Concerts in the Court returns for 2022 season: 10,000 Maniacs headlines at Munson-Williams
A full slate of performances is back for Concerts in the Court at Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute this season, headlined by alt-rock group 10,000 Maniacs.
The concerts in the museum’s Sculpture Court aren’t the only events on the busy calendar for the arts institute, with annual favorites like Keyboard Conversations with pianist Jeffrey Siegel, independent and foreign films, First Friday Happy Hours and The Met: Live in HD returning.
The Concerts in the Court series will kick off with electric violin duo Sons of Mystro on Oct. 1. A holiday show on Dec. 10, TAKE3: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, will follow.
Chicken Wire Empire, a Midwest jamgrass band takes to the Sculpture Court stage on Feb. 4. The season closes with 10,000 Maniacs on March 11.
A special event, “Makin’ Cake,” will be held on March 25, featuring Wisconsin poet laureate Dasha Kelly Hamilton.
While these events come to the Utica community each year, they don’t arrive at Munson-Williams by accident. A lot of research and networking with colleagues in the performing arts field is involved, said Bob Mortis, Munson-Williams director of performing arts.
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The research includes exploring the rosters of an extensive network of agents and representatives to find options. Sometimes you find out about a great artist you’re not aware of, but is in the area, Mortis said.
“It’s a lot of right-time, right-place for a lot of these things,” he said.
Audience feedback from previous events matters as well. If everyone seems to have a good time, Mortis said he’ll look for similar acts for the future.
“What really informs it is people will tell me how much they enjoy a particular performer, so that lets me know they like jazz or bluegrass or contemporary music,” he said. “So I sort of gauge their response to the type of artists we bring, based on the feedback they give me that night.”
All of those factors played a role in securing the 10,000 Maniacs. While he was originally in pursuit of another band, Mortis found that group had the same management group 10,000 Maniacs.
When he discovered the other group was unavailable, Mortis started the discussion to secure 10,000 Maniacs as the headliner instead. The four concerts will make for a high-energy season with excellent musicians, he said.
Concerts in the Court begin at 7:30 p.m. on concert dates, with the museum open an hour before to visit the galleries, visit the cash bar and socialize prior. The price for general admission tickets for museum events range between $5 to $50, available at mwpai.org or by calling 1-800-754-0797.
Steve Howe is the city reporter for the Observer-Dispatch. Email him at showe@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: 10,000 Maniacs headlines Munson-Williams Concerts in the Court lineup
