New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music: Thomson, GA PSA

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• published: 08 Mar 2013
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For more information, visit www.exploremcduffiecounty.com/newharmonies The McDuffie Museum in Thomson, Georgia, in cooperation with the Georgia Humanities Council, will explore numerous aspects of America's roots music as it hosts the local showing of New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition. New Harmonies will be on view beginning March 29, 2013 and continuing through May 11, 2013. When you stop and listen, you quickly realize that music is all around us -- at a local festival, at a dance hall on a Saturday night, or on your radio or your .mp3 player. Whether you're hearing blues, country western, folk, or gospel, American roots music reveals the American story -- peoples reshaping themselves in a new and changing world. As Americans from a variety of heritages have shared cultural influences, musicians found new ways to play unique sounds learned from new neighbors on traditional instruments. The inevitable intermingling of musical influences created exciting new sounds -- new American music. McDuffie Museum, and the surrounding community, has been expressly chosen by the Georgia Humanities Council to host New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music as part of the Museum on Main Street project -- a national/state/local partnership to bring exhibitions and programs to rural cultural organizations. The exhibition is in the process of touring 12 communities in Georgia. Thomson is the 7th stop on the tour that started in April of 2012. Through a selection of photographs, recordings, instruments, lyrics and artist profiles, New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music will explore the distinct cultural identities of American roots music forms. The exhibition will examine the progression of American roots music, as rich and eclectic as our country itself. The exhibit in Thomson, GA will also include a weekly concert series that explores the different genres of music featured in the exhibit. The concert schedule is attached. The grand opening event, set for March 29, 2013 at 6:30 p.m., will feature prize-winning American music author, Peter Guralnick. Peter's books include a two volume biography of Elvis Presley, Searching for Robert Johnson: The Life and Legend of the "King of the Delta Blues Singers," and most recently Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke. Also, featured that night will be a Jazz concert with the Chris Crenshaw Quartet. Crenshaw is a native of Thomson and a graduate of Valdosta State University and the Julliard School of Music. Chris currently holds a trombone chair in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra in New York City. "We are very pleased to be able to bring New Harmonies to our area," said Elizabeth Vance, McDuffie County Tourism Director and site director for the exhibit. "It allows us the opportunity to explore this fascinating aspect of our own region's musical history and we hope that it will inspire many to become even more involved in the cultural life of our community." New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), state humanities councils across the nation, and local host institutions. To learn more about New Harmonies and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress, the Georgia Humanities Council and by following local sponsors: • Presenting Sponsor: University Hospital - McDuffie • Supporting Sponsor : Watson & Knox Insurance • Sponsors: The Hall Knox Foundation, Georgia Power, Regions Bank, First Bank of Georgia, Bill & Liz Hopkins Family, Dr. Jamie Lemley & Dr. Jacqueline Fincher, Symphony Orchestra of Augusta, Ms. Emily Stevens Baumann, Best Western White Columns Inn, Belle Meade Country Club. Local partners for the exhibit include: McDuffie Museum, Thomson-McDuffie Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Activities Council of Thomson and McDuffie Arts Council. SITES connects millions of Americans with their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of art, science and history exhibitions. State humanities councils, located in each state and U.S. territory, support community-based humanities programs that highlight such topics as local history, literature and cultural traditions. McDuffie Museum serves the local community by instilling in the citizens of McDuffie County, an understanding of their heritage and sense of pride in the history of their community. To learn more, visit http://www.georgiahumanities.org/newharmonies and http://www.exploremcduffiecounty.com/newharmonies PSA is available online here: http://youtu.be/J0nnwgQi6X0 #### Exhibit Venue: McDuffie Museum 121 Main Street Thomson, GA 30824 706-595-9923