BRIC Sets 2015 Celebrate Brooklyn! Lineup

BRIC is pleased to announce the lineup for its 37th annual Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival, which will comprise 29 performances, June 3 - August 12. The programming, reflective of Brooklyn's eclecticism and diversity, will feature a wide array of free, world-class performances in the singular environs of the Prospect Park Bandshell.

The Festival welcomes back Squarespace, a creative tools company based in New York City, as presenting sponsor. Serving Brooklyn's characteristically enterprising, creative and diverse communities, Squarespace offers services that, like BRIC, emphasize both accessibility and quality. In connection with its sponsorship, Squarespace will present a series of surprise free late night concerts at local venues following Celebrate Brooklyn! performances.

Of Celebrate Brooklyn!, The New York Times writes, "Brooklyn's best festival only grows stronger over the years." 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. It has since become one of the city's foremost summer cultural attractions. Winner of the Village Voice Readers' Poll and Critics' Picks for "Best Free Concert Series," Celebrate Brooklyn! is New York City's longest-running summer outdoor performance festival. Over its 36-year history, the Festival has presented more than 2,000 artists, drawing a diverse audience upwards of 200,000 each season. Gothamist named Celebrate Brooklyn! #1 on their list of "100 Reasons Why Brooklyn Lives up to the Hype." The New York Times says, "Prospect Park....truly comes alive in summer, when the tremendous Celebrate Brooklyn festival brings dozens of free and benefit shows to its bandshell."

Beginning June 3 with a free concert by the Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan, the 2015 Festival exemplifies the Celebrate Brooklyn! signature mix of music, film, dance and multimedia works, complemented by food and other provisions from local artisans and vendors. Of the 29 total performances being presented this season, 24 are free (with a $3 suggested contribution at the gate): 19 music concerts, two Music & Movies events in which live music accompanies films projected on NYC's largest (50' wide x 21' high) outdoor screen, two dance performances and one mixed-media world premiere featuring visual work accompanied by live music. The remaining five shows are Celebrate Brooklyn! 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.

A highlight of the season, on July 30 the Festival features the world premiere of a special program with a massive, site-specific, multi-screen installation by the artist Clifford Ross. A live score from the Orchestra of St. Luke's will accompany the piece, featuring works by Wojciech Kilar, Bryce Dessner, Vivaldi and John Adams, including selections from "The Four Seasons" and excerpts from "Shaker Loops".

The full season lineup consists of artists from Brooklyn and around the world-across the U.S., the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa and Europe. They include Lucius / Luke Temple / Pavo Pavo (June 13), a double bill featuring eighth blackbird with special guests Will Oldham / Bill Frisell & Sam Amidon (June 18), Lucinda Williams / Jason Walker (June 25), Jason Moran's Fats Waller Dance Party / Butler, Bernstein & The Hot 9 (June 27), Punch Brothers / Sarah Jarosz (July 9), Vieux Farka Touré / Tamikrest / DJ Dakar (July 16), Jason Isbell / Dawn Landes (July 24), Sylvan Esso / Porches. (July 25), Taylor Mac: The 20th Century Abridged (August 1), Third World / Awa Sangho (August 7), and tUnE-yArDs / Shabazz Palaces (August 8).

Celebrate Brooklyn! welcomes Series Title Sponsor American Express, which will present the American Express Series, including Esperanza Spalding Presents: Emily's D+Evolution / José James (June 12), Lucinda Williams /Jason Walker (June 25) and Rhiannon Giddens / Joe Henry (July 18).

Returning for the 14th year is Series Title Sponsor Bud Light, which presents the Bud Light Music Series, including Krosfyah featuring special guests Lead Pipe & Saddis / Something Positive (June 11), The New Pornographers / Thao & The Get Down Stay Down (July 11) and Big K.R.I.T. / Angel Haze / The D.R.E.A.M. Ring: Flexn (July 31), as well as the Budweiser Music Series with Bajofondo / Astro / Los Auténtincos Decadentes (co-presented with LAMC, July 10).

Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience will headline this year's Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert on June 6, performing Creole For Kidz!, a special rendition of their famous dance party. There will be performances by DanceBrazil with a special opening set by Forro In The Dark (June 20); as well as a program featuring LeeSaar The Company with a special duet choreographed by their mentor Ohad Naharin and performed by dancers from Batsheva Dance Company (August 6). Music & Movies series events include a special Pride Week screening of Paris Is Burning, with an opening set by JD Samson (June 26); and the 1926 classic The Son of the Sheik, with a live score by Alloy Orchestra and an opening performance by Ghost Train Orchestra (July 17).

This summer's benefit concerts provide support for the free performances and include Damien Rice (June 17), Interpol (July 21), Modest Mouse (July 22), Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (August 4) and a season-closing show by Willie Nelson & Family with openers Old Crow Medicine Show (August 12).

First year Co-Sponsor Verb Products, founded in Austin, TX, is a family of smart, professional-grade, salon quality haircare products. Returning Co-Sponsors include IKEA Brooklyn, KIND Healthy Snacks and WorldStage.

For the first time, BRIC has partnered with Rdio to integrate their digital music platform into the Celebrate Brooklyn! mobile app. Celebrate Brooklyn! music stations will be on the Rdio platform and also accessible via both the Celebrate Brooklyn! mobile app and website. Any person with a free Rdio account can access these stations and more, commercial free.

Returning long-time Season Media Partners are The Village Voice, WABC-7 and WNYC 93.9 FM/820 AM.

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

Whole Foods Market, Third & 3rd (Gowanus, Brooklyn) will host a "5% Day" on Friday, May 8 in which 5% of all sales will benefit free performances at Celebrate Brooklyn!

Transportation Alternatives will provide valet bike parking sponsored by Spinlister. 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 Etsy NY will make it possible for concertgoers to shop for a range of handmade merchandise. Lastly, Transportation Alternatives will provide valet bike parking sponsored by Spinlister.

BRIC President Leslie Schultz said: "For 37 years, BRIC has proudly presented the Celebrate Brooklyn! festival of free performances by outstanding artists in the green, lush setting of Prospect Park. We are ever grateful to the individuals, businesses, foundation, and elected officials who help to keep this world-class festival free, diverse, and accessible to Brooklyn and beyond."

Jack Walsh, BRIC's Vice President of Performing Arts and Executive Producer of Celebrate Brooklyn! said: "We are thrilled to announce the 37th summer season of the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival at the Prospect Park Bandshell. This special season features a truly eclectic and world-class mix with both local and global artists, and an array of music, dance, spoken word and film that is sure to engage, inform, illuminate and excite as only live performance can. We invite everyone to come together and share in the experience."

Squarespace Founder & CEO Anthony Casalena said: "As a company that builds creative tools for artists and entrepreneurs, we are thrilled to return as presenting sponsor of Celebrate Brooklyn!, a festival that consistently puts a fantastic group of diverse talents under the spotlight. We look forward to introducing Squarespace to a wider audience while supporting a great initiative that's right in our backyard."

"Providing high quality, free public programs to the diverse communities surrounding Prospect Park is an important part of our mission," said Sue Donoghue, Prospect Park Administrator and President of the Prospect Park Alliance. "We are delighted to partner with BRIC to present Celebrate Brooklyn!, which has enjoyed nearly four decades of tremendous success."

Friends of Celebrate Brooklyn! 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.

CELEBRATE BROOKLYN! 2015 LINEUP

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 8:00 P.M.
Chaka Khan
Opening Night Concert
FREE

With ten Grammys, ten #1 Billboard hits, 22 albums, and a career spanning 40 years and influencing countless other singers, Chaka Khan truly is the "Queen of Funk." Songs from her time with multiracial trailblazers Rufus and as a solo artist -"Tell Me Something Good," "Ain't Nobody," "I'm Every Woman," and "I Feel for You" to name just a few - are dance floor staples everywhere. She brings her unbridled talent to the Bandshell to kick off the Festival's 37th season.

Prior to the free concert, BRIC will hold the Celebrate Brooklyn! Opening Night Gala, honoring David Berliner, COO of Forest City Ratner Companies, at 5:30 P.M. Gala tickets, starting at $500, can be purchased online atwww.BRICartsmedia.org/cb or by contacting Kristina Beaudett at 718.683.5633 or kbeaudett@BRICartsmedia.org. The proceeds provide vital funds that help keep Celebrate Brooklyn! programming free and accessible to everyone.

Following the concert, at 10:00 P.M., gala guests and Friends of Celebrate Brooklyn! (i.e., members) are invited to the Opening Night After-Party featuring DJ Raydar Ellis.

SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 4:00 P.M.
CREOLE FOR KIDZ! TERRANCE SIMIEN & THE ZYDECO EXPERIENCE
Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert
FREE

The New Orleans accordionist, singer, and educator Terrance Simien, "a Zydeco Master" who "delivers soul worthy of Stax greats" (Rolling Stone), brings a touch of the bayou to the Bandshell for the Festival's annual homage to the trailblazing children's book author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats, a Brooklyn native who was the first to populate his distinctly urban stories with young people of color. The day will include readings from the author's works by Celebrate Brooklyn! favorite Dan Zanes, complete with video projections.

THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 7:30 P.M.
Bud Light Music Series
KROSFYAH featuring SPECIAL GUESTS LEAD PIPE & SADDIS | SOMETHING POSITIVE
FREE

Barbados' legendary Krosfyah "plays speedy, exhilarating soca," (The New York Times) with irresistible energy. Their long-awaited return to the Bandshell gets an extra punch from Lead Pipe & Saddis, whose smash hit "Ah Feeling" brought them to the finals of the International Groovy Soca Monarch Competition in Trinidad this year. The dynamic Brooklyn-based dance and music troupe Something Positive, "known for its high-octane performances" (Caribbean Life), starts things off with a sunburst of sound and color.

FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 7:30 P.M.
American Express Series
ESPERANZA SPALDING PRESENTS: EMILY'S D+EVOLUTION | JOSÉ JAMES
FREE

The captivating bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding's "sprawling collage of jazz fusion, Brazilian, and even a touch of hip-hop" (PopMatters) has earned her critical acclaim, universal love, and four GRAMMYs-including Best New Artist in 2011, making her the first ever jazz artist in the category. She brings her latest project of all new material to the Bandshell. The evening begins with fellow free-thinker José James, whose breakout 2013 album No Beginning No Endsounded "like the result of the black-pop continuum, jazz and soul and hip-hop and R&B, slow cooked for 50 years" (TheNew York Times).

SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 7:00 P.M.
LUCIUS | LUKE TEMPLE | PAVO PAVO
FREE

Lucius traffics in "seemingly impossible harmonies with flawless grace" and "brings delicate beauty to even the most bombastic moments" (New Yorker). This all-Brooklyn triple bill finds them sharing the stage with the maverick experimentalist Luke Temple of Here We Go Magic and the enchanting indie folk outfit Pavo Pavo.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 7:30 P.M.
DAMIEN RICE
Celebrate Brooklyn! Benefit Concert
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, the Mercury Lounge box office and the Music Hall of Williamsburg box office.
$48

THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 7:30 P.M.
EIGHTH BLACKBIRD WITH SPECIAL GUEST WILL OLDHAM | BILL FRISELL & SAM AMIDON
FREE

A double bill of extraordinary collaborations: the GRAMMY-winning "super-musicians" (Los Angeles Times) of eighth blackbird, an impeccable sextet with the energy and audacity of a rock band, team up with revered singer-songwriter Will Oldham (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy) on a program that will include Frederic Rzewski's powerful spoken word piece "Coming Together," as well as arrangements of Oldham's songs, material by Bryce Dessner and other works. The other half features Bill Frisell, who "plays the guitar like Miles Davis played the trumpet" (New Yorker), and folk revivalist Sam Amidon, whose "highly personal approach opens a window on the American past and lets us feel it like nothing else around" (NPR).

SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 7:30 P.M.
DANCEBRAZIL | FORRO IN THE DARK
FREE

The dancers in artistic director Jelon Vieira's DanceBrazil "glow enthusiastically as they let rip at highest energy" (The New York Times), fusing contemporary movement with the dance/martial arts form of capoeira. The program here includes Malungos, which takes its name from a slang word used among enslaved Africans traveling on ships to Brazil, and Gueto, Vieira's testament to the vitality of marginalized communities. Opening the show is Forro in the Dark, a group of expats led by percussionist Mauro Refosco (David Byrne, Red Hot Chili Peppers) who take the tradi­tional party music of northeastern Brazil "to new heights by drawing on influences ranging from Enrique Iglesias to Beck" (NPR).

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 7:30 P.M.
American Express Series
LUCINDA WILLIAMS | JASON WALKER
FREE

Last year's Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone, which Pitchfork called "a career highlight," solidified Lucinda Williams as perhaps America's greatest barroom storyteller-a singer-songwriter of fierce honesty and conviction, articulate and rough in equal measure. Expect a set that careens from stripped down acoustic ballads to rambling electrified country-blues stomps. The powerhouse local singer Jason Walker adds some sublime gospel-infused soul to the mix.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 7:30 P.M.
Music & Movies
PARIS IS BURNING | JD SAMSON
FREE

Brooklynite Jennie Livingston introduces a special 25th anniversary screening of her Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning documentary Paris Is Burning. This intimate and moving portrait of the Harlem drag balls of the 1980s illuminated a world of sustenance and joy that one group of New Yorkers created in the face of racism, poverty, and homophobia. The singer and producer JD Samson, founding member of the electro-feminist-punk project Le Tigre, starts off the night with a celebratory live band set.

SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 7:30 P.M.
JASON MORAN'S FATS WALLER DANCE PARTY | BUTLER, BERNSTEIN & THE HOT 9
FREE

The astonishingly inventive pianist and composer Jason Moran unleashes his fun side in this "joyous and foolish and graceful" (The New York Times) event, a spectacle complete with dancers and costumes that takes the stride innovator Fats Waller as a jumping off point to dig into grooves that flirt with everything from Motown to house to hip-hop. For all Moran's skill and showmanship, Butler, Bernstein & The Hot 9 - a dazzling collision between the great New Orleans pianist, singer, and recent Brooklyn trans­plant Henry Butler, "a visionistical down-home cat and a helli­fied piano plunker to boot" (Dr. John), and the retro-futurist trumpeter Steven Bernstein - will be a tough act to follow.

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 7:30 P.M.
PUNCH BROTHERS | SARAH JAROSZ
FREE

No band embodies the raging bluegrass revival better than Punch Brothers, a virtuosic five-piece fronted by mandolin player Chris Thile, once the movement's enfant terrible and now its champion, that shifts its emphasis effortlessly "from instrumental wizardry to playful storytelling" (The New York Times). Mandolin prodigy Sarah Jarosz, a recent addition to Brooklyn and a veteran at 23, is cut from the same cloth.

FRIDAY, JULY 10, 7:00 P.M.
Budweiser Music Series
Celebrate Brooklyn! & LAMC Present
BAJOFONDO | ASTRO | LOS AUTÉNTICOS DECADENTES
FREE

Celebrate Brooklyn!'s annual Latin Alternative Music Conference showcase features the blistering Argentine-Uruguayan collective Bajafondo, who mix rock and electronica with tango, murga, milonga, and candombe. The night begins with the "infectiously cheery, lighthearted and danceable" (NPR) Chilean indie pop of Astro and the ska-infused rock of the beloved Buenos Aires band Los Auténticos Decadentes.

SATURDAY, JULY 11, 7:30 P.M.
Bud Light Music Series
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS | THAO & THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN
FREE

The New Pornographers - A.C. Newman, John Collins, Blaine Thurier, Dan Bejar, Kathryn Calder, and Todd Fancey - are a true super group, "virtually peerless in the world of power-pop and indie-rock" (NPR), and last year's Brill Bruisersfound them in top form. With the beguiling alt-folk iconoclasts Thao & The Get Down Stay Down.

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 7:30 P.M.
VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ | TAMIKREST | DJ DAKAR
FREE

The heir apparent to the African guitar throne, Vieux Farka Touré - son of the Malian six-string magician Ali Farka Touré - plays "original guitar music of such fluidity, technique, rhythmic invention, and passion, that it is virtually unequaled" (AllMusic). He shares the stage at the Bandshell with countrymen Tamikrest, whose fiery, trance-inducing desert blues make them the spiritual descendants of Tinariwen. DJ Dakar, from Harlem via the Pikine neighborhood in his city of birth, spins.

FRIDAY, JULY 17, 7:30 P.M.
MUSIC & MOVIES
THE SON OF THE SHEIK WITH LIVE SCORE BY ALLOY ORCHESTRA | GHOST TRAIN ORCHESTRA
FREE

Alloy Orchestra's latest score enlivens Rudolf Valentino's final outing, The Son of the Sheik (1926), a vivid tale of passion, betrayal, and redemption that leaves no doubt that Valentino (who died suddenly on the eve of its release) is the silver screen's greatest lover, and that Alloy is still "the best in the world at accompanying silent films" (Roger Ebert). Ghost Train Orchestra dig deep into Harlem and Chicago jazz of the 1920s.

SATURDAY, JULY 18, 7:30 P.M.
American Express Series
RHIANNON GIDDENS | JOE HENRY
FREE

With her T-Bone Burnett-produced solo debut, Tomorrow Is My Turn, Rhiannon Giddens - already among the brightest stars of Americana as the leader of the Carolina Chocolate Drops - has hit the stride of her already impressive career. "She can summon the power of a field holler, Celtic quavers, girlish innocence, bluesy sensuality, gospel exaltation or the pain of slavery... For all her technical control, her voice is a perpetually soulful marvel," exclaims The New York Times. The GRAMMY-winning producer Joe Henry, who has worked with the Chocolate Drops, is a singer-songwriter of extraordinary depth, "coupling gloom with streaming daylight and gilding his saddest observations with joy and awe" (NPR).

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 7:00 P.M.
INTERPOL
Celebrate Brooklyn! Benefit Concert
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, the Mercury Lounge box office and the Music Hall of Williamsburg box office.
$35

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 7:00 P.M.
MODEST MOUSE
Celebrate Brooklyn! Benefit Concert
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, the Mercury Lounge box office and the Music Hall of Williamsburg box office.
$42.50 advance / $45 day of show

FRIDAY, JULY 24, 7:30 P.M.
JASON ISBELL | DAWN LANDES
FREE

The Alabama native Jason Isbell has emerged as the great hope of country music. The Wall Street Journal calls him "a composer of splendidly crafted songs" who "performs with an intensity that con­nects the listener to the deep and genuine emotions that inspire his work." The bewitching Louisville-born, Brooklyn-based songwriter Dawn Landes writes and sings "with such weightless delicacy...it's hard not to be transported" (Uncut).

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 7:30 P.M.
SYLVAN ESSO | PORCHES.
FREE

Sylvan Esso - the singer Amelia Meath of Moun­tain Man and the producer (and Megafaun bassist) Nick Sanborn - create songs that NPR calls "endlessly elastic and three-dimensional," conjuring up dreamlike conflations of sen­suality and sexual depravity, homesickness and wanderlust, nostalgia and immediacy. The latest incarnation of the pro­lific songwriter Aaron Maine's Porches. make "danceable, shimmery pop with rock instruments (keyboards too), in an '80s-sorta way" (Brooklyn Vegan).

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 7:30 P.M.
World Premiere
THE MUSICAL WORLD OF HARMONIUM MOUNTAIN, AN AUDIO VISUAL COLLABORATION BETWEEN CLIFFORD ROSS & THE ORCHESTRA OF ST. LUKE'S | JEFFREY ZEIGLER, ANDY AKIHO & ROGER BONAIR-AGARD
FREE

In this mesmerizing world premiere, the masterful NYC-based Orchestra of St. Luke's provides accompaniment to a massive, site specific, multi-screen installation by the artist Clifford Ross, whose work evokes "profound vital­ity and pleasure" (Art in America). St. Luke's, an ensemble marked by "roving curiosity" and "stylistic flexibility" (The New York Times), will perform works by Wojciech Kilar, Bryce Dessner, Vivaldi and John Adams, including selections from "The Four Seasons" and excerpts from "Shaker Loops." Kronos Quar­tet cellist Jeffrey Zeigler teams up with the percussion­ist Andy Akiho and the poet Roger Bonair-Agard on a program of Philip Glass, John Zorn, and Paola Prestini to begin the evening.

FRIDAY, JULY 31, 7:30 P.M.
Bud Light Music Series
BIG K.R.I.T. | ANGEL HAZE | THE D.R.E.A.M. RING: FLEXN
FREE

Big K.R.I.T.'s space-themed 2014 sophomore effort Cadillactica (Def Jam) "shines like a supernova," according toBillboard, who goes on to call him "one of the most gifted rappers living on this wretched ball of blue called Earth." He'll have to bring his A-game, as the bill also includes the "hyper lyrical" phenomenon Angel Haze who has proven that "she can go toe-to-toe with any young rapper when it comes to flow and punchlines" (Pitchfork). First up is the Brooklyn-born chore­ographer and flexing pioneer Reggie "Regg Roc" Gray's The D.R.E.A.M Ring, a crew of local dancers who recently per­formed a showcase at the Park Avenue Armory that "at first amazes and then glides into the mystical" (The New York Times).

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 7:30 P.M.
TAYLOR MAC: THE 20TH CENTURY ABRIDGED
FREE

"Fabulousness can come in many forms, and Taylor Mac seems intent on assuming each and every one of them," hailsThe New York Times. The inimitable Mac, who Time Out New York calls, "one of the most exciting theater artists of our time," presents this supercharged slice of his 24 Decade History of Popular Music, a politically-charged, enormous-of-spirit and outrageously entertaining romp through 100 years of culture as seen through songs that range from Tin Pan Alley to the birth of rock 'n' roll to disco and beyond. Special guests include the Brooklyn United Marching Band, a gaggle of burlesque dancers, and maybe a few surprises. A Taylor Mac show is like nothing you've ever witnessed: "Startlingly unique...a must see for anyone who wants to see a kinder, gentler society" (Huffington Post).

TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 7:00 P.M.
EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS | PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND
Celebrate Brooklyn! Benefit Concert
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, the Mercury Lounge box office and the Music Hall of Williamsburg box office.
$39.50 advance / $45 day of show

THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 8:00 P.M.
LEESAAR THE COMPANY, OHAD NAHARIN & GUEST DANCERS FROM BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY
FREE

Founded in Tel Aviv by Lee Sher and Saar Harari in 2000 and now based in NYC, LeeSaar is "a gutsy, brainy modern-dance troupe" (The New York Times) with a highly theatrical approach. They'll present a program that includes Grass and Jackals, a work that "transforms the dancers-seven women, clad in gleam­ing black bodysuits-into exotic, fluidly moving creatures, sexual and fierce" (New Yorker), along with a duet by their mentor, the great Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin, performed by dancers from Batsheva Dance Company.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 7:30 P.M.
THIRD WORLD | AWA SANGHO
FREE

The Jamaican titans Third World lost their beloved leader William "Bunny Rugs" Clarke last year, but have risen like a phoenix from the ashes. Billboard writes they "seamlessly [fuse] reggae with soul and pop," just as they have for 40 years, as cool, steady and easy as ever. Born near Timbuktu and raised in the Ivory Coast, Awa Sangho, "the Golden Voice of Mali," carries the rich tradition of West African song in her heart and lungs.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 7:30 P.M.
TUNE-YARDS | SHABAZZ PALACES
FREE

The free season closes on a high note with the one-of-a-kind tUnE-yArDs, whose Nikki Nack from last year was packed with "songs that sound like playgrounds full of street kids ricocheting off each other like bumper cars" (Pitchfork). The addition of the "free associative, raw and radical" (Los Angeles Times) experimental hip-hop duo Shabazz Palaces threatens to make this the NYC show of the summer.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 7:00 P.M.
WILLIE NELSON & FAMILY | OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW
Celebrate Brooklyn! Benefit Concert
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, the Mercury Lounge box office and the Music Hall of Williamsburg box office.
$52.50 advance / $55 day of show

About BRIC and the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival

Since its founding as a not-for-profit organization in 1979, BRIC has been the driving force behind a number of Brooklyn's most widely renowned and beloved arts and media programs. In the borough that is now this country's foremost creative hotbed, BRIC is unparalleled in its combination of artistic excellence, programmatic breadth and genuine accessibility.

The Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival is BRIC's flagship performing arts program. Launched by BRIC in 1979 as a catalyst for a burgeoning Brooklyn performing arts scene, and to bring people back into Prospect Park after years of neglect, Celebrate Brooklyn! was an early anchor in the park's revitalization and has become Brooklyn's foremost summer cultural attraction. Over its history, the festival has presented over 2,000 artists, from emerging innovators to internationally established performers. Since 2011, BRIC has also produced a lively series of Celebrate Brooklyn! dance parties in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

BRIC presents performing arts (live music, dance and theater), contemporary art exhibitions and programs, and community media programs (Brooklyn Free Speech Television and Brooklyn Independent Media) that reflect Brooklyn's creativity and diversity. In 2013, BRIC inaugurated a new era of service to the borough when it opened BRIC House, a 40,000 square-foot arts and media facility located in the cultural hub of Downtown Brooklyn, featuring a flexible state-of-the-art performance space, a major contemporary art gallery, artist workspace, and multiple television and media production studios.

Emphasizing creative expression as varied and groundbreaking as the borough it serves, BRIC provides opportunities and platforms for Brooklyn artists and media makers to create and present new works. The organization champions the creativity of Brooklyn and work that expands the boundaries of artistic disciplines. BRIC's highly accessible exhibitions, performances, television programs and educational programs serve more than one million Brooklyn residents each year.

Celebrate Brooklyn's Executive Producer is Jack Walsh. The Festival's 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 partners with the City of New York to preserve and maintain Prospect Park, Brooklyn's flagship park. 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 information, please visit www.BRICartsmedia.org.

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