Despite the nearly year-long pandemic, Ann Arbor's Kerrytown Concert House has continued to provide a variety of online performances to keep local artists working and music lovers an opportunity to enjoy the music they miss seeing in person. WEMU's Lisa Barry talks with Monica Swartout-Bebow, artistic and executive director of the venue, about how they have been able to do that and their dedication to bringing fulfillment and the joy of music to people at this time.
The Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor has been sharing music virtually to keep the community connected and entertained, even though their doors have been shut to in-person crowds due to the pandemic.
Artistic and Executive Director Monica Swartout-Bebow said she felt she had to do something to support local musicians and music lovers, so they set up a way to safely socially distance share musicians performing inside the intimate venue and broadcast that in a way for people to see. She says the pandemic has prompted them to have to move to a "Plan B" multiple times to accommodate the changing situation, but they have been able to feature local musicians, including Paul Keller, Ellen Rowe, Cary Kocher, and Pete Siers, among many others.
ABOUT WINE, WOMEN, & SONG XIX
Though the Women can’t safely come together to present a live show for you this time around, we have curated a special “new” show comprised of some of our favorite moments from over a decade of archived videos. Woven into this collage of musical numbers will be special video messages from the Women – personal messages and behind-the-scenes stories shared as a kind of love letter to you…a way to connect until we can all be together again.
Performances are on Saturday, January 30 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, February 7 at 4:15 PM. Click here for details.
Also, click here to view past and upcoming shows for the Kerrytown Concert House's "Live @ The 415" series.
**Special thanks to Paul Keller for providing the Art & Soul theme music.**
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— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. You can contact Lisa at 734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu