LIVERMORE, CA – (August 17, 2017) – The Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center will officially open the 2017-2018 Season on Saturday, September 9, 2017 with the second annual “Brilliance at the Bankhead” gala celebration. Headlining the evening will be Grammy Award-winning folk-rock duo, Indigo Girls, known for their signature harmonies and inspiring lyrics on such hits as “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and “Watershed.” They will be accompanied by the Livermore-Amador Symphony led by Maestro Lara Webber.

Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, have been described by Rolling Stone Magazine as the “ideal duet partners. When they sing together, they radiate a sense of shared purpose that adds muscle to their lanky, deeply felt folk-tinged pop songs.” In more than 25 years of performing together, they have released more than a dozen albums earning a legion of devoted fans worldwide.

Ray and Saliers first met as fifth and sixth-graders in Decatur, Georgia, and began singing together during high school. Originally billed as Saliers & Ray, the pair adopted the name Indigo Girls as undergraduates at Emory University, where they attended class by day and performed in local clubs by night. They released their first full length album, “Strange Fire,” in 1987 and were soon crossing the country on tour. In 1989 their album “Indigo Girls” received the Best Contemporary Folk Recording Grammy Award.

Indigo Girls consistently tour and explore new musical avenues, keeping their music fresh and relevant. According to Ray, they purposefully avoid taking tried and true paths when making albums. “When it comes to writing new songs and working and performing with different musicians, every record and every tour feels like a completely different adventure for us,” she has said.

Livermore Valley Performing Art Center’s largest fundraising event of the year, “Brilliance at the Bankhead” supports both the Bankhead Theater and the Bothwell Arts Center. The gala will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a reception on the plaza in front of the theater featuring chef-assisted small plates catered by Wente Vineyards, a full bar, and the big band music of the East Bay Jazz High School All Stars Band. The concert with Indigo Girls will follow at 8:00 p.m. Dessert will be served both during intermission and after the show.

A range of live and silent auction items will be on display in the lobby through intermission. Notable packages include a table of 10 with dinner for the George Thorogood concert at Wente Vineyards, 10 suite tickets plus parking for a regular San Jose Sharks game, weeklong getaways to Donner Lake or to Palm Springs, as well as other trips, tickets, tours, catered meals, wine, jewelry, art pieces and more. A pair of brilliant diamond dangle earrings, crafted by Lance Cavalieri Jewelers in Livermore and valued at $6,500, will be raffled during the event.

Presenting sponsors for the 2017 “Brilliance at the Bankhead” Gala are the Fletcher family, Jean King, and the Priem Family Foundation. Additional sponsors include Beets Hospitality Group, Diablo Magazine, The Independent, Lance Cavalieri Jewelers, Colliers International, Catering with Wente Vineyards, Fremont Bank, FLO Content, Hacienda, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, KKIQ, Livermore-Amador Symphony, Shea Homes, Congressman Eric Swalwell, Topcon, and Visit Tri-Valley, as well as a number of local individuals and families.

Tickets for the “Brilliance at the Bankhead” Gala are $250 each and are on sale now through the Bankhead Ticket Office at 2400 First Street in downtown Livermore, by calling 925-373-6800, or online at www.lvpac.org.

“Brilliance at the Bankhead” marks the opening of the 2017-2018 Season which will showcase a number of exciting groups new to the Bankhead such as viral video pop hit makers OK GO, Texican rock group Los Lonely Boys, and the comic talents of Vicki Lawrence and Mama. In addition, returning favorites include The Manhattan Transfer, Irish Christmas, and Marc Cohn touring with Blind Boys of Alabama, among the nearly three dozen events scheduled through June 2018 at the Bankhead Theater.

The Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center offers wide-ranging programs that provide access to the arts for the Tri-Valley community and beyond. The Bankhead Theater, which houses the Livermore Visitor’s Center and Gallery, together with the Bothwell Arts Center, are home to nine resident performing arts companies and over 40 studio artists and cultural arts instructors. The Bankhead Theater ticket office at 2400 First Street in Livermore is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. On performance days the ticket office is open from two hours before to 30 minutes after the scheduled start of each show.

Event: Brilliance at the Bankhead Gala featuring Indigo Girls accompanied by The Livermore Amador Symphony

Date/Time: Saturday, September 9, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.

Venue: Bankhead Theater, 2400 First Street, Livermore

Price: $250

Tickets: visit lvpac.org or call 925-383-6800

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center
Contact: Scott Kenison 925-583-2301
skenison@lvpac.org or
Roberta Emerson 925-373-6100 x1136
rwemerson@lvpac.org