New Arts Ensembles co-owners Ricardo Ochoa (violin) and Kristin King (harp) were joined by additional NAE musicians Annelise Nelson (cello), Maggie Evans (Bass) and Jackson Evans (guitar) to enhance the atmosphere at Savannah College of Art & Design's closing reception for the "Wild is the Wind" exhibit.
Paying homage to the 1957 American standard "Wild is the Wind", made popular over several decades by musical icons including Johnny Mathis, David Bowie, George Michael, Cat Power and Nina Simone, this exhibition brings together a collection of recently produced work that resonates in profound ways with the enduring tune. The song lyrics make an appeal for love, intimacy, escapism and transcendence as "love is like the wind, and wild is the wind." Similarly, each work in the exhibition offers poetic visual and emotive moments through the exploration of translation, fantasy, epic voyages, and deep engagements with melancholia. Artists include Ghada Amer, Lara Baladi, Kiluanji Kia Henda, Nicholas Hlobo, Odili Donald Odita, Zineb Sedira and Penny Siopis.
Laney Contemporary presented L'Union Fait La Force: Savannah for Haiti at the new Oglethorpe Gallery in Savannah and New Arts Ensembles artist, Jackson Evans, provided the perfect atmosphere for the event with his electro-acoustic guitar skills.
The exhibition runs from February 19 -27 and features works by Steve Bliss, Lisa M. Robinson, Craig Stevens, Julio Garcia, Daniel E. Smith, Sal Lopes, Jason Hoelscher, Katherine Sandoz, Pete Christman, Juliana Peloso and Ken Rosenthal.
50% of art sales have been donated to Oxfam America and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) for Haiti relief.
Sponsors include: Chef Nick Mueller and Co., New Arts Ensembles, Denny and Vicki Meyers, Price Street Projects, Savannah Kitchen and Bath.
Oglethorpe Gallery is Susan Laney's first gallery project since she closed Savannah's well known Jack Leigh Gallery in 2008. Now, doing business as Laney Contemporary, New Arts Ensembles is honored to be a part of this worthwhile endeavor.
This weekend Ben Sollee played to a packed venue at Blowin' Smoke in Savannah to raise support for Oxfam Americaand their efforts to fight poverty. If you have followed the Savannah Music Festival over the past years, you may have been fortunate enough to see Ben perform with the Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet. Their albums are produced by Bela Fleck, who is also a member of the group, and composed/arranged by the unconventional foursome thus creating an "intimate exploration of crossing global and cultural lines," says Abigail.
*Photo by Paul Maree
New Arts Ensembles founder and co-director, Ricardo Ochoa, was invited by Ben to perform a few pieces the other evening and it added another impressive element to an already incredible evening. What makes Ben and his crew of 3 others (percussionist, tour manager Katie, and Katie's husband) all with their belongs either strapped to their bikes or en tow behind their bikes. This December they have already travelled over 500 miles touring and raising support for Oxfam. What an incredible inspiration to our country- oh, and did I mention that he is a killer cellist?! Check Ben out here.
This past week, the Harp, Violin and Cello trio of Kristin King, Ricardo Ochoa, and Annelise Nelson, played a brisk, but gorgeous wedding outside in front of the Forsyth Park fountain. Harvey Designs did an incredible job of making the park look festive for the holiday season and timelessly classic while Rev. Steven Schulte performed the marriage ceremony. Our Sound Technician was on-hand to ensure that every part of the ceremony, from the quietest pluck on a harp string to sweet giggle the bride made as her husband slipped the ring on her finger, was audible to the guests. After the ceremony, the celebrating continued at the Mansion on Forsyth Park, where New Arts Ensemble's guitarist, Bill Smith, serenaded guest during cocktails and pianist Eddie Wilson took over for the reception time.
Big smile, dedication and talent are just a few words to describe one of our busiest vocalist. Here he is in a interview today December 3, 2009 on "The Wake-up Call, with Jon Robbins and Jen Steele" BIG 98.3
On the night of June 12th, 2009, almost a year after Jason Statts had been innocently shot in the neck and left mostly paralyzed, the community of Savannah is still very much aware of how important it is to come together and support Jason and his wife. The event, titled "For the Benefit of Statts" was held at Savannah Station (the space was graciously donated by the owner) and thanks to many talented people and generous donations, the evening was a huge success.
Amy Harvey and her team at Harvey Designs once again out-did themselves and created an incredible atmosphere for the event, which was only enhanced by the ambiance lighting donated by Stage Front Presentation Systems.
We here at New Arts Ensembles, and in partnership with Igor, provided the PA System and had the pleasure of show managing all of the talented musicians who donated their gifts of music and time.
Joe Nelson, The Josh Maul Blues Band, The 8-Tracks, and DJ Emkay (artists Marcus Kenny) kept the party going until late in the evening.
Every year, Connect Savannah conducts a poll to ask the public who, what and where are the best people, events, and places in Savannah. Ricardo Ochoa, co-owner of New Arts Ensembles was voted "Best Classical Musician" and Roger Moss was voted "Best Local Vocalist" for 2009. This is the second year celebrating this coveted title for Moss and the third year for Ochoa. Silver Lining also received the runner-up title for "Best Local Jazz Band," only to be beaten out by the wildly popular Savannah native Ben Tucker.
Contratulations Ricardo, Roger, Maggie, Jackson and Mark!
If you have ever been to a local club or bar in downtown Savannah that features live music, you've probably seen Maggie Evans perform. She's commonly known as "the girl bassist" (which automatically gets her a lot of attention) but the moment she plugs in her instrument and begins the opening lyrics to a sultry jazz standard (think: "My Funny Valentine") Maggie has her audience in a trance and the "girl bassist" title goes out the window and is replaced with admiration and awe of her musical abilities. Maggie and her husband Jackson have been part of the New Arts Ensembles community of musicians for over 5 years and their well-known trio, Silver Lining, continues to grow in popularity.
However, what you wouldn't know if you were watching Maggie's performance at a lounge or a wedding reception is that she is an accomplished artist with an incredible understanding of her work: where it has come from and where it is going.
Maggie Evans was born in Denton, Texas in 1980. She graduated from Utah State University with a BFA in Illustration in 2003 and received an MFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2007. She received Best In Show at the Telfair Arts Fair in 2008 and her work is shown at a number of local and national galleries.
Upcoming exhibits include:
August 7 at Mason Murer Fine Art in Atlanta
September (entire month) solo exhibit at Estel Gallery in Nashville
This past weekend, Maggie participated in Savannah's Open Studio Sunday where local artists open their private studios for visitors can view artist's work space and get to know them on a more personal level.
The Open Studio ran from 12:00-5:00 on May 17th and featured over 30 artists. In keeping with a tradition which started a few a years ago, artist Morgan Santander hosted the after party at his home/studio. Maggie and Jackson were the musical entertainment and captured the attention of every person who walked in the room. It was the perfect way to end a day that has so much focus on local artists, their visions and inspirations, and their influence on the community of Savannah and beyond.
Silver Lining performs every Friday at the Casmir Lounge at The Mansion on Forsyth from Park from 9:00-Midnight and can be heard at a number of local establishments including Blowin' Smoke, Isaac's, and The Mercury Lounge. Our Event Calendar is constantly being updated, so check in for infomation on their upcoming shows.
A number of incredible people who work with us at New Arts Ensembles recently participated in an amazing fundraising event for America's Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. The Jewels & Jeans event raised over twice as much as the previous year, and with the help of some very talented (and generous) contributions, such as Amy Harvey with Harvey Designs , Beachview Tent Rentals, photographer Emily Adams, locals restaurants and caterers (Lady & Sons, Uncle Bubbas Oyster House, Lulus's Chocolate Bar, Mrs. Wilkes, and Chu's Liquor and Wine to name a few) working along side with our creative committee, everyone had a amazing evening!
Sponsorship was provided by Infinity, St. Joseph's Candler, and The Coastal Source- WJCL and Fox News 28. A live interview took place at the event and here's what Jennifer Beal had to say:
"Dress them up or dress them down, it’s hard to go wrong with jeans and jewels. The Second Harvest Food Bank's annual fundraiser “Jeans and Jewels” was held tonight. The event gives the community a chance to check out the facility on East President Street and how they work towards ending hunger.
Some of the highlights included appetizers from many different restaurants, live music, and a silent auction featuring everything from an autographed copy of Madonna’s "English Roses” to artwork from local and international artists. The money raised will help stock the bank for the summer months.
"There are 21,000 children that qualify for free or subsidized meal programs while they're in school, so when they're not in school the question is where they are getting their nutritious balanced meals. Second Harvest is able to deliver those meals to families and those children,” says Kristin King."
The Second Harvest Food Bank serves about one hundred and 30,000 people each year.
Copyright 2009 The Coastal Source
Gorgeous jewelery was donated for auction...
...and everyone had a great time helping with the set-up! Above: Kimberly Barnhill of Sea Island Bank, committee member and chairperson for the event, and Tony Clarke of The Clarke Group in Atlanta, helped hang the chandeliers designed by Amy Harvey while Ricardo Ochoa worked on lighting design.
New Arts Ensembles provides the programing for the monthly series "Jepson Live" at the Jepson Center for the Arts in downtown Savannah. Last evening we produced a wonderful show featuring classic Tango music as well as local dancers. The event was one of the best attended of this series and many of the patrons were bold enough to attemempt a dance or two with the professionals...
April is the busiest wedding month for New Arts Ensembles, and thanks to Mike Force with Studio M Photography, we have some beautiful pictures of the harp, flute and cello trio playing an April 18th wedding in Reynolds Square. The wedding was coordinated by First City Events and went beautifully.