Music students at West Virginia University are bringing world music to the people of West Virginia.

Musical ensembles from the WVU College of Creative Arts made a tour of Pocahontas county in late October, with 22 performances over the course of three days, mostly in the schools. The tour was funded in part by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.

Members of the African Music and Dance Ensemble, the Steel Band, the Brazilian Ensemble and two jazz ensembles spent Friday, Oct. 21, presenting performances, workshops and hands-on demonstrations to students in grades K-12 at each of the five Pocahontas county schools, as part of the Pocahontas County Opera House Foundation’s Tune Travelers music outreach program.

Approximately 1,145 students are enrolled in the schools this year, which include: Pocahontas County High School, Marlinton Elementary School, Marlinton Middle School, Hillsboro Elementary School and Green Bank Elementary/Middle School.

“Each ensemble went to a different school in the county to do a performance and four to five workshops, one with each grade in the schools,” said Michael Vercelli, music professor and director of the World Music and Performance Center at WVU.

All five ensembles also performed a public concert at the Pocahontas County Opera House in Marlinton on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 22, which featured a wide array of musical selections.

Tune Travelers receives financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. Financial support is also provided by the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts.

The performance on Oct. 22 was also made possible in part by the generous support of Pocahontas County Dramas, Fairs and Festivals; Pendleton Community Bank; Glades Building Supply; the National Radio Astronomy Observatory; and Dr. John Mallow, DDS.

Info: http://pocahontasoperahouse.org/

-WVU-

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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