Savoy Family Cajun Band Concert Set for FilmFest
Savoy Family Cajun Band Concert Set for FilmFest
Concert and Films Celebrate Cajun Culture
Marc and Ann Savoy and the Savoy Family Cajun Band will perform in concert at Independence Hall on the campus of the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday evening, March 27, 2010. Ann Savoy will read from her book, Cajun Music: A Reflection of the People, at appropriate intervals during the concert. The book has been hailed as "the definitive guide to Cajun music."
The Savoys have been a major force in the appreciation of traditional Cajun music for over three decades. Informed by Ann's extensive research and writing on the subject, the couple, in various musical configurations, has endeavored both to preserve and to popularize the music of the French-speaking natives of Louisiana. Their efforts have met with considerable national and international acclaim, impressive record sales, an active touring schedule, and a unique place in the hearts of music lovers. Marc Savoy has been honored with a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the arts for his work as a Cajun accordion maker and musician. In addition to making Cajun music with the family, Ann Savoy also records with Linda Ronstadt as the ZoZo Sisters. Best known for their years of recordings and performances with Cajun fiddler Michael Doucet in the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band, the couple now performs with their sons Joel and Wilson as the Savoy Family Cajun Band.
Cajun music and culture will also be highlighted in a pair of films presented by Les Blank. The acclaimed documentary trailblazer will screen J’ai Éte´ au Bal (I Went to the Dance) and Marc and Ann. The former film is the definitive take on the history of the toe-tapping, foot-stomping music of French Southwest Louisiana, featuring performances by all of the Cajun music greats. The latter is an enchanting portrait of the Savoys and a tribute to their work preserving Cajun culture. Marc and Ann will participate in the post-screening discussion. The Les Blank film program is set for 3:30 p.m., also on Saturday, March 27, at Independence Hall. Admission is $5, $4 for seniors and children, and $3 for Foothills Film Society members.
Tickets for the Savoy Family Cajun Band concert are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $8 for Foothills Film Society members. Members also receive admission discounts to all screenings, as well as invitations to two private catered receptions honoring this year’s guest filmmakers and screenwriters. Basic individual memberships are $25. Supporting memberships are $100 and include discounted admission for four to screenings and the concert, as well as admission for two to “Members Only” social events.
Ozark Foothills FilmFest, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit corporation founded in 2001. First Community Bank is the festival’s Founding Sponsor. Major Sponsors include the Arkansas Arts Council, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, FutureFuel Chemical Company, Midwest Lime, Citizen’s Bank, Atlas Asphalt, WRD Entertainment, White River Distributors, KFFB 106.1FM, the Ozark Gateway Tourist Council, Life in the Ozarks, and the Oxford American. The Savoy Family Cajun Band performance and the Les Blank film screenings are made possible by an American Masterpieces Presenting Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. American Masterpieces is a major initiative to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy.
Additional festival information is available at www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org beginning February 15, or by calling 870-251-1189.
