Stocker Arts Center’s New Performing Artists Series Tickets on Sale Now The Stocker Arts Center tickets for its 2018-2018 Performing Artists Series are on sale now. This season’s high-energy entertainment celebrates the center’s 38th year on Lorain County Community College’s campus. “The new season will bring a mix of high-energy professional performers that range in style and genre,” director Janet Herman Barlow said. “Each act in the Performing Artists Series will take audiences on musical journeys from Motown favorites with Masters of Soul, to ’60s favorites performed by The Midtown Men to Neil Berg's show covering 50 Years of Rock and Roll, to today’s hits with “America’s Got Talent” sweetheart, Mandy Harvey who will be on a double bill with Grammy-nominated Raul Midon, to contemporary a cappella hits with Rockapella. Season tickets are on sale now. This season’s Performing Artists Series features an array of music and entertainment including: · Neil Berg's 50 Years of Rock and Roll Tuesday, September 11, 2018 With a cast consisting of both stars from Broadway's greatest rock musicals, as well as incredible Rock & Roll singers, Berg shares the often unknown stories from the fifty-year history of the music that changed the world forever. The show shares fascinating stories and groundbreaking music, with tributes to such important and iconic rock stars/groups/ events/genres as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan, Frankie Valli, The Beatles, Beach Boys, Motown, Aretha Franklin, The Who, Janis Joplin, Woodstock, Simon & Garfunkel, Carole King, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Aerosmith, Linda Ronstadt, Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Disco, New Wave, Journey and more. · The Midtown Men Four Stars from the Original Broadway Cast of Jersey Boys Sunday, November 18, 2018 They took Broadway by storm in one of the biggest hits of all-time. Now The Midtown Men are bringing their magic to Stocker Arts Center, singing their favorite ’60s hits from The Beatles, The Rascals, The Turtles, Motown, The Four Seasons and more. The show reunites Tony Award-winner Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard (who is from Rocky River originally) and Tony Award nominee J. Robert Spencer in this one-of-a-kind concert experience. These talented entertainers shared the Broadway stage for over 1,000 performances in “Jersey Boys.” The Midtown Men have thrilled crowds on concert stages across the US, Canada Beijing, Venice and beyond. · Lucky Chops Tuesday, November 27, 2018 Redefining what it means to be a brass band, Lucky Chops stormed onto the scene in 2015. With roots in New York’s LaGuardia Arts High School, the band started out performing on the streets of New York and in small venues around the city. With a mission to capture the energy of a rock band with the dance-ability of an EDM DJ (electronic dance music DJ), the group took their act to the New York City subway system where they grew a legion of followers. It was one tourist from South America who posted a cell phone video of the band in March of 2015 that changed everything. Within days, millions of people had viewed the video. Lucky Chops found themselves on a European tour which included shows in Denmark and France, further expanding their global fan base. Upon returning to NYC, Lucky Chops went back into the subway and began performing at clubs. Now with a large fan base and over 40 million views on their videos, Lucky Chops is setting out to show the world the pure magic that happens every time they get together. · Raul Midón & Mandy Harvey Wednesday, April 3, 2019 Singer-songwriter Harvey was a vocal music education major at Colorado State University when she lost her residual hearing at age 18 due to a connective tissue disorder, and left the program. She pursued several career options, but returned to music in 2008. She has made tremendous impact by way of “America’s Got Talent” having reached the finals, was Simon Cowell’s Golden Buzzer Winner, and in addition, CNN’s “Great Big Story” captured over 10 million hits on social media. Harvey just released her first book “Sensing The Rhythm, Finding My Voice In a World Without Sound,” with a message of helping others to realize their dreams and pursue their hopes. Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and guitarist Midón has earned renown as one of music's most distinctive and searching voices – "a one-man band…who is spiritually connected," according to The New York Times, and "an eclectic adventurist," in the words of People magazine. The New Mexico native has released eight albums since 1999, including the acclaimed studio productions Don't Hesitate (Mack Avenue/Artistry, 2014), Synthesis (Decca/Universal, 2009), A World Within a World (Manhattan/EMI, 2007) and State of Mind (Manhattan/EMI, 2005). Midón's ninth studio album, “Bad Ass and Blind,” which was Grammy-nominated, was released via Mack Avenue/Artistry Music on March 24, 2017. · Masters of Soul Wednesday, April 24, 2019 Masters of Soul is a celebration of the legendary songs and performers that defined Motown and soul music. The show features stylishly costumed, fully choreographed performances of both male and female groups backed by a live band. For many, Masters of Soul is the ultimate stroll down memory lane. For younger generations, the show offers an opportunity to experience an era in our country's history that produced many of the greatest music acts ever recorded. Based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the 10-person cast consists of three lead male vocalists and three lead female vocalists backed by a four-piece band of seasoned musicians who've been touring together for decades. Masters of Soul has performed to numerous sold-out audiences and garnered rave reviews across the country. Masters of Soul performs the music of Gladys Knight & The Pips, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Barry White, Sam & Dave, James Brown and many more. · Rockapella Wednesday, May 8, 2018 They’ve become one of the world’s most sophisticated, lasting and imitated vocal groups around today. Since the early ’90s when they first achieved national television fame on PBS’s “Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?” Rockapella has toured the globe and provided a funky powerful soundtrack to several generations of vocal music fans, while keeping it all fresh along the way. With buckets of catchy original pop songs, and complete contemporary revisions of sparkling Motown, pop, and soul classics, this group has always been the one to watch. As one of the progenitors of the astonishing full-band sound of “contemporary” a cappella, Rockapella has shown every audience the raw power of pure vocal talent and originality. The current Rockapella line-up features Scott Leonard (since 1991, high tenor), Jeff Thacher (1993, vocal percussionist), Calvin Jones (2013, tenor), Mitchell Rains (2016, tenor) and Bryant Vance (2016, bass). Stocker Arts Center offers dinner prior to the Performing Artists Series shows. Dinners are held in the Norton Culinary Arts Center or Spitzer Conference Center next to Stocker Arts Center and seatings are at 5:45 p.m. or 6:15 p.m. Tickets for dinner are $30 per person. To purchase tickets for any of the shows or to request a season calendar, call the box office at (440) 366-4040. Hours are Monday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m. The box office is also open 90 minutes before ticketed events (60 minutes before Student Matinees). Guests may also purchase tickets online at www.stockerartscenter.com. Returning Performing Artists Series six-show subscribers who want to keep their current seats must renew their subscription by Friday, August 10. In addition to the Performing Artists Series, the season also includes the Random Acts Series, the Studio Sessions Series, the Student Matinee Series and the Fall Film Series. To learn more about the upcoming season, visit stockerartscenter.com. Stocker Arts Center is located on the campus of Lorain County Community College at 1005 North Abbe Road, Elyria, Ohio. Follow Stocker Arts Center on Facebook and @StockerArts on Twitter and Instagram. Allison Jack Writer & Project Coordinator | Marketing & Communications Lorain County Community College (440) 366-7082