UL Lafayette Presents Bluegrass, Cajun, and Zydeco in April
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Vermilion Express Thursday, April 23, 2015 |
UL Lafayette Traditional Music All-Stars Tuesday, April 28, 2015 |
The Dr. Tommy Comeaux Endowed Chair in Traditional Music at UL Lafayette sponsors a curriculum that gives student musicians, who learn by ear, an opportunity to improve their craft in styles such as Cajun, zydeco and bluegrass; to develop an academic foundation in music; and to become advocates for their culture. Each year, several high-profile artists come to campus to teach hands-on music classes for credit. There will be two shows to cap off this academic year: a bluegrass concert on campus and a Cajun and zydeco show nearby at the Blue Moon Saloon.
UL Lafayette’s student bluegrass band, Vermilion Express, performs traditional, contemporary, and progressive bluegrass from Bill Monroe to the Duhks at Burke-Hawthorne Theatre, 211 Hebrard Boulevard in Lafayette, on Thursday, April 23 at 7:30 PM. This concert is presented by the Dr. Tommy Comeaux Endowed Chair in Traditional Music and is free to university students, faculty, and staff, as well as children 12 and under. General admission is $5 to the public.
Tuesday, April 28 will be a Ragin’ Cajun dance night at the Blue Moon Saloon. Kicking off this free show at 7:30pm will be the Angelle Aces, a student band led by Mitch Reed and featuring members of several musical families with last names such as Fuselier, Dugas, and Huval. The student zydeco ensemble, led by Nathan Williams Jr, has a set list that features masters like Boozoo Chavis and Buckwheat Zydeco along with some more contemporary sounds.
UL Lafayette instructors will perform Cajun and Creole French dance music together for the second time as a faculty band, the UL Lafayette Traditional Music All-Stars. The faculty lineup for this show includes:
Mitch Reed (BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet)
Nathan Williams Jr (Lil Nathan & The Zydeco Big Timers)
Kristi Guillory (Bonsoir Catin)
David Greely (founding fiddler, Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys)
Kevin Wimmer (Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys)
Brazos Huval (Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys, High Performance)
Danny Devillier (Bonsoir Catin)
All told, this collection of talent represents several Grammy nominations and other awards.
7:30 The Angelle Aces, led by Mitch Reed
8:30 The UL Lafayette Zydeco Band, led by Nathan Williams Jr
9:30 The UL Lafayette Traditional Music All-Stars
The mission of the Dr. Tommy Comeaux Endowed Chair in Traditional Music at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is to stimulate interdisciplinary research on the foundations and diversity of traditional music worldwide and to advance the preservation, instruction, and performance of traditional music with an emphasis on traditions that have developed in Acadiana. The program began in the Fall of 2010. It is now possible to earn a B.A. in Music with a concentration in Traditional Music as well as a Music Minor with a Traditional Music emphasis. New classes and programs continue to be developed with involvement from musicians in the community.
B.A. in Music with a Concentration in Traditional Music
Visit the UL Lafayette and School of Music websites to learn about the Traditional Music Curriculum.
For more information, please contact:
| Mark DeWitt 337-482-1020 dewitt@louisiana.edu |
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