Memorial Center bringing a variety of entertainment

The Kootenai Heritage Council is bringing five musical acts to Libby for the 2015-2016 season at the Memorial Center.

The season begins with a free kick-off event Sept. 19, featuring local singer and musician Shauney Fisher. The kick-off, dubbed “Dancing, Desserts and Music,” will feature Fisher’s music as well as food and a glimpse of the events on this season’s calendar.

“The kick-off party is free,” said Kootenai Heritage Council board member Gary Huntsberger. “This is a great opportunity for people to participate in quality entertainment and we want to thank the community for their support of the Kootenai Heritage Council and the Memorial Center.”

The first performance of the official season will be held Oct. 9, when Wylie and the Wild West roll into Libby. Montana native Wylie Gustafson and his band, the Wild West, have been performing their unique blend of cowboy, swing, folk and yodeling around the world for the past 25 years.

Scott Kirby comes to town Nov. 14, bringing his award-winning ragtime piano sounds to the Memorial Center. Kirby worked his way up from street performances in New Orleans, La., through the major ragtime festivals of the United States, Europe and New Zealand. He brings to life musical traditions dating back 150 years and was hailed by Time Magazine as an “ace pianist,” and “one of the best interpreters of ragtime music on the scene today.”

The official season takes a break after Kirby’s show, but music fans need not worry. The Kootenai Heritage Council’s annual fundraiser concert is on the schedule for Dec. 26. This year’s headline performance is the Flathead’s own Smart Alex, bringing “Another Rockin’ Christmas” to Libby. Huntsberger said he first heard Smart Alex playing at a wedding and he was impressed with their music and showmanship.

“They’re a great play-to-the-crowd kind of a band,” Huntsberger said.

The season goes international when it resumes Feb. 9, with a performance by the Valinor Quartet. The quartet is billed as a unique hybrid of jazz and classical music, featuring classical accordion player Sergei Teleshev of Trio Voronezh joining the jazz strings of the International String Trio.

The International String Trio, Ben Powell on violin, Slava Tolstoy on guitar and Greg Feingold on bass, merged with Teleshev to create the Valinor Quartet. The all-acoustic group brings together the cultural influences of their varied backgrounds in Russia, the United States and England.

Two April shows round out the season’s official performances.

Queen Nur takes the stage April 1. The nationally renowned storyteller and teaching artist has performed on Broadway, in the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and around the country.

Singer, comedian and puppeteer Norman Foote closes out the season April 15. From the streets of Australia and New Zealand, Foote developed from songster to puppeteer to physical comedian, combining all three into a one-of-a-kind performance. He has been honored with U.S. Parents Choice, NAPPA Gold, Canadian Socan’s Best Children’s Songwriter and West Coast Music awards. He travels the concert halls of North American, Europe and Asia and spends time entertaining U.S. troops and families abroad.

The concert series is made possible in part through grants from Westaf, Montana’s Cultural Trust, Montana Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts and the Montana Performing Arts Consortium.

Every January the Montana Arts Council hosts a preview show featuring roughly 20 performers. Huntsberger, along with his wife Kate and fellow board members Star and Jack Bakken, traveled to the event to listen to the performances and book the Memorial Center’s shows for the season. In order to conserve and stretch their resources, the group partnered with Eureka’s Sunburst Foundation, booking four of the five acts on this year’s calendar together for successive performances in both communities.

The Memorial Center has more going on than just the official season. A number of youth and school concerts are scheduled for this year. Libby High School’s Choir dinner and concert is scheduled for Nov. 3. The middle school choir and Children’s Select Choir will be performing their Patriotic Concert Nov. 10.

December is a full month, kicking off with Libby High School Band’s Dessert Concert Dec. 1. A combined choral concert is scheduled for Dec. 15, featuring the Libby High School Choir, Libby Middle School Choir and Children’s Select Choir. The Libby Middle School Band performs Dec. 17.

The school performances pick back up in the spring, with the high school choir and band pre-festival concert March 29. The Libby Schools Band Concert, for grades six to 12, is May 19 and the combined choirs perform again May 31.