Chincoteague Island .Net

The Chincoteague Cultural Alliance presents Walt Michael & Company in Concert at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 9, in the Chincoteague Senior Center located on Church Street behind the old elementary school.

Considered to be a virtuoso of tremendous influence in the revival of the hammered dulcimer, Walt’s wide repertoire ranges from old-time Southern Appalachian, to Celtic, to breath-taking original compositions. Fourteen albums and instructional videos mark his musical path. Walt Michael & Company has performed live in major venues including: Lincoln Center , the Kennedy Center , the White House, and the closing ceremonies of the 13th Winter Olympic Games. The band has been heard on ABC-TV, NBC’s Tonight Show, Broadway, BBC, TNN, CBC, OLN, and PBS. During thirty-five years of performing they have toured extensively throughout the US , Canada , Europe and the UK . Walt has composed and performed collaboratively with both the Pilobolus Dance Theater and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

As part of their holiday tour throughout the East Coast, Walt Michael & Co. will appear in Chincoteague as a quartet, featuring cellist Ralph Gordon, bassist Tom Wetmore and fiddler and multi-instrumentalist Alexander Mitchell. The ensemble plays with the nuance and grace of a string quartet, yet can place their music in overdrive and bring the house down.

Most recently, Walt was the musical producer, composer and recording artist for the Outdoor Living Network’s documentary, Cowboy 101, which premiered in October 2004. His music figures prominently in the soon-to-be released feature length movie “The Last Blast” in which he also plays two roles: a punk rocker and a G-man. Walt is the Artist in Residence at McDaniel College in Westminster , Maryland , as well as founder and Executive Director of Common Ground on the Hill, now in its 14th year, an international arts organization which seeks to promote interracial harmony through the traditional arts.

Tickets are $18 at the door, $15 for advance purchase, $5 for students. Advance tickets are available online, through the mail and at Egret Moon, H&H Pharmacy, Island Cottage Collection and Sundial Books until 5 p.m. Sunday, December 9.

To purchase concert tickets online go to www.ChincoteagueCulturalAlliance.org and click on “2007 Concert Series.”

Seating is limited at the Senior Center. Advance tickets are recommended.