be You” on her guitar. The Hospice patient and his wife shared an improbable moment.
Nikki Renee Daniels and Jeff Kready
February 15, 2020
Garner Performing Arts Center
Jeff Kready is thrilled to return to Garner and work with area students and talent.
Kready, who starred in Les Miserables, Billy Elliott and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, conducted a Master Class with Garner Magnet students last year and prepared them to share the stage with him at the GPAC.
He has invited the group to return to the stage with him and has added Daniels, his wife, to the concert and master class. They will conduct another Master Class at an area elementary school as part of the PNC immersion project.
Daniels currently is in the mega-hit Hamilton and is known for her show-stopping performance of “Summertime” in Broadway’s Porgy & Bess. She also performed in Les Miserables, Lestat, Anything Goes, Book of Mormon and six other Broadway shows.
Nikki Renee Daniels
“Her resume is astounding,” Padgett said.
Kready and Daniels, who will share the stage with Garner Magnet students, are doing a Valentine’s Day concert (Feb. 15) and promise love songs galore, plus standards from some of Broadway’s biggest hits.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to return to Garner, especially to work with area students,” Kready said. “The talent and dedication of budding performers in the region is extraordinary. Having a chance to coach them one-on-one will be exciting.”
Kready said the Garner audience was so appreciative last spring that he is excited to come back.
“To sing again for Garner audiences will be a joy . . .they were so receptive last time, and I know they'll be bowled over when they get to hear Nikki,” Kready said.
Jeff Kready sings on the Topeka Festival Singers concert.
Bryce Pinkham
April 25, 2019
Garner Performing Arts Center
Pinkham, a Tony nominee for A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Marriage, also has two Drama Desk and one Outer Critics Award nominations.
He also acquired fame as Maj. Clayton McBurney, III in the television series “Mercy Street” on PBS. Pinkham also recently starred in the Bing Crosby role of “Holiday Inn.”
Season 10 of Broadway Voices
Season Tickets
$75 until Oct. 1, $85 thereafter
Get your season tickets and don’t miss a single show.
Lady Luck Holiday
Nov. 23 - Tickets $35
Nikki Renee Daniels and Jeff Kready
Feb. 15, 2020 -Tickets $35
Bryce Pinkham
April 25, 2020 - Tickets $35
Broadway Voices Series
Broadway Voices is a partnership among the Town of Garner, The Garner Chamber of Commerce and area businesses.
The Triangle’s Broadway Voices returns for its TENTH star-studded season with three concerts featuring Broadway's hottest stars.
The series has attracted Tony Award nominees and Tony Award winners who have starred in some of Broadway's biggest shows including "Cher," "Hamilton," "Tootsie," "Porgy and Bess," "Beauty and the Beast," "Wicked," "Mary Poppins," "Phantom," "Les Miserables," "Ragtime," "Jekyll & Hyde," "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and "Chicago."