Dogwood

The Newaygo County People for Peace present their annual “Concert for Peace”!
Miiskwaasining Nagamojig (Swamp Singers) have been singing together in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language) since 2009. Members gather to share songs, stories, food and ceremony in Ann Arbor, Milwaukee and Newaygo. They gather to protect  language, culture and community and have seen one another through many life changes. Their songs are a blend of traditional, contemporary and new songs. They are from eleven to eighty years old and represent Ojibwe, Odawa, Passamaquoddy, Haudenosaunee, Oneida and Potawatomi nations. Eastsidemike & A Couple Muggs are three retired guys who like to play Folk, Blues, Country, Swing and Originals for a journey back through time.  Each person has unique part of the music represented. Eastsidemike performs a hybrid style of Americana music and original songs with guitar and vocals. Tommy Dolson has been playing mandolin for 10 plus years and adds a nice range of vocals to the mix. Chris Cudworth has a nice groove with his bass playing, either acoustic with the “Big Red Dawg House” bass or electric. A fun time is guaranteed. Cody Routley, a 13 year old Fremont resident, is active in Pride of Newaygo County and 4-H. He is an excellent student and accomplished athlete in wrestling and soccer. He received his first keyboard at age two and began formal piano lessons at age four. He participated in the St. Cecilia Junior Festival with encouragement and instruction from Bernadine Johnson, earning his first trophy this year. Cody will be performing a variety of music from different eras and genres on piano and saxophone as well as adding vocals. Zellie’s Opry House Band is four friends playing acoustic music that can warm up any audience at Zellie’s Opry House, getting everyone together and ready for the main act. At this concert they are a main act, playing some “straight-ahead” Bluegrass, with that driving, up-beat tempo that brightens even a sagging heart. As always, they will do what a peace builder does, they will bring us together. Newaygo County Community Choir will perform selections from their Spring 2016 concert “Songs of the Civil War”. The pieces exemplify how the experience of this war began a cultural questioning of war itself. In these songs we can hear the former views of war bringing honor, glory, and the best expression of manhood beingchallenged with the intense experiences of suffering and the awareness of our common humanity.
Concert sponsors include Bob & Bonnie Erber, The Harrington Inn, Log Carpenter, Inc., Riverview Psychological Services, and White Insurance Agency.
Click here to purchase tickets! $12.50 Adults, $6 special event pricing for students (I.D. required) and kids 18 and under. Black Box. General admission seating. Tables available for reservation with the purchase of 8 tickets. Call the Dogwood to reserve your table today!
Dogwood Box Office hours are Tuesday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event. For more information please contact Dogwood Box Office at 231.924.8885. You may also purchase tickets from the Dogwood Center Facebook page!
Tickets may also be purchased at the NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont. Hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. For more information please contact NCCA-Artsplace at 231.924.4022.
*Pictured top to bottom: Miiskwaasining Nagamojig (Swamp Singers), Eastside Mike & A Couple Muggs, Cody Routley, and Zellie’s Opry House Band.

Motor City Brass Band is Michigan’s first competitive British style brass band, annually participating in the North American Brass Band Association or US Open Championships in addition to performing a full schedule of subscription and community performances. MCBB is directed by Craig Strain who generates a strong synergy throughout the band in every musical genre. Under Craig’s skillful direction the individual talent of even the finest player is often exceeded in context of the ensemble as a whole. Craig’s most sensitive interpretations in both his arrangements and conducting has won the heart of both player and listener alike. But don’t just take our word for it, come out and see for yourself!
“A high energy band streaked by a good-time vibe and musicianship sharp enough to cover a charmingly eclectic repertoire.”  –Detroit Free Press
Click here to purchase tickets! $12.50 Adults, $5 Kids 18 & Under. Main Stage. General admission seating. 3:00 p.m.
Dogwood Box Office hours are Tuesday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event. For more information please contact Dogwood Box Office at 231.924.8885. You may also purchase tickets from the Dogwood Center Facebook page!
Tickets may also be purchased at the NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont. Hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. For more information please contact NCCA-Artsplace at 231.924.4022.

“Monsterpiece Theater” is a fun filled youth theater program where local youth will show off their new skills in acting, mime, juggling, acrobatics and very cool backlight illusions. Local performer Mat Emerick is the director…or “monster maker” as he likes to call it. The program is a very funny, family friendly Halloween show. No blood or gore, “Monsterpiece Theater” is a masterpiece of spooky, kooky skits and music!
This year’s program is entitled, ” The Phantom of Oz”. The Phantom of the Opera goes to Oz and the other monsters follow to try and stop him! This show combines classic monsters and characters from “The Wizard of Oz”. It’s going to be a fun afternoon!
Free admission. Main Stage. General admission seating. Donations for Dogwood programming will be accepted at the door. Please call the Dogwood Center Box Office with any questions at 231.924.8885.
*An open call was held on Tuesday, August 30 from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Dogwood Center for kids ages 8-13 who wanted to participate in the program.

Rumer Willis – Over the Love Tour – A Post-Modern Cabaret
Rumer began singing at the age of 3, performing for her family in their living room. She joined a music conservatory in Idaho at the age of 12 studying opera and then continued her classical training at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. Lending her talents to various musical theatre productions in high school as well as joining the Jazz Band, her love of music only continued to grow. In 2014 she started a weekly residency at the famed Sayers Club in Hollywood, where she honed her stage presence and sultry vocals. After releasing her cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” on iTunes last year, she took the stage for her Broadway Debut as Roxie Hart in “Chicago.” Most recently she starred in the film adaptation of the Musical “Hello Again” and made her solo cabaret debut at the famed Cafe Carlyle, receiving rave reviews from the NY Times and other publications across the board. She is currently working on her debut album with legendary writer and producer Linda Perry.
Willis is also an accomplished actor with numerous film and television credits.
[Rumer Willis is] brilliant…Her set list ranges from classics like Billie Holiday’s sardonic “God Bless The Child” to Amy Winehouse’s haunting “You Know I’m No Good”. Rumer has a powerhouse voice yet she knows how to belt it out in an intimate environment without making your head hurt. And she projects a vulnerability that’s just touching in ballads like “Since I Fell For You”.  -Deadline
Nightclub singers generally fall into two types: those who study a song and figure out an interpretation, which they superimpose; and those who instinctively dive into the lyrics and live inside them, without overthinking. Ms. Willis belongs to the second group; in other words, she’s a natural.   –New York Times

Tickets on sale Friday, August 12 at 10:00 a.m. $30. Main Stage. Reserved seating. 7:30 p.m.

Dogwood Box Office Hours are Tuesday-Friday 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event. For more information please contact Dogwood Box Office at 231.924.8885.

Tickets may also be purchased at NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont. Hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. For more information please contact NCCA-Artsplace at 231.924.4022.

Calling all Monsters! If you’re between the ages of 8-13, you are invited to invade the Dogwood Center for the Performing Arts! “Monsterpiece Theater” is a fun filled youth theater program where you’ll learn skills in acting, mime, juggling, acrobatics and very cool backlight illusions. Local performer Mat Emerick is the director…or “monster maker” as he likes to call it. An open call will be held at the Dogwood on Tuesday, August 30 from 6:00 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. with weekly Tuesday night practices after that. The program concludes with a very funny, family friendly Halloween show on Saturday, October 22. No blood or gore, “Monsterpiece Theater” is a masterpiece of spooky, kooky skits and music!
Free admission. Please call the Dogwood Center Box Office with any questions at 231.924.8885.

Tiffany’s iconic number one hit single I Think We’re Alone Now captured the heart of a nation and catapulted her to pop superstardom. The legendary pop star set a record as the youngest female artist to top the Billboard charts with her debut album.  In 2000 Billboard Magazine described Tiffany’s album The Color of Silence as “thoughtful, intelligent, and full of grace” and ranked it among the “Top Ten Best Albums of the Year”. She has sold over 15 million albums to date. The singer and songwriter’s new full-length album A Million Miles debuted in March.

After two massively successful albums and world tours, at age 21 her priorities shifted. She gave birth to her son Elijah and wanted to raise him out of the spotlight but she never stopped writing music. In 2008 the family relocated to Nashville where she became immersed in the tight knit songwriting community. The creative atmosphere brought her back to her roots as a young girl singing the songs of Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette while dreaming of becoming a country singer. At age nine she began performing with her own band and was discovered by legendary country writers Hoyt and Mae Axton. The pair took ten year old Tiffany to Nashville where she opened for country stars and appeared on local TV shows. This helped inspire her to create her country-pop EP Rose Tattoo, to tell the stories of her early music career before she found success in pop music.
Tiffany obtained a long and storied career in a short amount of time, and today her goal is to continue writing songs for herself and others, cementing her status in the industry as a powerhouse hit maker and go-to songwriter.
Tiffany has guest stared on reality TV shows such as Food Network’s Rachael Ray VS. Guy: Celebrity Cook Off, ABC’s Celebrity Wife Swap, VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club, A&E’s Celebrity Ghost Stories andFood Network Challenge. She also headlined Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series. As an actress Tiffany starred in SyFy Channel’s hit and campy movie’s Mega Piranha and Mega Python vs Gatoroid, in which the sci-fi disaster movie had her feuding with fellow pop star Debbie Gibson.
Tiffany stays very involved in her local Nashville community. She is an official spokesperson for The American Heart Association. She takes great pride in mentoring young singers and artists, and provides these aspiring musicians with guidance and advice on how to break into and navigate the music industry. With her husband Ben they share their love of animals with their 8 rescue dogs, and Tiffany often gives back by producing charity concerts for the Humane Society.
For someone who has spent her life touring around the world, it’s surprising to discover Tiffany’s extreme fear of flying. Consequently the singer is always in her car and it’s in the car where she gets her inspiration and does most of her writing. Those personal journals and stories inspired both the new music and to name her album after all those miles she’s driven… A Million Miles. In 2016 Tiffany will continue touring in the US and Europe and some of this will require airplane rides. Nobody knows how to break this to her.
For more on Tiffany, check out her website here.
Click here to purchase tickets! $20. Black Box. General admission seating. Tables can be reserved with the purchase of eight tickets. Call the Dogwood to reserve yours today!
Dogwood Box Office hours are Tuesday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event. For more information please contact Dogwood Box Office at 231.924.8885. You may also purchase tickets from the Dogwood Center Facebook page!
Tickets may also be purchased at the NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont. Hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. For more information please contact NCCA-Artsplace at 231.924.4022.

“You can’t just listen to Taiko drumming, you have to feel it!”

The Raion Taiko Japanese drumming ensemble will get your heart racing with an exciting and unforgettable performance. From the deep thunderous sounds of the 3.5 foot diameter Odaiko to the quiet and subtle beauty of the bamboo flute, the beating of the drums reaches deep in your soul.

Raion Taiko is an ensemble of up to eight performers sponsored by the Great Lakes Taiko Center. Their programs are a variety of authentic, modern and traditional taiko, performed on authentic taiko drums imported from Japan’s Asano Taiko, the world’s most famous taiko maker.
The Great Lakes Taiko Center is located in Novi, Michigan and offers taiko drumming classes, educational presentations, workshops and performances for all ages. Learn more about the taiko center at www.michigantaiko.net.
“Taiko” in general is often used to mean the relatively modern art of Japanese drum ensembles (kumi-daiko), but the word actually refers to the taiko drums themselves. Literally, taiko means “fat drum”, although there is a vast array of shapes and sizes of taiko. Within the last fifty years since kumi-daiko was created, it has seen phenomenal growth to the point where there are over 8,000 taiko groups in Japan by some counts. Borrowing on thousands of years of traditional, taiko groups are now taking the style worldwide. Taiko promises to be the first native Japanese music to spread throughout the world.
Click here to purchase tickets! $12.50. Main Stage. General admission seating. 3:00 p.m.
Dogwood Box Office hours are Tuesday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event. For more information please contact Dogwood Box Office at 231.924.8885. You may also purchase tickets from the Dogwood Center Facebook page!
Tickets may also be purchased at the NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont. Hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. For more information please contact NCCA-Artsplace at 231.924.4022.

Nelson Illusions is a one-of-a-kind theatrical spectacle that combines rare and original illusions from around the world with award winning, jaw-dropping magic. The show features four Master Magicians, each with an exciting, engaging, original style.

The show combines a thoroughly entertaining blend of mystery, drama, romance, and comedy with some of the most beautiful and astonishing stage magic in existence today…and audience members are brought on stage to share the wonder! A girl sawn in half in plain view, an elegant lady who floats in circles, a man who melts through a sheet of solid steel, a woman who gets shot out of a cannon, a man who risks death between two four-foot tall spinning saw blades, and much more. Nelson Illusions is the largest touring illusion show in the United States, carrying over 30,000 pounds of equipment.

For more information on Nelson Illusions visit their website here.

Click here to purchase tickets! $17.50 adults, $10 kids 18 and under. Main Stage. Reserved seating. 3:00 p.m.

Dogwood Box Office Hours are Tuesday-Friday 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event. For more information please contact Dogwood Box Office at 231.924.8885.

Tickets may also be purchased at NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont. Hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. For more information please contact NCCA-Artsplace at 231.924.4022.

Occidental Gypsy plays an exhilarating blend of gypsy swing, jazz and world music that enraptures the listener with a complex acoustic sound, burnished by smooth vocals reminiscent of the first era of swing.

Hailing from the New England,  Occidental Gypsy plays a dynamic, multi-genre mix of original vocal and instrumental pieces. And they’ve been recognized for notable covers like a “gypsyfied” take on Michael Jackson’s Thriller.  The Boston Globe has named them a “Best Bet for Weekend Entertainment,” and musician David Bromberg said of the group, “great singing, fantastic guitar and violin work, with high energy originals that leave the crowd crazy. An awesome band.”

Well known as capable heirs and nouveau pioneers of the music of Django Reinhardt, Occidental Gypsy was featured at the 2015 DjangoFest in Mill Valley, California.  The band has sold out legendary venues such as Nighttown in Cleveland, as well as  offering workshops and shows at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, The Ark in Ann Arbor, The Triple Door in Seattle and many other notable spots.  The band has shared the stage with greats like Rikki Lee Jones, Jorma Kaukenen, Stanley Jordan, Joe Sample, Tony Rice, and David Bromberg.  Band members have also participated in side projects that have brought them around the world alongside legends, like the 24 year old Eli Bishop who has played with Wynton Marsalis, and regularly performs at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
The band features Eli Bishop, a Nashville prodigy who recently won 1st Place in the Mississippi Fiddle Championships. Bishop stuns crowds with his lightning-fast and emotional violin.  Lead guitarist and composer Brett Feldman drives the sound with masterful gypsy swing guitar.  Jeremy Frantz — a protege of legendary jazz guitarist Joe Negri— brings his sultry, “retro” vocals and expert jazz guitar to the front line, and serves as an exquisite counterpoint to the down-and-dirty driving sound brought by Brett.  Percussionist Jon Chapman and bassist Jeff Feldman fill out the band’s rich sound and keep crowds moving with beats and complex rhythms that make their audience keep coming back for more.
Occidental Gypsy’s sound is appealing to a wide spectrum of people, and their shows consistently attract enthusiastic audiences at colleges, arts centers, festivals, concert halls and clubs. Their fans include musicians who enjoy the sophisticated compositions and masterful play, but most folks just come to enjoy the music and dance.  The band has found a unique beat and brings to every show a dynamic mix of original vocal and instrumental pieces– and a few memorable standards– in fun, exhilarating performances.  Occidental Gypsy’s music cannot be easily classified; a bit of jazz, a catchy strain of pop, a seismic swing experience, and “a whole lotta’ gypsified groove…”
An Occidental Gypsy performance includes so much more than just music. Jeremy, Eli, Brett, Jeff, and Erick are incredibly energetic and charming entertainers who interact with fans on a personal level, and incorporate audience participation into every show.  On stage, the dialog between band members is entertaining, to the delight of the audience. Perhaps this is why the Boston Globe recommends an Occidental Gypsy show as a “Weekend Best Bet.”
For more on Occidental Gypsy, check out their website here.
Click here to purchase tickets! $15. Black Box. General admission seating. Tables can be reserved with the purchase of eight tickets. Call the Dogwood to reserve yours today!

Dogwood Box Office Hours are Tuesday-Friday 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event. For more information please contact Dogwood Box Office at 231.924.8885.

Tickets may also be purchased at NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont. Hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. For more information please contact NCCA-Artsplace at 231.924.4022.

The Dogwood Center Summer Youth Theater presents Alice in Wonderland!
Curiouser and curiouser. This version of Alice in Wonderland combines both Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass. Join us for this whimsical production performed by community middle school aged students and up!
The Dogwood Summer Youth Theater is directed again this summer by Chelsea Webb.
Show dates and times are Thursday and Friday,  July 28, 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 30 at 3:00 p.m.
Free admission. Donations accepted at the door to support Dogwood programs. Main Stage. General admission seating.