Cranberry Coast Concerts back for ninth season of performances
From Bach to Rock, the Cranberry Coast Concert series is back for its ninth season this summer.
Starting with a piano recital by series co-founder Kirk Whipple on June 20, the series will feature live performances at the Eastern Bank on Main Street throughout the summer.
"I always thought it would be a good area to promote a concert series," Whipple said. "There is nothing like it in the region."
Whipple said this year the series features artists from across New England and in years past has featured artists from Florida to California playing everything from jazz, rock to classical.
"The hallmark of the festival is there is something unique and exciting every week," he said.
He said there are two things expanding this summer. First, they are adding a choral director in Nancy Cornish, whom Whipple believes will "take the chorale to a higher level." Secondly, they will have Michelle Bowlin, owner of Music of the Bay, run the CCC camp for her second year.
The camp is for children ages 6 to 14 to explore the world of music. There are four week-long sessions throughout the summer run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hammond School is Onset and there will be mid-day concerts as well as a grand final performance by students and teachers.
The concert series will also feature a classical piano recital on June 27, a tribute to Liberace on July 11, a chorale concert on July 18, a 'young artists' concert on July 25 and a jazz trio on Aug. 8. The grand finale of the summer series will be the Aug. 29 performance of Marilyn Morales' original musical, "Always Remember."
Morales, co-founder of the concert series and married to Whipple, said the musical is about trials and tribulations of a family leaving Cuba, not unlike her own in 1971. She said the concert will feature musical styles such as salsa and guaguanco. "The rhythm is very specific to Cuban folklore music," she said.
The concert will feature songs from the musical with limited dialogue, but Morales said there are a few theater companies in Florida interested in the musical as a whole.
Whipple said they've featured over 100 artists in the nine years the concert series has been running.
"It's truly amazing how in a small place you can find so many talented people," Morales said.
For more information on concert dates, children's camp or auditioning for the chorale, long on to CranberryCoastConcerts.com