Mark Powers is a percussion artist/educator and world traveler who has performed and studied percussion in the U.S., Canada, Cuba, Puerto Rico, China, Thailand, and Ghana, West Africa.
As an instructor, Mark teaches private percussion lessons and group hand-drumming classes. He works as an Artist-in-Residence at elementary, middle, and high schools—conducting “Junk Jam” workshops, teaching West African drumming styles, and directing percussion ensembles. He also facilitates “Rhythms at Work,” a corporate teambuilding workshop, and presents percussion-based Correctional Education programs in adult and juvenile facilities.
Mark’s performing and recording credits cover the gamut of styles, including appearances with Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Devon Evans (Bob Marley and the Wailers), The Afrodisiacs, The Spazmatics, and Tim Ries (saxophonist for The Rolling Stones). He has opened for The Radiators, Buckwheat Zydeco, Junior Brown, Brave Combo, Pat Benatar, and many others.
While in Grand Marais, Mark will work with
the students of Great Expectations School in classroom “Junk Jam” workshops, leading a hands-on experience in how everyday objects can become musical instruments. Students will find that rhythm exists everywhere and that by working together they can discover music in their own environment, their own bodies, and even in the vocalization of their own names. The Junk Jam program is designed with the goals of promoting teamwork, nurturing creativity, and boosting self-esteem among youth.
The following evening, the community will be invited to the ACA to attend an event featuring
a student performance with Mark, and his solo percussion performance.
This 7 PM event is free. Donations are greatly appreciated at the door. Lobby opens at 6 PM.
This project is funded in part by United Arts Fund, a program of COMPAS. http://compas.org/programs/united-arts-fund
With the passion, style, and musical sophistication borrowing from the best chamber music and string quartet traditions, the
Minneapolis Guitar Quartet has successfully made its case as one of the world's leading guitar ensembles since its founding in 1986. "Flawless, musical and witty" (
Classical Guitar Magazine, England), the MGQ has performed throughout the United States both in recital and with orchestra, balancing a dizzying array of first-rate repertoire ranging from Renaissance and Baroque to Spanish, Latin American and Romantic, to highly imaginative existing and newly commissioned contemporary works. Cutting-edge composer/performer Daniel Bernard Roumain, one of the more than 20 composers commissioned by the MGQ, calls the group "more than a guitar quartet, more than superb musicians, and more than a great chamber group. They are ambassadors of sound, style, and substance."
Since 2006, the MGQ has collaborated with Flamenco dancer
Colette Illarde, developing two different productions with music by the great Spanish composers Joaquin Rodrigo and Enrique Granados. This dynamic and wide ranging synthesis features music arranged by the MGQ, while Ms. Illarde’s choreography reflects the extraordinary vitality of Spanish culture and includes Spanish regional and folk dancing, classical ballet and flamenco.
For videos of MGQ, go to: http://minneapolisguitarquartet.com/videos.html
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.