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The Sounds of Healing―Healing Through Sound | Facebook LIVE
June 20, 2020, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Atlantic Center for the Arts Presents “The Sounds of Healing―Healing Through Sound”
U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo and Grammy-Award Winning Guitarist Larry Mitchell to Perform LIVE on Facebook
Because poetry and song are healing agents, given to us to break through to freedom.
Because music can express rage, sorrow, beauty, gratitude and love all at once.
Because we have been wounded and we are tired of the fight. We need a place to rest.
Because all people were given the same instructions, to love one another.
Because playing, creating, listening to and being music is the healing.
– Joy Harjo, United States Poet Laureate and the first Native American to be given the title
Larry Mitchell, Grammy-award winning producer/performer and former artist-in-residence at Atlantic Center for the Arts, will host a Facebook LIVE concert “The Sounds of Healing―Healing Through Sound” from the Harris Theater at Atlantic Center. We invite the community to come together as we stream this important performance on www.facebook.com/atlanticcenterforthearts this Saturday, June 20, from 3-5 PM EST.
Joining Mitchell is former two-time artist-in-residence Joy Harjo, a Muscogee Creek poet, musician, and playwright who in April 2020 was named for a second term as United States Poet Laureate and is the first Native American in the history to be given the title; Dawn Avery, composer, cellist, vocalist, educator, Grammy and NAMA-nominated performer; Randi Driscoll, award-winning singer/songwriter and actress; and Katie Martin, blues, folk and soul performer. Joy’s words (above) speak to today’s issues, and the performance will focus on a message for healing our communities.
“These are unprecedented times, which call for unprecedented love and understanding. As artists, we can offer our craft, our hearts, our hope; as musicians, we can offer our voice, our words and our songs, let these sounds contribute to the collective consciousness of healing,” says Mitchell.
Atlantic Center for the Arts, an artist-in-residence community in New Smyrna Beach, FL, was founded in 1977 by Doris Leeper on the principle of supporting all voices in creating a more just world through the arts.
“Through 176 residencies, Atlantic Center has provided a safe platform for visual, literary and performing artists to discuss their craft, issues such as inequity and social justice, and build empathy and understanding with its supporters,” says Executive Director Nancy Lowden Norman. “We are about building community and the belief that artists shape our future.”
A limited number of guests will be invited to attend the in-person event in the Harris Theater due to social-distancing measures. The concert will also be presented as a Facebook Live event that can be viewed later on ACA’s YouTube channel. For more information, or to support the work of Atlantic Center for the Arts, please visit www.atlanticcenterforthearts.org or call 386-427-6975.
About the Performers
Dawn Avery
Composer, cellist, vocalist, educator, Grammy and NAMA-nominated performer of Mohawk descent, Dawn Avery has worked with such musical luminaries as Luciano Pavarotti, Sting, Phillip Glass and John Cage. As a world music artist, she creates a contemporary soundscape from electronica, pop and classical elements. Avery has worked with long-time collaborator, Larry Mitchell, on more than seven projects, and is a former artist-in-residence at Atlantic Center for the Arts.
Randi Driscoll
Randi Driscoll is an award-winning singer/songwriter and actress. Randi’s original music is a blend of piano driven singer/songwriter music with elements of pop, country and jazz. Randi’s original song “What Matters” has been featured in several stage productions, films and documentaries, and proceeds from the song support the Matthew Shepard Foundation, an anti-hate charity.
Joy Harjo
Joy Harjo is a Muscogee Creek poet, musician, and playwright. She is the author of nine books of poetry including “An American Sunrise” (W. W. Norton, 2019), several plays and children’s books, and a memoir, “Crazy Brave.” Her many honors include the Ruth Lily Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Poetry Foundation, two NEA fellowships and a Guggenheim Fellowship. In April 2020 Joy Harjo was named for a second term as United States Poet Laureate and is the first Native American to be given the title.
Katie Martin
Performing across the Southeast since 2006, Katie Martin’s unique blend of blues, folk and soul mesmerizes audiences in a way that has to be seen to understand. Her second album, “Hope,” was released 2018. Along with songwriting, she also is a live looping artist, and has performed at festivals, such as the Mexico Y2K19 International Live Looping Festival (Guadalajara, Mexico) and the 3rd Annual Phillter International Live Looping Festival (Pittsburgh, PA).
Larry Mitchell
Larry Mitchell is a Grammy award-winning producer, engineer and performer who has toured the world playing guitar with well-known artists including Tracy Chapman, Billy Squier, Ric Ocasek and Miguel Bosé. In his original compositions, Larry skillfully weaves guitar textures that showcase his virtuosity as a solo artist and ensemble player. As an artist, he has released seven solo records, won a San Diego Music Award for best pop jazz artist and has received 27 New Mexico Music Awards.
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