Concert

Over the last few years I've had the opportunity to interact with Kentucky National Guard members in various ways - and I've always been impressed with the organizational skills and dedication of all involved. I have been to the National Guard Border Bowl in Williamsburg the last three years and even got to be master of ceremonies at this year's bowl dinner. I don't think I have ever been to anything more meaningful than the 2011 Montgomery Gentry USO concert in Louisville that was shown live to troops overseas.

The Danville Children's Choir will present a short concert at 7 p.m. today at the Community Arts Center. The concert is free but concert-goers may purchase raffle tickets ($20) for the choir's fundraiser to offset costs for their trip to the World Choir Games in July. The Children's Choir is one of only two choirs from Kentucky that will be participating in this prestigious event ,which will showcase hundreds of choirs from around the world.  At the conclusion of the concert today, there will be the official raffle drawing for the grand prize of $1,000.  The choir also will travel to Kings Island later in April, where it will perform as well.  The DCC formed in January 2010, has grown to nearly 50 members, and already has presented numerous concerts in Danville, including one last summer as part of the Great American Brass Band Festival.

Centre College's annual Concerto Concert will feature four soloists Tuesday. These musicians competed in December for the opportunity to perform with the orchestra. Ben Yeiser and Andrew Boylan are among the soloists Tuesday. Boylan said he will perform the first movement of Franz Joseph Haydn's “Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major.” He said he became a musician, in part, because of its communication value.  “I'm a musician because music is the best medium for expression. Better than a picture, words,or any action, music delivers the raw emotion and pure feeling of what the composer was trying to communicate through the notes on the page as well as anything that the performer wants to add into it,” Boylan explained. “For me, music is at the same time the simplest and the most complex form of communicating emotion, which only makes it more interesting.”   Boylan said next year he will be attending Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, as the Graduate Trumpet Assistant.

Centre College's Norton Center for the Arts will present Geri Allen & Timeline, a group that has gained standing ovations throughout the country with its tight combination of jazz piano, bass and drums, and tap percussion. The concert is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Weisiger Theatre at the Noron Center for the Arts. Geri Allen & Timeline consists of a diverse group: award-winning jazz pianist Geri Allen, bassist Kenny Davis, drummer Kassa Overall, and tap-dance sensation Maurice Chestnut, who brings colorful percussive footwork and musicianship in the vein of Savion Glover and the late Gregory Hines.

There is a real temptation to say to Ruby Gray, “You certainly don't look your age!” but she's been hearing this kind of thing for longer than some have been having birthdays. Gray enjoyed a small celebration Tuesday - on her 100th birthday - at McDowell Place on Ben¿Ali Drive. A larger event was planned later in the week to mark the milestone, and a concert in Scotland was written for her and performed in her honor. She is a busy and popular lady. Asked if her birthday was any more special than the day before, she said, “Well, yes. It's been a really good day today.

The Winchester-Clark County Parks and Recreation Board made a move Monday at its meeting that's sure to bring smiles to the faces of country music fans across the area. The board unanimously approved a request from Clark County Attorney Brian Thomas and organizers of the John Michael Montgomery Country Fest to rent Lykins Park from Sept. 24 through Sept. 30 to host its second country music festival. The Country Fest will be Friday Sept. 28, and Sat. Sept. 29, but as it did last year, the group reserved the park the entire week so it could begin preparations beforehand, Thomas said.

“Kentucky Crafted: The Market,” the award-winning arts marketplace, will feature two full days of musical performances March 3-4 on the Kentucky Stage at the Lexington Convention Center.  The Market also offers a series of hands-on workshops and activities as well as opportunities to shop for books, CDs, DVDs, artisan foods and fine arts and crafts. The lineup of hourly performances by Kentucky musicians crosses genres. To view a video sample of music offered during The Market, go to http://bit.ly/KCTMmusicpromo2012 .   Saturday  11 a.m.: Singer-songwriter Butch Rice kicks off the Saturday performances with soulful acoustic-pop original music.

A community may be composed of people from different backgrounds and races, but that shouldn't keep them from working together, Lorenzo Taylor said. As a volunteer with non-profit organization WinCity Productions, Taylor is helping to organize an event designed to celebrate diversity. “We're not worried about race or color,” Taylor said. The Martin Luther King Jr. Gospel Benefit will be Friday at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 37 N. Highland St. Anyone in the community is invited to sing or perform liturgical dance at the benefit, Taylor said.

ST. CATHARINE - The Mid-Kentucky Chorus at St. Catharine will perform a series of concerts in Central Kentucky this holiday season, led by conductor Teresa Tedder. The chorus consists of a continuously growing and varied group of professional-level singers from many communities. The choral selections are arrangements of traditional pieces enhanced by professional soloists and musicians. The chorus performs multiple concerts in various locations, making it most convenient for new and returning audience members.

Country crooner Coy Taylor returns to his home turf Saturday for a concert at Eddie Montgomery's Steakhouse in Harrodsburg. Taylor, of Dry Ridge in Grant County, said he's excited about playing at Eddie Montgomery's. “I played John Michael's (restaurant) a few years ago. ... I'm really looking forward to (performing for) my fan base in Kentucky,” Taylor said in a telephone interview. “I'm excited about doing more shows in the Kentucky area.” Taylor's single “Fall For You” has been rising on the country music charts.