Music for Changing Times: Looking Back/Moving Forward

Rubicon Theatre Company, in association with Music2Life, presents a new weeklong series of events in Ventura, California, May 8 – 13, 2017, called MUSIC FOR CHANGING TIMES: LOOKING BACK/MOVING FORWARD, celebrating the power of music to effect positive social change. Events include concerts with legacy artists and emerging artists, a national songwriting competition for artists ages 18 to 38 with an evening of performances by the Top 10 finalists and an awards ceremony, a master class for artist activists, and the first public presentation of a theatrical concert-in-the-making. This inaugural series is curated and hosted by five-time Grammy Award-winner Noel Paul Stookey.

Other artists scheduled to participate as performers, judges or instructors include Grammy winners Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul and Mary) and George Grove (The Kingston Trio); Tony nominee and LADCC winner Dan Wheetman of Marley’s Ghost; Jimmy Messina (Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and Loggins and Messina); songwriter Dave Gibson (whose new duet performed by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill debuted on last Monday’s CMA Awards); Golden Globe Award-winning singer/songwriter Amanda McBroom; Tariqh (music director for Josh Groban and Stevie Wonder); Grammy nominee Perla Battala (a long-time associate of Leonard Cohen and Ojai-based solo artist); Nuvi Mehta, Artistic Director of the Ventura Music Festival and Director of Special Projects, San Diego Symphony; Tony Award-winning producer and music manager Normand Kurtz of Dartmouth Management (Christina Aguilera, David Bowie); music manager Mark Hartley (Partner, Fitzgerald Hartley Co. – Brad Paisley, Olivia Newton-John, Kellie Pickler, Vince Gill); music agent Ira Goldenring of Paradigm Agency; and The Lonesome Travelers (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominees).

Steering committee members for MUSIC FOR CHANGING TIMES: LOOKING BACK/MOVING FORWARD (in addition to many of the above), include Emmy Award-winning TV Producer and Director Steve Binder, Rancher Claire Bowman, Publisher David Comden, Journalist Ivor Davis, Community Activists Doug Halter, Matty Park and Tracy Long, Music Producer Polly Hoganson, Entertainment Professional Julie Larson (Skeeziks, LLC – Rent) and Chair Jenny Sullivan, an Associate Artist and Director at Rubicon.

The Inception of the Idea
Says Rubicon Producing Artistic Director Karyl Lynn Burns, “The idea began a few years ago when we produced the World Premiere of Lonesome Traveler at Rubicon, which was a show about the history of folk music in America. At its essence, it was about how history made the music, and how the music affected and changed history. The show went to New York and was nominated for Outer Critics’ Circle and Drama Desk Awards.”

“Because of the show’s roots and history,” she continues, “we had the great privilege of getting to know several of the folk greats - Noel Paul Stookey, Peter Yarrow and George Grove. Their lives and inspiration, and the tenor of the times inspired us to bring more ‘music with a message’ to the Rubicon stage.

“Our staff and board are very excited about the idea as it seems a natural outgrowth of the work the company has done over the past two decades and our vision to create transformative experiences through storytelling. With each play or musical or cabaret we produce, and in our education programs, it has always been important to us to find ways to extend and expand the experience of the play so that it becomes a life-event for the audience member or participant.”

“We recognize that music can reach across social, racial or cultural divides to bring people together. To paraphrase Pete Seeger, ‘When people lift their voices together in harmony, there is hope for the world.’

“What we hope to accomplish with this week of festivities,” concludes Burns, “is to entertain and enrich audiences by bringing musicians of multiple generations and genres together; and to provide a forum for discussion about how we can all use our creativity to make our community and world a better place.”

To create the event, Rubicon has partnered with Music2Life, a non-profit creative consulting group that builds activism through music and helps socially conscious organizations achieve maximum impact and reach. The organization was founded by Stookey and daughter Elizabeth Stookey Sunde, who serves as Executive Director.

“Music – joyful, evocative and pervasive – infuses our daily lives,” says Stookey. “But how well do we understand its power to foster a more inclusive, just and compassionate world?”

“We all have a sense of music’s historical presence in moments of social change,” adds Sunde, “particularly the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s. Has the organizing power of music endured in today’s fractured and multimedia environment? And, if so, to what end? What is the future of music that moves hearts and minds to action?”

These questions and others will be raised and explored during the week of events. Events and artists announced to date are as follows:

MUSIC FOR CHANGING TIMES: LOOKING BACK/MOVING FORWARD
May 8 – 13, 2017

THE FOLK-ROCK PROJECT
First Reading of a New Musical Play-in-Progress
Created by Grammy Award-winner George Grove (The Kingston Trio), Ovation Award-winner James O’Neil (Lonesome Traveler) and Tony nominee Dan Wheetman (Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues)
Directed by James O’Neil
Musical Direction by Dan Wheetman
Monday, May 8 at 7:00 p.m. / Tuesday, May 9 at 2:00 & 7:00 p.m.
Single Tickets: $20

When folk icon, Bob Dylan went electric at Newport in ’65, the world of popular music changed for good. A new genre, quickly dubbed “Folk-Rock,” was born. Be a part of the development process as Rubicon develops a new concert experience -- an event that promises to be both entertaining and provocative, featuring the music of Peter, Paul and Mary; Joni Mitchell; Judy Collins; The Eagles; James Taylor; Crosby, Stills and Nash; Simon and Garfunkel; and many others. The production stars The Lonesome Travelers (Justine Bennett, Nicholas Mongiardo Cooper, Sylvie Davidson, Justin Flagg, Brendan Willing James, Anthony Manough, Jennifer Leigh Warren, and Trevor Wheetman).

Sponsored by Barbara Meister as Part of the Meister Musical Theatre Fund at Rubicon, and
Shelley and Richard Bayer

MASTER CLASS AND SHOWCASE
Wednesday, May 10, 1 to 5 p.m.
Single Tickets: $20
A group of prominent composers and lyricists with deep roots in songwriting and social change music offer a live coaching session to emerging artists ages 18-38. Coaches announced to date include five-time Grammy Award-winner Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary; Golden Globe Award-winner Amanda McBroom (“The Rose”); Tariqh (Music Director for Josh Groban and Stevie Wonder); Grammy nominated Scottish composer Dave Gibson (who co-wrote “Speak to a Girl” which just debuted on the CMA awards and is the first single from the forthcoming Faith Hill and Tim McGraw album; #1 album in 2016 in the U.K. for “Sermon”); and Tony nominee and LADCC Award-winner Dan Wheetman (known for Marley’s Ghost and as co-creator of Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues). Artists will benefit from first-hand knowledge of what it means to write songs that reflect current events and inspire change. Selected young artists (as identified through the Songwriting Competition – see below) will perform their original songs and receive feedback related to the quality and clarity of the composition, and the craft and power of their message. Registered applicants for the songwriting competition may attend for free. Aspiring artists and interested community members are welcome to attend as observers.

NATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION* TOP 10 CONCERT AND AWARDS CEREMONY
Thursday, May 11, at 7 p.m.
Single Tickets: $20
The Top 10 Finalists in our National Songwriting Competition, ages 18-38, will perform their winning songs for audiences and a panel of esteemed music professionals, including music agent Ira Goldenring from Paradigm; Grammy nominee Perla Batalla (Leonard Cohen); Tariqh (music director for Josh Groban and Stevie Wonder), five-time Grammy Award-winner Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary; and Grammy nominated Scottish composer Dave Gibson (#1 album in U.K. in 2016 and hit U.S. single “Speak to a Girl” debuted on recent CMA Awards by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw). All awards except the Audience Choice Award will have been decided prior to the evening and announced during the awards presentation. Other judges who will review and score submissions include Music Manager Mark Hartley of Fitzgerald Hartley, Tony Award-winner and Music Manager Normand Kurtz (Christina Aguilera, David Bowie and Rupert Holmes), Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award-winner George Grove of The Kingston Trio, Tony nominee and Ventura native Dan Wheetman (Aint’ Nothin’ But the Blues/Marley’s Ghost), Nuvi Mehta (Artistic Director of the Ventura Music Festival and Director of Special Projects for San Diego Symphony). Each Top 10 artist receives comments from the judges, and at the end of the evening, awards totaling $11,000 in cash will be presented, along with performance opportunities and other types of support. Wind-down after the concert and meet the artists downstairs for open mic night in our “pub.”

OPEN MIC NIGHT AT THE RUBICON PUB
Thursday, May 11, at 9:30 p.m.
Single Tickets: $20 (includes beverage voucher)
After the Top 10 Concert and Awards Ceremony, come downstairs to the Rubicon “pub” to congratulate the winners, relax and unwind over a glass of locally made wine or craft beer. If you have a song you want to share, send us an e-mail ahead of time or check in with our stage manager to sign up to perform at the open mic. Who knows who will be listening? The price includes one complimentary beverage. Light hors d’oeuvres will be available for purchase.

LOOKING BACK/MOVING FORWARD: PETER AND PAUL IN CONCERT
Friday, May 12, at 7:00 p.m.
Single Tickets: $75
Five-time Grammy Award-winners Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey take audiences on a musical journey back and forth in time, from their role on the front lines of the American Civil Rights Movement in Washington D.C. and Selma, to their present work with organizations like Peter’s anti-bullying organization Operation Respect. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to look back at landmark moments in history and music and experience the profound artistry of these two heroic artists.

MUSIC FOR CHANGING TIMES BENEFIT CONCERT
Saturday, May 13, at 7:00 p.m.
Single Tickets: $150
Can music change history, or is music a reflection of changing times? The week culminates with a landmark event bringing together multiple generations of artists to raise consciousness and pass the torch. Through the prism of music, multimedia and narrative, we will look at the intersection between music and issues of equality, peace and the environment. Performers include five-time Grammy Award-winner Noel Stookey and Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, winners of the songwriting competition, and others to be announced, with a rousing number by Jason Robert Brown performed by the Rubicon Harmonix and a local youth chorus. Net proceeds benefit Music2Life and Rubicon’s Youth Education programs.

Ticketing Options
Single tickets for all events are newly on sale and may be purchased in person through the Rubicon Theatre Company Box Office, 1006 E. Main Street, Ventura, CA at the corner of Main and Laurel in Ventura (Laurel entrance and downstairs). Information and tickets are also available online at www.rubicontheatre.org. To charge by phone, call 805.667.2900. Please note there is a $4 processing fee per ticket.

Attendees may also purchase one of two passes and enjoy VIP benefits, special seating with early admission, signed posters and more.

The SERIES PASS, priced at $225 for six events includes special seating with early admission and a savings of up to $75.

The PATRON PASS, priced at $500 per person (including a $200 tax-deductible contribution), includes VIP seating to any of the six events with early admission, a listing in the program, a commemorative signed poster, and one complimentary beverage for each event.

Series and Patron Passes are on sale now and are only available through the Box Office by phone or in-person. Subject to availability at the time of the purchase.