The North Central Arkansas Foundation for the Arts and Education will open its 2018-2019 concert season Sept. 30 in the Presbyterian Kirk of the Hills Fellowship Hall, 250 Dave Creek Parkway.
The Twang All Girl String Band of Mountain View will be featured at the event, scheduled from 2-4 p.m. There is no admission charge, but donations to the foundation will be accepted at the door.
“This is going to be a good concert for the whole family,” said Kimberly Walker, president of the NCAFA&E Board of Directors.
“Twang is a very talented group of young ladies. We are so blessed to have them come play,” she said.
“Our mission is to bring the arts to everyone in our region,” Walker said. “Throughout the year, we sponsor rotating art exhibits, live theater and musical performances to the public, free of charge. We are a nonprofit organization supported by donations, so any donations are appreciated.
“We think this year’s season will have something for everyone.”
The Twang All Girl String Band, which was formed six years ago, is a product of the Stone County Music Roots Program in the Mountain View School District. In this program, instructors provide fourth- and fifth-graders with classes in traditional folk instruments such as guitar, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, autoharp, fiddle and upright bass.
Crystal McCool of Mountain View, who grew up in a musical family, is the adult chaperone for the band; she also plays bass. Other members of the band are Gabi Pervis, the 16-year-old daughter of Robert and Ingrid Pervis, on guitar; Lillyanne McCool, the 15-year-old daughter of Jackie and Crystal McCool, banjo; Anna Caldwell, the 16-year-old daughter of Kevin and Laura Caldwell, mandolin and fiddle; and Rebecca Pool, the 15-year-old daughter of Scott and Shay Pool, fiddle.
Crystal McCool said all of the girls plan to continue with their music after high school and continue their education, too.
“Gabi wants to pursue a career in music therapy,” McCool said. “Lillyanne wants a pharmaceutical career. Anna wants to be an optometrist, and Rebecca, a teacher.
“They have a lot of school ahead of them,” McCool said. “Gabi attends Mountain View High School. Lillyanne and Anna take some of their classes at the high school and are home-schooled for other classes. Rebecca is totally home-schooled.”
When the girls are not performing, each is involved in other activities at school. Gabi is on the dance team, and Lillyanne is a member of the golf team. Anna is active in Future Business Leaders of America, and Rebecca is training as a luthier with her dad, who is a master luthier, building and repairing stringed instruments.
The band has won several awards in the past few years. Twang won the 2016 and 2017 Ozark Folk Center Youth Band of the Year award and, most recently, the Rising Legends Award at the National Old Time Country and Bluegrass Music Association competition in Lamar, Iowa. The band was also the overall champion at the 2016 Arkansas State Fair Youth Talent Contest. Members of the band have also won individual awards.
Twang performs in various venues throughout Mountain View with a two-hour show, similar to the one planned for Sept. 30 at Kirk of the Hills.
“We are looking forward to the Sept. 30 concert,” McCool said. “We like to perform for organizations that promote the arts and for organizations that support veterans. Those are our two pet projects.”
For more information on Twang, visit the band’s Facebook page or call (870) 214-0430.
The remainder of the NCAFA&E concert season includes the following:
• Nov. 11, 2-4 p.m., Fairfield Bay Conference Center, featuring concert pianist Neil Rutman in a special patriotic performance.
• Dec. 9, 2-4 p.m., Fairfield Bay Conference Center, featuring The Dynamic Duo in a Christmas concert.
• Feb. 11-15, 2019, the Arkansas Arts Center Artmobile’s Who What Wear exhibit at West Side Public Schools, Greers Ferry.
• March 17, 2019, 2-4 p.m., Fairfield Bay Conference Center, featuring the Celtic Breeze Band in a St. Patrick’s Day concert.
• April 5, 2019, 7-8:30 p.m., Fairfield Bay Conference Center, featuring pianist and entertainer Scott Carrell’s French Composers program.
For more information on the North Central Arkansas Foundation for the Arts and Education, call (501) 884-4202, or visit its website, www.ncafae.org, or Facebook page.