Connie Dover Concert to be Held Feb. 4 | Arts & Culture

Press Release

On Friday, February 4, 2011 at 7:30 PM Connie Dover, Kelly Werts and Doug Goodhart will join their formidable talents to create a rare and moving musical experience at the Corbin Theatre in historic downtown Liberty, MO. This concert continues the Celtic at the Corbin series launched last year to further the theatre’s mission to enhance Liberty’s quality of life and diversity through the performing arts.

Blending Connie’s lush voice with Kelly’s prowess on guitar, accompanied by a host of instruments (including fiddle, accordion and lute) by World-renowned musician Douglas Goodhart, the trio brings together songs from the Celtic traditions with music of Appalachia and the American West. With ballads in English and Gaelic, high-energy old-time dance tunes and Connie’s powerful original music, they showcase the depth and richness of their combined musical heritage.

Their recorded music includes the Emmy Award winning soundtrack for the PBS Civil War documentary, “Bad Blood” (KCPT). In concert, their lively humor and easy repartee create a performance that is relaxed, entertaining and always enjoyable. Musicians of the highest order, Connie Dover, Kelly Werts and Doug Goodhart’s musical collaboration brings the past into the present, and yields a compellingly beautiful hybrid.

Acclaimed by the Boston Globe as "the finest folk ballad singer America has produced since Joan Baez," Emmy Award winner

Connie Dover’s soaring, crystal-clear voice and powerful interpretations of the songs of Scotland and Ireland and early America have established her as one of the world’s most acclaimed traditional singers. Her heartfelt performances and best-selling CDs have garnered rave reviews, and her voice can be heard on numerous film and television soundtracks, as well as on the Sony, Virgin, EMI, Narada and Rounder record labels. In addition to concert tours around the world, she has been a featured guest on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, Weekend Edition Sunday, The Thistle and Shamrock and A Prairie Home Companion. Her CD of traditional Christmas songs, The Holly and the Ivy, recorded with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, was released in 2008.

A William Jewell College graduate, Connie was awarded the WJC Citation for Achievement in 2000, recognizing her vast musical accomplishments and international influences. Making her home in Weston, MO Connie supports local venues like the Corbin that showcase emerging and established artists who explore the convergence of cultures through music, poetry and other performing arts.

Kelly Werts (guitar, percussion, vocal) has appeared on many American stages as a soloist, in a duo with his wife, Diana, and as a member of The Plaid Family, an acoustic trio that achieved national recognition through recordings and their appearance on the TNN music video special, “Music of the Wild West.” A winner of the National Flatpicking Competition at Winfield’s Walnut Valley Festival, Kelly has performed and recorded with many of America’s finest folk musicians, with whom he is also in demand as a producer and arranger. Acoustic guitar and fiddle are his primary instruments, as well as the occasional penny whistle, mandolin and wooden spoons. Full of soulful finesse, Kelly Werts’ masterful playing - on any instrument - captures that rare union of passion and authenticity that is the heart of American traditional music.

Douglas Goodhart (fiddle, accordion, cittern, lute, and percussion) has been performing and teaching West African polyrhythmic music for 25 years with legendary performers Abubakari Lunna (Dagomba music), Gideon Foli Alorwoyie and Kwaku Ledzekpo (Ewe music). His pursuit and passion of polyrhythmic traditions has also led him to Afro-Cuban drumming (Agustin Romero Diaz), Flamenco Guitar (Miguel Rodriguez) and Mexican music from Veracruz (Alberto de la Rosa). Doug’s unique and gentle teaching style is known for getting students “up and running” with polyrhythmic music.
Last November Doug performed at the Corbin with Turlach Boylan in a well received show featuring diverse musical traditions and instrumentations.

Tickets are $15 for General Admission and $12 for seniors, students and groups of three (3) or more. Tickets may be purchased at Crybaby Farm, 9 N Water St; during Corbin Theatre events, 15 N Water St; and online at corbintheatre.org.
Additional Information:

The Corbin Theatre Company, founded in 2001 in historic Liberty, Missouri, is committed to providing the finest theatrical entertainment, encouraging and facilitating community participation in every phase of live theatre, and sponsoring and promoting educational opportunities that create greater knowledge of the theatre arts. The Corbin believes high quality, diverse theatrical productions and other performing arts enhance the quality of life in a community and provides economic stimulus to the local economy. For more information go to www.corbintheatre.org.