Published: May 07, 2009 10:53 am      

MUSIC: Artpark announces schedule

Everyone should be able to find something to be glad about in the new Artpark summer schedule announced on Wednesday.

The biggest entertainment news from the venue at the Niagara gorge depends on who you are, said Artpark spokesperson Maureen Kellick.

If you love classic rock, than your heart will beat faster at the news that free Tuesdays in the Park will continue to provide fans with the music of some of the greatest names in rock and roll, including Guess Who, Grand Funk Railroad and Peter Frampton.

Not only will the free concerts continue with a full slate for Wednesdays on the Gorge, but there’s a few new twists to combine tastes and music flavors.

For instance classical music fans and video game players should be intrigued when they hear that the Buffalo Philharmonic will perform “Video Games Live,” playing the music from popular video games while the games appear on a huge screen. That event on July 26 will be enhanced by foggers, hazers and moving lights and “all kinds of unexpected things,” according to Kellick.

“This is a night where you can bring your young kids and maybe even your young husbands who are video fanatics,” Kellick said. “It’s a great night for people to get symphony experience.”

There’s even more happening on Artpark’s revamped indoor stage, where top performer’s including Ani DiFranco, Diana Krall and the Tragically Hip have already sold out. The quick ticket response prompted Artpark officials to open sales for the near 2,000 extra lawn seats outdoors and those are selling fast as well.

Kellick called 2009 a “landmark season,” for Artpark.

“Every year we are breaking attendance records,” she said. “Not only have we resurrected the theater thanks to the unique programming of the free concerts, but we are starting to bring families back to Artpark,” she said.

Kellick believes the biggest news about the summer schedule is that Artpark has sustained for 35 years given the economic climate and cuts in state funding. While New York State owns the park, the non-profit Artpark and Company has an agreement with the state to provide entertainment and arts programming.

The agreement is proving to be fruitful for the Niagara region, Kellick said, noting that Artpark attracted a quarter million visitors last year for it’s art offerings, and attracted another quarter million who simply came to take advantage of the park-like setting and picnic areas.

The park, located right on the escarpment overlooking the Niagara River gorge, has the added advantage of providing renowned natural offerings along with the wide range of entertainment. “When you’re at Artpark there’s butterflies flying over your head. It’s a real family situation where the kids are spinning and running about,” Kellick said.

Beyond music, the facility is reaching out to families through a number of programs, including providing hands-on art workshops for children before all the free concerts, and free family events each Saturday, and offering children’s camps all summer long.

Theater camp attendees will be able to go behind the scenes of the blockbuster Broadway musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which opens on stage August 13. There are also art camps for children and a new offering for young string musicians, called String Camp.

All of the events cited above provide the reason that Kellick can’t name the most exciting news about the summer schedule.

“Everybody would have a different answer with this schedule and that’s what summer at Artpark is all about,” she said. “It’s huge.”