"Rebecca Woogie" to be Performed in Gadsden This Month

Illustration from book, "When Rebecca Woogie Came to Town" The musical supporting this book will be performed in Gadsden Thursday, March 11th, ad Friday, March 12th, including a free performance at the Gadsden Public Library.

(Gadsden, AL - March 9, 2010) Etowah Youth Symphony Orchestra musical director Michael Gagliardo announces “Rebecca Woogie”  is coming to Gadsden!

On March 11th and 12th, composer and author James Woodward will be in Gadsden to share his music and his book, “When Rebecca Woogie Came To Town,” with students throughout Etowah County.

On Thursday, March 11th, Woodward will visit Duck Springs Elementary, Stowers Hill Intermediate, and John S. Jones Elementary Schools to present a special program for students that will include a reading of the book, along with a presentation of the book’s artwork and of the music that inspired the book.  Woodward will make the same presentation at the downtown branch of the Gadsden Public Library that afternoon at 3:30 PM.  The GPL presentation is free and is open to the public.

On Friday, March 12th, Woodward will be with the Etowah Youth Symphony Orchestra at Curtiston Primary School and Whitesboro Elementary School as the EYSO presents the composition “When Rebecca Woogie Came To Town” for narrator, piano, and orchestra.  The concerts, which are sponsored annually by Wachovia Bank N.A., will include the presentation of the artwork from the book, and Woodward will also address the students and meet with them to answer questions following the performances.  The EYSO will also perform “Rebecca Woogie” at Children’s Concerts in Cherokee County on Friday, April 2nd.

“When Rebecca Woogie Came To Town” is the story of a young pianist who makes her first trip to the big city to participate in a piano competition.  Written by Woodward and illustrated by Gentry Smith, “Rebecca Woogie” is a great story of the importance and power of music.  James Woodward’s residency is funded in part through Meet The Composer's MetLife Creative Connections program.