BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Announces Summer 2017 Lineup

BRIC, the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, is pleased to announce the lineup and sponsors for the 39th annual BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, which returns this year with 31 performances, June 7 - August 12. The programming, reflective of Brooklyn's eclecticism and diversity, will feature a wide array of free, world-class performances at the beautiful Prospect Park Bandshell.

The Wall Street Journal writes, "Nearly four decades on, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! remains one of the city's finest concert series." Named best concert series by the Village Voice reader's and critics polls, and one of the best venues in the city by New York Magazine and Time Out New York, the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival is New York City's longest-running summer outdoor performance festival. When it began in 1979 as a catalyst for a burgeoning Brooklyn performing arts scene, and to bring people back into Prospect Park after years of neglect, the Festival was an early anchor in Brooklyn's renaissance. Since then, the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival has presented celebrated global music icons, legendary jazz artists, chart-topping indie bands, gravity-defying dance troupes, large-scale film projects and even a virtual reality performance, becoming one of the city's foremost cultural attractions and a beloved summer tradition that draws a diverse audience upwards of 200,000 each season. The New York Times says, "Prospect Park is never more inviting than when provided a soundtrack by this mostly free arts series, a seasonal staple."

Beginning June 7 with a free concert by the rousing Brooklyn-based band Lake Street Dive, the 2017 season exemplifies the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival's signature mix of music, film, dance and multimedia works, complemented by food and other provisions from local artisans and vendors. Of the 31 total performances being presented this season, 25 are free (with a $5 suggested contribution at the gate): 20 music concerts, three Music & Movies performance events in which live music accompanies films projected on NYC's largest (50' wide x 21' high) outdoor screen, and two dance performances. The remaining six shows are ticketed benefit concerts, which offer rare opportunities to see great artists in an extraordinary outdoor setting at reasonable ticket prices while supporting the Festival's free performances.

The full season lineup consists of artists from Brooklyn and around the world-across the U.S., the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. They include Alice Smith / Bilal / Kris Bowers (June 10), Yeasayer / Poliça / Cymbals Eat Guitars (June 22), Lila Downs / Orkesta Mendoza (June 29), Musiq Soulchild / People's Champs (July 7), Ben l'Oncle Soul / Sweet Crude (July 15), Amadou & Mariam / Innov Gnawa / AhmEd Gallab (July 21), Mashrou' Leila / Dawn of Midi / DJ Khatir (July 22), Admiral T / Tabou Combo / DJ Spike T.I. (July 29), Nels Cline: Lovers / Sam Amidon (August 5), Whitney / Weyes Blood / Moses Sumney (August 11), and Youssou N'Dour / Yacouba Sissoko (August 12).

Returning for the 16th consecutive year is Series Title Sponsor Bud Light, which presents the Bud Light Music Series, including Soul Rebels feat. Talib Kweli / Pharoahe Monch & Kirk Knight / Goapele / Natasha Diggs (June 24), Chronixx / Chop & Quench / Laolu NYC (July 8), Robert Randolph & The Family Band / Eric Krasno (July 13), and Quantic / Tei Shi / Álex Anwandter (July 14).

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival also welcomes back Series Title Sponsor American Express, which will present the American Express Series including Pharoah Sanders / Brooklyn Raga Massive (June 23), Andrew Bird / Esperanza Spalding (July 28) and Béla Fleck & The Flecktones / Nellie McKay (August 3).

The Music & Movies series events include a screening of Guido Brignone's 1925 silent film Maciste All'inferno, with a live score by Sex Mob, and an opening set by Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir (July 27); Creed (2015) with a live score by Wordless Music Orchestra and an opening set by Frank Haye & The Brooklyn Interdenominational Choir (August 4); and Selma (2014) with the world premiere live performance of the score by Jason Moran, performed by Moran and Wordless Music Orchestra / Brooklyn United Marching Band (August 10).

Lisa Loeb will headline this year's Family Concert on June 17, performing a collection of fun-loving, sing-a-long numbers, joined by the Brooklyn-based orchestra The Knights. Dance performances this year include Garth Fagan Dance celebrating their 45th season (June 30), and the whimsical athleticism of American dance troupe Pilobolus (July 6).

Andrew Bird and Esperanza Spalding (July 28) are presented as part of Prospect Park's 150th anniversary, which includes special events in the park throughout the year.

This summer's benefit concerts provide support for the free performances and include The Shins (June 15), Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner & James McAlister (July 18), Conor Oberst / Hop Along / Big Thief (July 20), Sylvan Esso / Middle Kids (July 26), and two nights with Fleet Foxes (August 1 & 2).

The Festival welcomes several new Co-Sponsors:

car2go
car2go means car-sharing wherever you want, whenever you need, without the costs or hassles of owning a car. Use the app to find, drive and park your next ride - without planning in advance. Attendees can use the code "CELEBRATE" for free registration and a $10 credit off their first ride.

Oris Swiss Watches
For over 113 years, Oris has been making purely mechanical watches in Hölstein, Switzerland. As a small, independent watch brand, Oris strives to support organizations whose values align closely with the brand's. We are very pleased to be a sponsor of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! festival in their pursuit to support independent artists and promote cultural initiatives in their community.

Sorbabes Gourmet Sorbet
Sorbabes is a women-owned gourmet sorbet company that started in NYC four years ago and will be refreshing crowds at the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival this summer with sorbets reimagined to rival the indulgence of ice cream - made with rich nut butters, whole fruits and gourmet toppings, naturally dairy free! It's not sorbet, it's Sorbabes!

New York Presbyterian - Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
New York-Presbyterian is proud to bring its world-class expertise, dedication to quality and patient safety, and continued commitment to the patients of Brooklyn. Our patients and community members can expect expanded clinical services and access to more specialists in proud collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine. Located in Park Slope, NYP Brooklyn Methodist is a 651 bed hospital that provides services to some 42,000 inpatients and 500,000 outpatients with specialized care in all major medical specialties.

Co-Sponsor IKEA Brooklyn, NYC's destination for home furnishing and goods, returns for the 9th consecutive season, providing decor to beautify the Bandshell.

WorldStage and Audible Difference Inc. are the official providers of the Festival's lighting, video and audio systems.

Ethiopian Airlines, providing additional sponsorship for the Amadou & Miriam and Youssou N'Dour performances, offers nonstop service on the modern 787 from New York to Lomé (Togo) in West Africa, with convenient connections to cities throughout the continent, including Lagos, Douala, Abidjan, Johannesburg, Kinshasa, Bamako and Dakar. Come fly the most profitable and fastest growing airline in Africa.

The Festival is presented in partnership with the City of New York Parks & Recreation and the Prospect Park Alliance.

Returning long-time Season Media Partners are the Village Voice, WABC-TV and WNYC 93.9 FM/820 AM.

Longtime Promotional partners on select performances include WBGO 88.3 FM and WFUV 90.7 FM.

A complete list of supporters can be found at www.BRICartsmedia.org/cb.

Beloved Ditmas Park eatery The Farm on Adderley will again offer a menu of seasonal, carefully sourced extraordinary food; Brooklyn-based The Good Batch will operate the onsite snack bar, serving treats including handmade ice cream sandwiches, coffee ice cream floats and other goodies; and local artisans collective NY Handmade Collective will make it possible for concertgoers to shop for a range of handmade merchandise. Lastly, Transportation Alternatives will provide valet bike parking

BRIC President Leslie Schultz, said, "As one of the leading lights of New York City's vast cultural offerings, the world-class BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival will once again deliver a summer full of outstanding free performances by extraordinary and diverse artists. We believe it is especially important to use artistic platforms to reaffirm the very basis of what Brooklyn and America is-a welcoming supercollider of ideas and cultures, informing and enriching each other. We are grateful for all the support BRIC receives to keep the festival free and accessible to all New Yorkers."

Jack Walsh, BRIC's Vice President of Performing Arts and Executive Producer of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, said, "We are thrilled to announce the 39th summer season of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival at the Prospect Park Bandshell. This special season features over fifty celebrated artists from around the world and around the block-across the genres of music, dance, and film-that illuminate the vibrant cultures that make our borough so unique. We invite everyone to come together at the Prospect Park Bandshell as these artists take our stage to compel, intrigue, entertain and uplift us."

Sue Donoghue, Prospect Park Administrator and President of the Prospect Park Alliance, said, "We are delighted to partner with BRIC for the 39th season of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Prospect Park, and BRIC is generously helping us celebrate this milestone. On the evening of Friday, July 28, Andrew Bird and Esperanza Spaulding will take to the Celebrate Brooklyn! stage to honor Prospect Park's sesquicentennial and the entire Brooklyn community that makes the Park so vibrant."

Friends of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival memberships for individuals and small businesses offer reserved seats, Friends Tent access with food and beverage service, and ads for businesses. The Friends Tent interior is specially designed by IKEA Brooklyn. More information is available at www.BRICartsmedia.org/cb.

BRIC CELEBRATE BROOKLYN! FESTIVAL 2017 LINEUP

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 8:00 P.M.
Opening Night Concert
LAKE STREET DIVE
FREE

Brooklyn's own Lake Street Dive ushers in the 2017 summer season with an intoxicating blend of doo-wop, soul, '60s pop and "unflagging collective charisma" (Rolling Stone). Over the last five years, they have experienced a meteoric rise from local favorites to international stars, culminating in a sold-out performance at Radio City Music Hall last fall. They'll bring along their tight-knit songwriting and immaculate vocal harmonies to drift over the park.

Prior to the free concert, BRIC will host the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Opening Night Gala, proudly honoring beer industry trailblazer Chris Sheehan of Union Beer Distributors and the Sheehan Family Companies. Chris passionately leads a proud family business spanning four generations which distributes over 500 beer brands through 19 distributorships in 13 states. Through Chris's advocacy, Union Beer and Anheuser-Busch have been longtime sponsors of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival for 19 years. His commitment to giving back to the communities in which he does business is an inspiration. This year's gala will feature a tribute to Chris and a delectable dinner with craft beer pairings throughout.

Following the concert, at 10:00 P.M., gala guests and Friends of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival (i.e., members) are invited to the Opening Night After-Party featuring a celebrity guest DJ to be announced.

SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 7:00 P.M.
ALICE SMITH | BILAL | KRIS BOWERS
FREE

Alice Smith makes "soulful music draped with vocal stylings that run the spectrum from playful, to seductive, to eerily haunting" (Okayplayer). Her voice is a rare and deeply expressive instrument, anchoring her R&B-meets-jazz songwriting with a treasure trove of memorable, personal lyrics. Bilal is one of the great veterans of New York City neo-soul and "one of the most dynamic and progressive vocalists in contemporary music" (AllMusic). Pianist, composer and "wunderkind" (AllMusic) Kris Bowers sets the tone.

THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 7:00 P.M.
THE SHINS
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Benefit Concert
SOLD OUT

SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 3:00 P.M.
Family Concert
LISA LOEB with THE KNIGHTS
FREE

In 1994, Lisa Loeb's tender anthem "Stay (I Missed You)" appeared in the film Reality Bites, skyrocketing onto the Billboard Hot 100 and making Loeb the first-ever unsigned artist to achieve a #1 single. In the decades since, she has proven to be "a singer-songwriter with immense staying power" (NPR), releasing children's albums, books and even her own line of eyewear. In our annual children's concert, she will bring us an afternoon of fun-loving, sing-along-able numbers, joined by the "spirited and vital" (The New York Times) Brooklyn-based orchestra The Knights in a special collaborative commission. Hadi Eldebek, the oud player from Silk Road Ensemble, joins The Knights for an opening set.

THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 7:00 P.M.
YEASAYER | POLIÇA | CYMBALS EAT GUITARS
FREE

The illustrious experimental rock trio Yeasayer makes their bandshell debut in an evening of "pan-ethnic spiritualism, filtered through walls of echo and layers of gossamer synths" (Pitchfork). Over four records they have built a meticulous sound that invites careful inspection, or can simply wash over you like a wave. Poliça burst from the same Minneapolis scene that brought us Gayngs and Volcano Choir, and can be described as "a heavily digitized Norah Jones atop Radiohead at its most polyrhythmic" (Pitchfork). Shoegazing, shimmering rockers Cymbals Eat Guitars start things off.

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 7:30 P.M.
American Express Series
PHAROAH SANDERS | BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE: COLTRANE TRIBUTE
FREE

Tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders emerged from the storied and controversial John Coltrane ensembles of the 1960s, where he eschewed traditional jazz structures in favor of expressionistic, wondrous, nearly anarchic sound-making. Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world" and he has continued to blaze new trails with his signature "sound like a midnight riptide" (The New York Times). Brooklyn Raga Massive, the beating heart of Indian Classical music in New York City, tips their cap to Sanders with a tribute to the music of Coltrane.

SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 7:00 P.M.
Bud Light Music Series
THE SOUL REBELS featuring TALIB KWELI | PHAROAHE MONCH & KIRK KNIGHT | GOAPELE | NATASHA DIGGS OF #SOULINTHEHORN
FREE

New Orleans' most beloved brass ensemble The Soul Rebels brings the spirit of the bayou to the bandshell for the evening, joined by special guests Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch and Kirk Knight. The Rebels' high-energy, genre-hopping sound has been characterized as "the missing link between Public Enemy and Louis Armstrong" (Village Voice). Natasha Diggs of #Soulinthehorn spins throughout the night, and Goapele, "the spiritual love child of Sade and D'Angelo" (Rolling Stone), kicks things off with sumptuous neo-soul.

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 7:30 P.M.
LILA DOWNS | ORKESTA MENDOZA
FREE

Lila Downs is one of today's great ambassadors of Mexican folk music. For twenty-five years, she has brought her magnetic, operatic voice to twelve albums, earning four Latin GRAMMYs. She has a long history as a human rights activist both onstage and off, telling stories that touch on cultural and political issues through "full-throated mariachi singing that would fit right in at Mexico City's Garibaldi Square" (NPR). Orkesta Mendoza specializes in "generous handfuls of cumbia, merengue and ranchera - all fed through a psychedelic prism" (NPR).

FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 8:00 P.M.
Garth Fagan DANCE
FREE

Celebrating its 45th season, Garth Fagan Dance has changed the landscape of movement with its innovative blend of modern dance, ballet, Afro-Caribbean and social dance. Fagan was born in Jamaica and educated in Detroit - he "fuses technical virtuosity with conceptual depth" (Los Angeles Times) by imbuing his work with the characters, issues, and cultural climate of his surroundings. As choreographer for Broadway's The Lion King, he brought his singular style into a new, blockbuster setting, and now he brings it right into Prospect Park.

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 8:00 P.M.
PILOBOLUS
FREE

American dance troupe Pilobolus is a master of fanfare: "magic tricks, gymnastic stunts, large-scale shadow puppetry, and stripteases" (The New York Times) all belong to the bouquet of their vocabulary. Whimsical athleticism and an endless capacity for new, expressive, non-traditional techniques make them one of the nation's most celebrated and immediately recognizable companies. In this playful, topsy-turvy evening-length program, limbs will tangle and bodies will morph.

FRIDAY, JULY 7, 7:30 P.M.
MUSIQ SOULCHILD | PEOPLE'S CHAMPS
FREE

Musiq Soulchild was raised on the sounds of vintage soul, and has channeled its positive, celebratory spirit over a multi-million-selling twenty-year career. Rolling Stone calls him "arguably the best soul singer ... since Prince" - an accolade that speaks for itself. With twelve GRAMMY nominations under his belt, two platinum records and two gold records, he visits BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival with a goldmine of timeless hooks, and a hot-as-embers band. Brooklyn's ten-piece People's Champs blend afrobeat, indie rock and hip-hop into a "dance party waiting to happen" (Consequence of Sound).

SATURDAY, JULY 8, 7:00 P.M.
Bud Light Music Series
CHRONIXX | CHOP & QUENCH | LAOLU NYC
FREE

Chronixx is one of Kingston's hottest new artists, "modernizing reggae staples and breathing new life into the roots reggae movement" (The Guardian). His style recalls the Rastafarian golden age of the 1970s, with uplifting, consciousness-raising lyrics set to deep, swooning rhythms. New York's all-star ensemble Chop & Quench formed as the cast and band of FELA! The Musical and continue to bring us the city's rowdiest Afrobeat. Nigerian-born artist, musician, and activist Laolu will perform with his band Afromysterics and then will engage in the Sacred Art of the Ori Ritual (body-painting).

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 7:30 P.M.
Bud Light Music Series
Robert Randolph & THE FAMILY BAND | ERIC KRASNO
FREE

Robert Randolph spent his childhood in the House of God Church in Orange, New Jersey, a young pedal steel player steeped in gospel music. And as an adult he has become one of the greatest living guitarists, with "howling melodies and perpetually cresting, lightning-fast explorations" (Rolling Stone) that have earned him admiration from the likes of Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana and Derek Trucks. His funk-and-soul quintet will fill the park with mellifluous sounds, and GRAMMY-winning artist Eric Krasno, best known as the guitarist in Soulive and Lettuce, sets the tone of the evening.

FRIDAY, JULY 14, 7:00 P.M.
Bud Light Music Series
QUANTIC (LIVE) | TEI SHI | ÁLEX ANWANDTER
FREE

British producer Quantic has traveled the world synthesizing the sounds of dance. A recent chapter living in Colombia brought us the cumbia-tinged 2014 record Magnetica, "a fine slice of mellow grooves, zesty vocals, and full-bodied percussion" (PopMatters). Chilean pop maestro New York City's Tei Shi "creates waves with nothing but her voice and loops," (Pitchfork) and Álex Anwandter visits Brooklyn behind his latest album, Amiga, which was ranked #1 in Rolling Stone's list of the best Latin albums of 2016. Presented in association with the Latin Alternative Music Conference.

SATURDAY, JULY 15, 7:30 P.M.
BEN L'ONCLE SOUL | SWEET CRUDE
FREE

Ben l'Oncle Soul is a French songwriter with an uncanny knack for the sounds and sights of Stax-era soul. His 2010 debut on Motown Records captured his retro stylings to a T, with intricate arrangements and soaring melodies that are "sweet, smooth ... and immediately impressive" (BBC), in a blend of English and French. Sweet Crude, an "extremely exciting New Group with haunting and mesmerizing vocals" (PopMatters), begins the night.

TUESDAY, JULY 18, 7:00 P.M.
SUFJAN STEVENS, Nico Muhly, BRYCE DESSNER & JAMES MCALISTER:
PLANETARIUM
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Benefit Concert
$50 advance / $55 day of
Tickets can be purchased by visiting BRICArtsMedia.org or AXS.com

THURSDAY, JULY 20, 7:00 P.M.
CONOR OBERST | HOP ALONG | BIG THIEF
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Benefit Concert
$40.50 advance / $46 day of show
Tickets can be purchased by visiting BRICArtsMedia.org or AXS.com

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 7:30 P.M.
AMADOU & MARIAM | INNOV GNAWA | AHMEd GallAB DJ SET
FREE

Amadou & Mariam's 2012 album, Folila, which featured guest spots by Santigold and TV On The Radio, among others, was hailed by NME as "a great chuffing masterstroke of genre mixing." But amid the experimentalism, their music still sparkles with the Afro-blues sound that has made this blind husband-and-wife duo one of West Africa's finest musical exports. The thunderous New York City collective Innov Gnawa builds upon Morocco's gnawa tradition with clattering, hypnotic rhythms, and Sinkane's AhmEd Gallab spins to kick things off. Additional sponsorship provided by Ethiopian Airlines.

SATURDAY, JULY 22, 7:00 P.M.
MASHROU' LEILA | DAWN OF MIDI | DJ KHATIR
FREE

Beirut-based indie rockers Mashrou' Leila are breaking boundaries and courting controversy in their home country with lyrics that are by turns satirical and sexual, crooned by frontman Hamed Sinno. Their "deeply layered, darkly textured, and sonically innovative" (NPR) music has been compared to the likes of Radiohead, The Strokes and the Arctic Monkeys. In the current political climate, BRIC is proud to invite to their stage an intercontinental voice of tolerance and gender equality. Experimental acoustic ensemble Dawn of Midi "dismantles jazz with the tools that built it" (Pitchfork), and Lebanon's DJ Khatir opens the night spinning records.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 7:30 P.M.
SYLVAN ESSO | MIDDLE KIDS
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Benefit Concert
$35 advance
Tickets can be purchased by visiting BRICArtsMedia.org or AXS.com

THURSDAY, JULY 27, 7:30 P.M.
Music & Movies
MACISTE ALL'INFERNO with live score by SEXMOB | REVEREND BILLY & THE STOP SHOPPING CHOIR
FREE

Sexmob, globetrotting stalwarts of NYC's downtown jazz scene, "make the most avant-garde jazz breezily easy to grasp" (New Yorker). Here they perform their score to Maciste All'inferno, a seminal work of the Italian silent era. Directed by Guido Brignone, the film tells the story of Maciste, a Herculean strongman whose physical prowess and matching virtue are tested when the Devil and his minions capture him and drag him to hell. Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir, self-described "wild anti-consumerist gospel shouters and Earth-loving urban activists," start things off before the film.

FRIDAY, JULY 28, 7:30 P.M.
American Express Series
ANDREW BIRD | Esperanza Spalding
FREE

Classically inspired, whistling, violin-wielding songwriter Andrew Bird returns after his unforgettable opening night performance in 2011, with a new record, Are You Serious, in tow. In the words of Esquire, "he uses centuries-old instrumentation to give depth and soul to folk rock." The evening is rounded out by bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding, whose music is "a sprawling collage of jazz fusion, Brazilian, and even a touch of hip-hop" (PopMatters). When Spalding took home the GRAMMY for Best New Artist in 2011, she became the first ever jazz artist to win the category. Presented as part of the Prospect Park 150th Anniversary.

SATURDAY, JULY 29, 7:00 P.M.
ADMIRAL T | TABOU COMBO | DJ SPIKE T.I.
FREE

Admiral T was born on the island of Guadeloupe in the West Indies. At the age of 16, he joined the DJ collective Karukera Sound System, introducing the world to his "unique fusion of dancehall, reggae, and soca music" (AllMusic). Five albums later, he is one of the most celebrated dancehall artists of the French-speaking world, bringing his trademark radiance and positivity to every performance. Haitian compas band Tabou Combo enthralls with a deep, merengue-meets-funk sound, and DJ Spike T.I. sets the vibe.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 7:00 P.M.
FLEET FOXES
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Benefit Concert
SOLD OUT

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 7:00 P.M.
FLEET FOXES
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Benefit Concert
$50.50 advance / $55 day of
Tickets can be purchased by visiting BRICArtsMedia.org or AXS.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 7:30 P.M.
American Express Series
BÉLA FLECK & THE FLECKTONES | Nellie McKay
FREE

Banjo trailblazer Béla Fleck has done it all: he spun refined solos and spawned a generation of "newgrassers" as a member of New Grass Revival, penned the first-ever Banjo Concerto, and won a GRAMMY in the World Music category for his 2010 exploration of African roots music. But perhaps his greatest achievement has been Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, the legendary jazz fusionists who create "an unclassifiable meld of jazz, progressive bluegrass, rock, classical, funk, and world music" (AllMusic). Joined by the "ceaselessly clever and scarily talented" (New Yorker) chanteuse Nellie McKay.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 7:30 P.M.
Music & Movies
CREED with live score by WORDLESS MUSIC ORCHESTRA | Frank HayE & THE BROOKLYN INTERDENOMINATIONAL CHOIR
FREE

Thirty-nine years after the classic drama Rocky first hit theaters, the seventh installment Creed (2015) breathes new life into this story of underdogs and redemption. Starring Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan, the film has been hailed as "an invigorating piece of nostalgia" (The Atlantic). Brooklyn collective Wordless Music Orchestra, conducted onstage by the score's composer, Ludwig Goransson, returns after their sensational rendition of the Beasts of the Southern Wild score in 2013. Frank Haye & The Brooklyn Interdenominational Choir begin the evening with jubilant gospel music and joins Wordless during the film. (Rain Date 8/6)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 7:30 P.M.
NELS CLINE: LOVERS | SAM AMIDON
FREE

Guitarist Nels Cline has led us on a thrilling cascade of reinventions and left turns, emerging from New York's free jazz scene and currently holding the post as lead guitarist in Wilco. On his latest album, Lovers, he tackles a combination of originals and American Songbook standards in a big-band jazz setting, which he'll perform live at the bandshell. Sam Amidon is an unpredictable folk revivalist whose "highly personal approach opens a window on the American past and lets us feel it like nothing else around" (NPR).

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 7:30 P.M.
Music and Movies
SELMA with live score by JASON MORAN & WORDLESS MUSIC ORCHESTRA | BROOKLYN UNITED MARCHING BAND
FREE

Spring 1965: in defiance of segregationist repression, a march was organized along the highway from Selma, Alabama to the state capital Montgomery. Among the organizers were DR. Martin Luther King, Jr and John Lewis, who continues to be a beacon of light in the U.S. House of Representatives (Georgia). The 2014 Oscar-winning historical drama Selma tells the inspiring story of the resistance, which contributed to the passage of the Voting Rights Act later that year. MacArthur "genius" and jazz luminary Jason Moran joins Wordless Music Orchestra to provide an original live score in this BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival! commission. Youngsters Brooklyn United Marching Band parade to open. (Rain Date 8/13)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 7:00 P.M.
WHITNEY | WEYES BLOOD | MOSES SUMNEY
FREE

Whitney burst into indie stardom with one of 2016's most acclaimed debuts, Light Upon the Lake. With alumni of Smith Westerns and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, they read as seasoned pop veterans: Pitchfork writes, "[Whitney] operates in a universe of endlessly repeatable joy ... you'll find most songs to be near flawless on a small scale." Los Angeles songstress Weyes Blood pens '70s-tinged "ebbing-and-flowing chamber-folk" (NPR), and Moses Sumney starts the evening with "a wafting, pitch-perfect falsetto that floats around space before tunneling deep into your soul" (Pitchfork). Presented in association with The Village Voice.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 7:30 P.M.
YOUSSOU N'DOUR | YACOUBA SISSOKO
FREE

We close our season in majestic fashion with one of the great artists of our time, Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour. Described as an "arresting tenor, with prophetic authority" (The New York Times) and "perhaps the most famous singer alive [in Africa]" (Rolling Stone), N'Dour helped develop mbalax, a propulsive, soulful genre of Senegalese music. He has a long history of activism and civic duty, organizing a 1985 concert to free Nelson Mandela and serving a stint as Senegal's Minister of Tourism. Malian kora master Yacouba Sissoko plays while the sun sets. Additional sponsorship provided by Ethiopian Airlines.

About BRIC and the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival

BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in New York City. The organization presents and incubates work by artists and media-makers that reflects the diversity of New York. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.

BRIC's main venue, BRIC Arts | Media House, offers a public media center, a major contemporary art exhibition space, two performance spaces, a glass-walled TV studio and artist work spaces.

Some of BRIC's most acclaimed programs include the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in Prospect Park, several path-breaking public access media initiatives, including BRIC TV, and a renowned contemporary art exhibition series. BRIC also offers education and other vital programs at BRIC House and throughout Brooklyn.

In addition to making cultural programming genuinely accessible, BRIC is dedicated to providing substantial support to artists and media makers in their efforts to develop work and reach new audiences. BRIC is unusual in both presenting exceptional cultural experiences and nurturing individual expression. This dual commitment enables BRIC to most effectively reflect New York City's innate cultural richness and diversity.

The BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival is BRIC's flagship performing arts program, a free, summer-long experience allowing New Yorkers to come back again and again with their friends and family to appreciate or discover a new genre, acclaimed artist, or world culture each night of the Festival. During its nearly 40-year run, the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival has presented celebrated global music icons, legendary jazz artists, chart-topping indie bands, gravity-defying dance troupes, large-scale film projects and even a virtual reality performance, becoming one of the city's foremost cultural attractions and a beloved summer tradition. The festival's Executive Producer is Jack Walsh. Its Artistic Director is Rachel Chanoff. Leslie Schultz is the President of BRIC

About Prospect Park Alliance

The Prospect Park Alliance is a non-profit organization that sustains, restores and advances Prospect Park, Brooklyn's flagship park, working in partnership with the City of New York. The Alliance cares for the natural environment, restores historic design, and provides public programs and amenities for the Park, which receives more than 10 million visits each year. For more information, please visit www.prospectpark.org.

For more festival information, please visit www.BRICartsmedia.org.

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