By 1812Blockhouse
John Philip Sousa was a musician whose reputation remains strong almost a century after his death.
The scene must have been extraordinary that late October evening in 1892, over 125 years ago, when Sousa came to town. The venue was the brand-new Memorial Opera House, a 565 seat auditorium situated in what was later the site of the Madison Theatre, and is now the parking lot of the Solders and Sailors Memorial Building on Park Avenue West. An October 1892 edition of the Mansfield Daily Shield provided this set up for the concert during the week prior to the event:
More…Special to 1812Blockhouse
Mansfield’s two-time Grammy Award-winning soprano, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music alumna and former faculty member Sylvia McNair, has donated a vast array of items documenting her career to her alma mater.
The Sylvia McNair Digital Collection comprises more than 900 entries and over 4,000 scanned items, including concert programs, newspaper and magazine articles and reviews, awards, photos, publicity materials and correspondence from throughout McNair’s 35-plus-year career as an opera, classical and cabaret singer.
The physical collection, held in the William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Jacobs School of Music, also includes more than 50 of McNair’s professional recordings and dozens of personal music scores with her performance notes. More…
By 1812Blockhouse
North central Ohio music lovers, this is the summer for you!
The American Federation of Musicians, Local 159 has announced its “Music in the Parks” series for June, July, and August. These events will take place in Mansfield, Shelby, Crestline, Bellville, Ashland, and Loudonville.
These free concerts are provided by AFM 159 and through the support of local sponsors.
Concerts include: More…
By 1812Blockhouse
In website and social media announcements on Monday afternoon, Inkcarceration Festival 2021 organizers confirmed that the “show will go on” this year and a new set of dates.
In fact, it will take place during a different season of the year!
The announcement shared: “Although we expect summer to be open for business, we want to be able to provide ALL you Ink fans with the full festival experience you’ve come to know and love, not dictated by limitations. With that said, we will be holding the Festival this fall to ensure we can reunite in rock for 2021. Our new, FINAL, confirmed dates will be September 10-12, 2021 and our lineup/onsale dates will be coming in April.” More…
By: Kingwood Center Gardens, 1812Blockhouse
As it is said, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Or, in other words, when life gives one lemons, the best thing to do is to make lemonade.
That is just what’s happening at Kingwood Center Gardens this year. In a similar manner to the folks at the Renaissance Theatre downtown, Kingwood is moving activities outside — a beautiful place to be.
Their Live on the Lawn summer concert series is returning for a third year, providing free musical entertainment on the South Lawn. More…
Publisher’s Note: We are happy to be sharing posts from Mansfield’s Sister City, Mansfield, England, in the county of Nottinghamshire, through our relationship with the Mansfield and Ashfield News-Journal. We are posting these both to acquaint our readers with how the coronavirus is impacting those in other parts of the world and, in particular, in a city with which we have a close bond. This story after our introduction was posted recently in the Mansfield and Ashfield News-Journal:
By: Mansfield and Ashfield News-Journal; 1812Blockhouse Staff
Today we’re sharing something quite different. More…
Two local arts organizations are teaming up to present a unique musical experience.
Bluebeard’s Castle is a one-act expressionist opera by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. The libretto was written by Béla Balázs. It is sung in Hungarian, based on the French literary tale La Barbe bleue by Charles Perrault. This one hour tale of psychological suspense and secrets will have you in the edge of your seat. More…
Audiophile: noun; a hi-fi enthusiast.
Get ready audiophiles, the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library (MRCPL) system now has vinyl records available for checkout. You can visit their website and search the catalog for available titles. More…
The Mansfield/Richland County Public Library (MRCPL) system has been utilizing the second floor lobby of the Main Library in downtown Mansfield to provide music concerts for several years. These concerts are free and open to the public, and are just another way that the MRCPL brings value to our community.
In December and January the following artists will be performing on Sundays at 2:00 PM: More…
iHeartMedia/Ashland-Mansfield Debuts ”Christmas 107.7”
iHeartMedia/Ashland-Mansfield Debuts ”Christmas 107.7” iHeartMedia/Ashland-Mansfield, OH, flips Classic Rock WXXF-FM to all holiday programming as the new “Christmas 107.7 FM,” effective immediately. The new station will air Christmas songs including fan favorites such as “Holly Jolly Christmas” from Burl Ives, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” from Andy Williams and “All I Want for Christmas” from Mariah Carey, 24/7 through December 25.
Earlier this year, Mansfield lost a local icon of the arts.
Percy Hall was many things to many people; a music educator at both Madison and Mansfield Senior High Schools; his service playing in and leading numerous music ensembles; his reach to young musicians across the country as a composer and arranger of band and orchestra music; and much more. More…
The INKCARCERATION Music and Tattoo Festival will return to the historic Ohio State Reformatory, a.k.a. Shawshank Prison, in Mansfield, OH, on July 12, 13 and 14.
This year’s massive line-up will be led by none other than colossal rock bands Shinedown, Godsmack, and Five Finger Death Punch. Quickly becoming one of the nation’s premier rock festivals, INKCARCERATION will feature over 30 bands on two outdoor stages, 70 tattoo artists, reformatory tours, gourmet food trucks, the best drinks and for the first time, the haunted house attraction, Escape from Blood Prison.
INKCARCERATION has now announced the daily set times and stages for performing bands. More…
There’s something old and something new with upcoming productions for Mid-Ohio Opera. The 2019 season line-up has been announced and includes classical and modern works. More…
Numerous sites reported on Thursday that the INKCARCERATION Music and Tattoo Festival will be back for a second year this coming summer, again at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. More…
Ohio Wesleyan University student Rachel Ballitch ’18 has a lot to sing about these days — and Richland County has reason to be proud as it adds to its storied history in vocal music.
The Mansfield resident just earned first place in the Senior Women Division of the Ohio Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Vocal Competition. More…