(Photos by Michael Oppenheim)
From pop to rock, from jazz to ballads, the play list of local band stephaniesid, starring Stephanie Morgan, never fails to take audiences on a musical journey that gets people moving, dancing, and singing along. They will be in concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, at Diana Wortham Theatre. This is a special benefit performance for area students through Diana Wortham Theatre’s Y.E.S. (Youth Education Scholarship) Fund.”
With music self-dubbed “pop-noir,” the band plays hundreds of shows a year and has appeared in concert at Bonnaroo, on huge stages, and in intimate lounges.
In addition to Stephanie, the group includes Charles “Chuck” Lichtenberger (keyboard/piano), Tim Haney (percussion), George Sinko (cello), and Sarah Hurd (violin). They most recently took home the title of “Crowd Favorite” at the 2015 Music Video Asheville Awards for their hit song “Lonely in Manhattan.” Excavator, the band’s fifth full-length album debuted last summer, and the group is currently on a promotional tour through 2016.
A stephaniesid concert is a multifaceted experience that never fails to surprise even their most ardent fans. It is soulful, positive, and at times emotionally intense. According to one fan, it is also “incredibly feeling.” The energy exchange between the band members and their audience is definitely a symbiotic one.
Last November, Diana Wortham Theatre announced the Y.E.S. Emerging Artists Fund, a new program designed to support young performers by providing scholarships to graduating high school seniors to help them advance their careers in the performing arts. Recipients of the Emerging Artists Fund scholarships, which begin at $1,000 each, will be announced during this March 19 concert.
“We are delighted to launch this new program,” says Rae Geoffrey, associate director of Diana Wortham Theatre. “The Emerging Artists Fund scholarship can open doors for the next generation of performing artists in our community.”
The new scholarship fund is an outgrowth of Y.E.S. Fund created to make it possible for underserved students to attend Diana Wortham Theatre school programming.
“To see these brilliant high school seniors enter the performing arts stream with such purpose and charisma reminds me to never put out that fire within myself,” says Stephanie Morgan, “and of why the arts are critical to the well-being of the world.”
Tickets ($37.45 for adults, $21.40 for children, and $32.10 for students) are available online at dwtheatre.com or by calling the box office at 828.257.4530.
