Roots Revival, the Hispanic Arts Initiative, Relevents Wind Quintet, and Music at Muddy Creek Cafe

Martha Bassett and Roots Revival

Every Wednesday night in Winston-Salem, you'll find a unique service going on at Centenary United Methodist Church. It's called Roots Revival, and it features outstanding local, regional and national musicians performing live in Centenary's newly renovated auditorium. The Wednesday night sermons are based on the song texts sung by that evening's musicians. Each song is carefully selected in coordination with the minister, musicians, and Roots Revival Music Director, singer/songwriter Martha Bassett. She spoke with David Ford about the services and a new concert series at Centenary.

Martha also directs Roots Revival Stage, a new concert series at Centenary. The first performance of the New Year is Wednesday night, January 15^th at 7:30 PM. It'll feature The Amigos. We've been sampling from their new album due to be released February 1. They'll be joined in concert with legendary folk artist and four time Grammy award winner David Holt. In February at Centenary, singer and Grammy winner Mollie O'Brien will perform with guitarist Rich Moore. 

Both performances are is free and open to the public, but you'll need to reserve your seat in the intimate 200 seat auditorium. That's at the Roots Revival Stage (Memorial Auditorium at Centenary United Methodist Church, downtown Winston-Salem). Take the 4 1/2 Street entrance.

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Punto de Vista: Latino Perspectives

The Hispanic Arts Initiative provides platforms for Latino visual and performing artists; raising awareness about Latino culture, and our fast-changing social demographics. The organization's signature event is the annual Latino Visual Artists Exhibit. Punto de Vista: Latino Perspectives opens Friday, January 10th at the Womble Carlyle Gallery of the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. Hispanic Arts Initiative Executive Director Maria Sanchez-Boudy spoke with David Ford recently about the exhibition. She was joined by Mt. Tabor senior, artist and photographer Carla Garcia. Maria was born in Cuba and she's been enhancing cultural inclusion here in the Triad for decades.

The opening reception for Latino Visual Artists Exhibit 2014 is Friday night, January 10^th from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM in the Womble Carlyle Gallery of the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts in Winston-Salem. Punto de Vista: Latino Perspectives invites you to experience the diversity of Latin American culture as expressed by 20 talented North Carolina artists accompanied by Latino musicians, dancers, and cuisine. 

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Relevents Wind Quintet

Relevents Wind Quintet is the faculty ensemble in residence at High Point University. What began in 2008 as a group of professional Greensboro musicians who clicked as musical colleagues and friends quickly turned into one of the Triad's premiere chamber ensembles. Since then they've toured throughout Florida, Virginia, the Carolinas, and southern Germany. On Friday night, January 17^th at 7:30PM, you can hear this remarkable quintet live in concert right here in the Triad compliments of Music for a Great Space. The concert series brings only the finest musicians to the Piedmont, where they perform in—you guessed it—great spaces. The Relevents performance is no exception. It'll be held in St. Pius Catholic Church in Greensboro, 2210 N. Elm Street.

It'll be a dynamic program too with virtuoso music for winds by American composer Samuel Barber, a living composer inspired by his work, and others forging new musical paths of their own. Oboist Thomas Pappas and flutist Laura Dangerfield Stevens stopped by recently to talk shop.

High Point University faculty and Relevents Wind Quintet oboist Thomas Pappas and flutist Laura Dangerfield Stevens.

On Friday night, January 17^th at 7:30PM, they'll be joined in performance by clarinetist Shawn Copeland, bassoonist Mark Hekman, and French hornist Mary Pritchett-Boudreault in St. Pius Catholic Church, 2210 N. Elm Street in Greensboro.

It's sure to be a wonderful performance and it's in a GREAT SPACE. 

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Muddy Creek Cafe

Stopping in for a bite at Muddy Creek Cafe in Bethania is a little like stepping back in time. The building itself is a carefully renovated historic de-seeding shed with a broad front porch surrounded by quiet woodlands. These days at Muddy Creek, you'll find visitors hanging out on the porch sampling delicious homemade soups, chicken salad and hummus while sipping wine from local vineyards, and tasty brews from Triad-area micro-breweries. You'll also find lots of great live music. Cafe owner Shana Whitehead recently joined David Ford to talk him through the transformation from mill to music house, AND the excellent live music performances heading to the Muddy Creek Cafe.The Gulley performance will be March 1^st at the Cafe.