While there is a country act, a comedy act and a number of other concerts set to be announced for Spring Semester, there is still plenty to be excited for from the Ohio University Performing Arts Series.
The Campus Involvement Center will continue the tradition of partnering with OU groups such as the African Studies Program and the School of Dance as well as Stuart’s Opera House to bring entertainment to the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium stage.
Brian Koscho, marketing director for Stuart’s, said he is very excited to bring the Grammy award-winning African group Tinariwen back to the Athens area and expose students to the group’s traditional forms of Mali desert nomadic music.
“It’s almost hypnotic, their beautiful, beautiful music,” Koscho said. “Partnering with African Studies and OU Performing Arts also helps us reach that student population a little bit better. We’re always trying to do that, it’s always a struggle being 15 miles outside Athens.”
Stuart’s and the Campus Involvement Center have partnered numerous times in the past to support the arts and provide advertising for acts such as Old Crow Medicine Show and The Avett Brothers.
The spring lineup also has a strong theater showing from “The Graduate” to the performance of “West Side Story.”
Andrew Holzaepfel, associate director of the Campus Involvement Center, said he is continuing the tradition of bringing a comedy act on Moms Weekend with comedian Loni Love.
Holzaepfel said they are light on the music acts so far because he had been in a “holding pattern” to see what happens with the Spring Convocation Concert. Now he will be looking for more mid-level acts to join the ranks of the MemAud stage knowing there will be no Spring Convo Concert.
But it’s also important to look at what’s missing from the line-up.
The Black Student Cultural Programming Board will not host their annual Sibs Weekend concert. BSCPB advisor Winsome Chunnu-Brayda said the options for artist availability and pricing weren’t optimal.
“A lot of artists weren’t available … they weren’t thrilled with the people available or the price range,” Chunnu-Brayda said. “We decided we want to look into doing a skating rink, a comedy show or a DJ and games night. So they are exploring different ideas.”
@Wilbur_Hoffman
wh092010@ohiou.edu
