Old Town Turns 50 w/ Tweedy

FRIENDS FROM THE OLD TOWN SCHOOL’S PAST AND PRESENT
JOIN TOGETHER FOR AN ALL-STAR
50TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT CELEBRATION
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 AT THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE

The Old Town School of Folk Music proudly announces an all-star lineup for its 50th Anniversary Benefit Concert, to be held at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway in Chicago, one-night-only, Saturday, December 1 at 7 p.m., the actual date of the School’s 50th anniversary.

The lineup for the concert, which will benefit the not-for-profit Old Town School, includes Grammy Award-winner and Wilco front man, Jeff Tweedy; one of the world’s premier banjo players, Béla Fleck, along with Evanston native and Uncle Earl band member Abigail Washburn; the genre-busting guitarist David Bromberg; founding member of the legendary group the Byrds, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and former Old Town School student, Roger McGuinn; blues guitarist Lonnie Brooks joined by his son, Wayne Baker Brooks, and Nicholas Tremulis; special guest artist Frank Hamilton, the only living founder of the Old Town School; The Bloodshot Family Band featuring The Robbie Fulks Band with Jon Langford, Kelly Hogan, Sally Timms, and Nora O’Connor; a new work from Luna Negra Dance Theater; folk maven Bonnie Koloc; the Mexican folk group, Sones de México Ensemble; blues harmonica master Corky Siegel; and a set by The Old Town School Players, an ensemble of alumni and faculty.

“Our 50th Anniversary Concert will both honor the long tradition of the Old Town School and look toward its future,” said Colleen Miller, Events Director for the Old Town School of Folk Music. “The evening is going to be full of fun, friends, and a few surprises.”

This evening celebrates a great legacy and supports the Old Town School’s continuing commitment to arts education within its own classrooms and throughout Chicago. Proceeds from the concert will support scholarships for students who could not otherwise afford lessons; intimate classes with a faculty of renowned teachers; performances by local and touring artists representing cultural traditions from around the world; and youth outreach initiatives that reach thousands of children.

Tickets, priced from $35 to $250, will go on-sale to the public on Saturday, September 15 at 11 a.m. at the Auditorium Theatre box office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com or charge-by-phone at 312-559-1212. There is a limit of 8 tickets per order. Members of the Old Town School will be able to purchase tickets in advance.

About the Old Town School of Folk Music
Founded in 1957, the Old Town School of Folk Music, the nation’s largest independent community arts school, is a not-for-profit organization that teaches and celebrates music and cultural expressions rooted in the traditions of diverse Chicago, American and global communities. Each week close to 6,000 students of all ages participate in hundreds of classes and workshops in music, dance, theater and art, and over 160 concerts and performances are produced yearly in the School’s critically acclaimed concert hall. The Old Town School of Folk Music is located in Chicago at 4544 N. Lincoln Avenue, with an additional location at 909 West Armitage Avenue.