An exciting international partnership opportunity has come to Christina Cultural Arts Center through an organization called OneWorld Classrooms! The non-profit group builds bridges of learning between world classrooms in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Since 1999, over 9,000 classrooms from around the world have participated in the exchange project.

On February 15, CCAC Executive Director Raye Jones Avery and CCAC music faculty Norwood Coleman Jr. will travel with a group of teaching artists to Ecuador in South America. Avery and Coleman will volunteer on a collaborative community mural project with high school students in the city of Banos, share music from CCAC and learn indigenous songs taught by elementary school students in the Amazon. Best of all, Avery and Coleman will be able to document and comment on their experiences through an online blog.

CCAC and Kuumba Academy students will be able to forge relationships with Ecuadorean students through the use of technology. You can learn more about this organization by visiting www.ccph.com

 

FooterJoin us to pay tribute to Wilmington musical legend, Wilbert "Wilby" Fletcher, Jr. The program, coordinated by the Fletcher family in partnership with CCAC, celebrates the life of this extraordinary drummer and features music, dance, photography and spoken word performances. Musicians who have collaborated with Fletcher will also perform, including violinist John Blake, Jr., pianist Barry Sames, the Alfie Moss/Dexter Koonce Project, Gerald Chavis, Fostina Dixon-Kilgoe, Jeff Knoettner, the Temple of Ma'at Drummers and others.

Wilmington's native son, Wilby Fletcher, Jr. (1954-2009) attended George Gray Elementary School and P.S. duPont High School. His career spanned 40 years, pairing him in performance with such legends as Harry Belafonte, Lena Horne, Nina Simone, Roberta Flack, McCoy Tyner, Roy Ayers, and Grover Washington, Jr. Most known forhis jazz technique, Fletcher was recognized as one of the world's most versatile drummers. Toward the end of his career, he returned to Wilmington, where he taught drum theory lessons to youth and played during services at Shiloh Baptist Church.


Wilby Fletcher, Jr. Musical Tribute
Sunday, February 28 @ 3:00 p.m.
Clifford Brown Performance Center, Christina Cultural Arts Center, 705 N. Market Street, Wilmington
For more information and tickets, call CCAC at 302.652.0101.

 

Maurice Brown is one of the most exciting young trumpeters in jazz! His quintet, Maurice Brown Effect, performs fresh sounds while staying true to hard bop roots. After Hurricane Katrina, Maurice relocated to New York City and began an intense focus on both his individual sound, and the sound of the band, the Maurice Brown Effect. This year alone the band has performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Cape May Jazz Festival, the Louis Armstrong Festival, Kansas City Jazz & Ribs Festival, and the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival.

Saturday, March 20 @ 8:00 p.m.
Grand Opera House, 818 N. Market Street, Wilmington Ticket $24; to order, call the Grand Box Office at 800.37GRAND
www.ticketsatthegrand.com

The Clifford Brown Year-Round Jazz Series is a partnership program among Christina Cultural Arts Center, The Grand Opera House & the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs.

 

Carla Markell Delaware's First Lady, Carla Markell, *made a special trip to CCAC at the end of January to deliver a very important message: the organization had received a School of the Arts grant from the Delaware River & Bay Authority.

During her visit, Mrs. Markell met with CCAC Board members Bernard Fisher, Hugh Atkins, Kimberly Green-Cauley and Jamahl Anderson, as well as CCAC Education Director Kenneth C. Brown and a number of his students. Mrs. Markell extended her stay long enough to enjoy a pre-school Underground Railroad lesson linking the Arts and literacy, which was taught by Mr. Brown.

CCAC thanks Mrs. Markell for spending time with our students and members, and especially thanks her for her appreciation of and commitment to the Arts in Delaware!