The Red Dirt Rangers will kick off the Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series at Northwestern Oklahoma State University on Tuesday, Oct. 20, as the first of four scheduled acts for the season.
The homegrown red dirt band originated during the 1980s in Stillwater. The group has been spreading red dirt music across the plains for 25 years. Woodstock (NY) Times describes the band as “hip cowboys” who “play with soul,” like a bit of “Tex-Mex with extra jalapeño.” Laid-back and identified as taking the road-less-travelled, the Red Dirt Rangers share their passion of red dirt music everywhere they go.
All Concert Series performances will be in Herod Hall Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Season tickets are now available in Alva at the Graceful Arts Center, Holder Drugstore, Rialto Movie Theater and the Northwestern Bookstore. Adult season tickets are $40, and student season tickets are $20. Tickets to individual performances will be sold on an “as available” basis at $15 for adults and $10 for students.
Continuing as second in the lineup are Jeff and Stacy Pederson on Tuesday, Dec. 1.The Pedersons will bring a refreshingly clean and an award-winning comedy act to Northwestern’s stage. Hailed as one of the best female comedians by Vocatus Productions, Stacy also is known as a motivational and inspirational speaker for women. Stacy and her husband Jeff, also known as “The Rock N’ Roll Pastor,” provide a dynamic duo that is entertaining and witty.
The Justin Pierce Jazz Quintet will perform on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016. Justin Pierce is a saxophonist and professor of music at Oklahoma Baptist University. He currently is completing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of North Texas (UNT), where he also earned a Master of Jazz Studies degree. While at UNT, he served as lead alto saxophonist in the One O’Clock and Two O’Clock Lab Bands. As a freelance woodwind performer, Pierce has performed with The Glenn Miller Orchestra, The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, The Temptations, The O’Jays, and Wayne Newton. The Justin Pierce Jazz Band performs jazz standards with a contemporary jazz flavor.
RUNA on March 8, 2016, is the last performance in the lineup. RUNA is a group of five musicians who come from a variety of musical backgrounds ranging from folk, classical, rock n’ roll, Middle Eastern and more. The Celtic band’s pure rhythm will send chills through the spine as the members dive into the songs from their albums for their performance. Recognized as “an incredible masterpiece” by The Celtic Crier, RUNA will finish the concert series with a bang.
This year, seven different sponsorship packages are being offered, each including season tickets, reserved seating and program advertisements. The sponsorship packages are as follows:
Member, $150 to $249 contribution—three season tickets, seating in reserved section and name recognition in concert program.
Partner, $250 to $349 contribution—five season tickets, seating in reserved section and name recognition in concert program.
Friend, $350 to $499 Contribution—seven season tickets, seating in reserved section, name recognition in concert program and a quarter-page ad in concert program.
Associate, $500 to $749 contribution—nine season tickets, seating in reserved section, name recognition in concert program and a quarter-page ad in concert program.
Sustainer, $750 to $999 contribution—11 season tickets, seating in reserved section, name recognition in concert program and a half-page ad in concert program.
Patron, $1,000 to $4,999 contribution—18 season tickets, seating in reserved section, name recognition in concert program and a full-page ad in concert program.
Benefactor, $5,000 or more contribution—25 season tickets, seating in reserved section, name recognition in concert program and a full-page ad in concert program.
The reserved seating section at each concert will be held until five minutes prior to the performance.
Contact Kimberly Weast, chair of the Department of Fine Arts, at (580) 327-8462 or by email at kkweast@nwosu.edu for a sponsorship package or tickets.
The Northwest Oklahoma Concert Series is supported by the Alva Tourism Convention Development Committee, the Oklahoma Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Charles Morton Share Trust.