First Ensemble of Arts Midwest World Fest Partnership with Alexandria Community Education

Alexandria, Minnesota --- The captivating music of Beauty and Melody, an all-female 16-member ensemble from China’s Sichuan Province, will take you on a journey—from ancient Chinese dynasties to the hip and contemporary culture of today. Their instruments, costumes, songs, and personalities merge to charm you with their unique performance worthy of their name. Having toured the world—including performing at the United Nations in 2005—Beauty and Melody now bring their music to the Midwest.

"It’s rare for small and mid-size Midwestern communities to host an ensemble from China," says Bernice Wimmer, Community Education Adult Enrichment Coordinator. "The music and culture Beauty and Melody shares will be absolutely fascinating and so different from anything we have heard before. The ensemble will be in Alexandria for a full week, October 4 – 10, 2009 and we expect this residency will be a delightful experience for our entire community."

According to Wimmer, Alexandria typically does not regularly have the resources to host week-long residencies by international ensembles like Beauty and Melody. Arts Midwest, a regional arts organization based in Minneapolis, offsets the cost of the ensemble and handles the coordination of Arts Midwest World Fest tours in order to offer communities throughout the Midwest this rich international arts experience. Local costs are being covered by Community Education, Alexandria Hotels and Hospitality (AHH), Diversity Resource Action Alliance (DRAA), Senior College, Alexandria Technical College, Red Willow Arts Coalition and other donors are being identified to help with housing, technical support and other costs. Alexandria was selected as one of only nine Midwestern cities to host the 2009 - 2011 Arts Midwest World Fest.

"Our goal is to make lasting impressions on the communities that host Arts Midwest World Fest," says David Fraher, Executive Director of Arts Midwest. "Our musicians do not simply perform one evening and leave. Rather, they conduct extensive residencies, where they perform in schools and in a variety of community venues. They conduct dozens of workshops about their culture, music and language. We want this to be a rich experience for the full community."

Beauty and Melody’s visit will be followed by three more ensembles over the course of this two year partnership with Community Education and Arts Midwest. Arts Midwest World Fest presents international music ensembles in week-long residencies in smaller Midwestern communities. Its purpose is to foster global understanding and appreciation through cultural experiences. The other ensembles to visit Alexandria in future residencies include Mauvais Sort of Canada, March 7 – 14, 2010, the Israeli Ethnic Ensemble from Israel, October 24 – 30, 2010 and Agatsuma, Winter 2011, a Japanese ensemble led by shimsen player, Agatsuma.

An Arts Midwest initiative, the 2009-2011 Arts Midwest World Fest is generously sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, 3M Foundation, MetLife Foundation, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Québec Delegation du Chicago, the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest, and the Chinese Heritage Foundation Grants Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation. Additional support provided from the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China.

Beauty and Melody Ticket Information

Community Workshop October 6, 6:30 – 8:00 PM
Cost is $5;
Alexandria Technical College Room 743 Auditorium, South Campus 1601 Jefferson St, Alexandria.

Community Concert Saturday October 10, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Cost is $5 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under
Discovery Middle School Auditorium, Alexandria.

All Tickets available through Community Education, 1410 McKay Ave South, Suite 201.
Call 320-762-3310 Ext. 4275.