Nashville’s 2011 New Country Star Winner, Matthew Huff, is putting on a benefit concert for Newaygo County’s Team Keegan! Matthew has had songs on the top 40 debut single chart on Music Row and is also involved with CureSearch of Children’s Cancer. Check out Matthew’s sound here: www.matthewhuffmusic.com

Local comedian Jerry Donovan will open the show. Jerry appears in comedy clubs and venues throughout the country and is a contributing producer and creative consultant for the soon to be released comedy “Off Hollywood”. For more on Jerry click here: www.jerrydonovan.com

Team Keegan is a local nonprofit organization that creates handmade wooden treasure chests, fills them with $100 worth of toys, and sends them to the homes of children with cancer around the United States. To check out more on Team Keegan please visit: www.team-keegan.com.

Click here to purchase tickets. $15.50. General Seating. Main Stage. 7:30 p.m.

Dogwood Box Office hours are Tuesday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event. For more information please call 231.924.8885.

Tickets may also be purchased NCCA - Artsplace in downtown Fremont. Hours are Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Thursdays 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.. For more information please call 231.924.4022.

Grammy Award-winning flutist Rhonda Larson & Ventus in concert at the Dogwood Center! Rhonda Larson will perform with Chris Rosser, piano, Elden Kelly, guitars, Eliot Wadopian, bass, and Carolyn Koebel, world percussion.

Ventus, Latin for “wind”, expresses the essence of Larson’s vision and approach to music: “music without label or genre boundaries, with inherent musical qualities of inspiration that celebrate the human spirit.”

It is forever challenging to describe Rhonda Larson & Ventus’ music with one word, or even one genre of music. That is thanks to her good training in the Paul Winter Consort! Rhonda plays many ethnic flutes from around the world, writes much of the material, and has arranged others from ethnic and folk traditions. This includes Celtic, middle-eastern, Native American, sacred chant, and medieval music, to name a few. Rhonda Larson & Ventus’ music has been described as, “…Bela Fleck of the flute-world with the melodic accessibility of Loreena McKennitt, Pat Metheny-esque harmonies, exotic percussion/rhythms from Africa and the Middle East, all topped off with a Celtic sense of celebration.” Rhonda’s hallmark is her virtuosic abilities on the western European flute, playing both melody and harmony simultaneously (which is an illusion created by sheer speed), and her ability to sing with her voice at the same time as playing flute to accompany it—something previously unheard of in the flute-world!

Rhonda Larson & Ventus’ music is appealing to audiences of all ages, and their concerts are an international musical pilgrimage.

Click here to purchase tickets. Adults $17.50. Children 18 and under $10.00. Main Stage. General Admission. 7:30 p.m.

Watch a YouTube video of the group here! You may also visit Rhonda’s website by clicking here.

Dogwood Box Office Hours are Tuesday-Friday 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event. For more information please contact Dogwood Box Office at 231.924.8885.

Tickets may also be purchased at NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont. Hours are Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Thursday, 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.. For more information please contact the Artsplace at 231.924.4022.

The Newaygo County People for Peace will present their annual Celebrate Peace concert with Sandra Bernard and Friends. Other performers will include Eldon Howe and Beth Keloneva and Shea Russell, Dan and Shelly Wierenga, David and Lee Middleman, Tom Messinck, Fred Convertini, Charlie Johnson and Peggy Maat, Redwing, Donald Benson, Barb Pitcher and Amy Oak, and Brenda Huckins Bonter!

Click here to purchase tickets. $12.50. Black Box. 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are available here online, at the Dogwood Box Office, or at NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont.

The Dogwood Center Box Office is open Tuesday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event.  For information, phone 231.924.8885.

NCCA-Artsplace hours are Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Thursdays 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

If you loved Gilda Radner, have we got the show for you! It’s Francesca Amari saluting the woman she continues to admire. It’s not a “greatest hits” show, since Radner was not a singer. Rather, it’s a biography of the Saturday Night Live comedienne who created such characters as Lisa Loopner, Emily Litella, Judy Miller, Baba Wawa, and Roseann Roseannadanna. The show highlights moments of Gilda’s fascinating life, including her rise to stardom, her marriage to Gene Wilder and her struggle with cancer. It’s a musical biography of the brilliant comedienne told through stories, Gilda’s own words and great music from the Great American Songbook, the cabaret world, Broadway, and a little country to boot! It includes such gems as “Pure Imagination.” “You Make Me Laugh,” “My Pa,” and “Honey (Touch Me With My Clothes On).”

“Francesa Amari has accomplished something truly remarkable with her “Love Song to Gilda Radner”. Because of her sunny disposition, her clear strong voice and her thoughtful spot-on selections, this heartfelt loving tribute will surprise you, delight you, and leave you laughing and crying all at the same time.” ~ Andrea Marcovicci, “Queen of Cabaret”

Click here to purchase tickets. $12.50. Black Box. 7:30 p.m.

Dogwood Box Office hours are Tuesday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event. For more information please call 231.924.8885.

Tickets may also be purchased NCCA - Artsplace in downtown Fremont. Hours are Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Thursdays 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.. For more information please call 231.924.4022.

The Crane Wives are a home grown indie-folk outfit from Grand Rapids that defies musical stereotypes. They formed in late August of 2010, and finished the recording of their self-produced debut album “Safe Ship, Harbored” in April of 2011.

The band utilizes three-part vocal harmonies, eclectic instrumentation, and a passsion for song craft to create organic music that is both accessible and innocative. Each live show features contagious energy as well as original music that ranges from whisper quiet ballads to danceable grooves.

The Crane Wives received several awards including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Special Jury Prize, and Listener’s Choice Award (2011) from WYCE Radio. They have also been listed in the Top 5 Bands to Listen to from Michigan by Paste Magazine and were the Local Spin of the year for 2011 according to the Grand Rapids Press.

Click here to purchase tickets. $12.50. Black Box. 7:30 p.m.

Dogwood Box Office hours are Tuesday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event. For more information please call 231.924.8885.

Tickets may also be purchased NCCA - Artsplace in downtown Fremont. Hours are Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Thursdays 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.. For more information please call 231.924.4022.

You’re invited to take a tour of the Dogwood Center for Performing Arts! Come on over and “Get In On the Act” as you get to visit all the in’s and out’s of your local performing arts venue. Sign up to win door prizes and indulge in refreshments!

Dogwood Center for Performing Arts, celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2012, is proud that it has established itself as an organization dedicated to its mission and serving the people of Newaygo County. We are excited to be planning and working “to set the stage” for the next 10 years!

Have you ever wondered what it looks like in the technician’s booth? Would you like to see what an “intelligent light” looks like? Wonder what your voice sounds like over a microphone? Step behind the scenes for a unique tour of the Dogwood Center and be guided through the facilities and equipment! Everyone is invited, so bring your friends and neighbors to check out the Dogwood!

Tour and experience the following on September 30:

• Technician’s Booth - Main Stage and Black Box sound and light controls. Includes new equipment recently acquired!
• Green Room - the comfortable space performers are in right before they come on stage.
• Main Stage - see the rigging controls for the stage and try out the microphone …. feel the bright lights like you are the performer!
• Catwalk - look down from above and see how the lighting is hung. A great view of the main stage!
• Dressing Rooms - look in the same mirrors that Judy Collins, Garrison Keillor, Janis Ian, Verve Pipe, John Berry, and dancers from the New York City Ballet have looked!
• Black Box - enjoy some light refreshments and the sounds of local pianists as they perform on the Dogwood’s Steinway piano!
• Enter a door prize drawing for 2 tickets to the upcoming performance of Aquila Theatre’s Cyrano de Bergerac!

Free Admission, no tickets required. All ages! 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.