Darke County Center for the Arts will present two-time Grammy-award winner Terrance Simien and his Zydeco Experience at Montage Cafe on Thursday, November 7. According to DCCA Director of Performing Arts David Warner, Simien and crew have proven a popular attraction at past appearances in our community. “Terrance is a musical genius and force of nature who compels his audience to have a great time and often moves even the most reluctant to join in the fun–and dance,” Mr. Warner proclaimed. The show starts at 7 p.m.
In addition to performances across the nation and around the world, Terrance and the Zydeco Experience were featured in Disney’s Oscar-nominated animated film The Princess and the Frog. Also, in 2012, the group was the first zydeco band to be presented as visiting artists in the Roots Music and African Studies program at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Led by the accordion-playing Simien, the band includes Danny Williams on keyboards, Stan Chambers on bass, Ian Molinaro-Thompson on drums, Michael Christie on trumpet, and Noah Boshran on saxophone.
According to Mr. Warner, DCCA’s Coffee House Series was created to present first-rate performing artists in small comfortable venues where audiences are given the opportunity to sample appealing food offerings, all at an affordable cost. Upcoming performances throughout the season include Celtic Album of the Year award-winner Siusan O’Rourke at The Coffee Pot on December 5, local favorite Doug Hamilton and his String Trio at Arcanum ‘s Wayne Trail Historical Society on April 10, and the exotic Russian Duo at Union City Arts Depot on May 8.
DCCA’s Coffee House series is sponsored by Steve and Eileen Litchfield and SISCO. Funding assistance for all DCCA presentations is provided by DCCA membership contributions and Darke County Endowment for the Arts. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Additionally, DCCA receives funding from Harry D. and Esther Stephens Memorial, Inc., Lydia E. Schaurer Memorial Trust Fund, Ketrow Foundation, and the John R. and Miriam H. Knick Fund of Darke County Foundation.
Tickets for the show by Terrance Simien and his Zydeco Experience are $30 and can be purchased on DCCA’s Websitewww.DarkeCountyArts.org, or at the DCCA office located on the third floor of Greenville Public Library, and, if any remain, will be available at the door the night of the show. Additionally, the group will also be taking their ground-breaking Creole for Kidz and the History of Zydeco program to fourth- through sixth-graders in area schools November 4 through 8. For more information, contact DCCA at 937-547-0908.