Free family musical performance at Smith’s Center Saturday, March 21 features NAC fellow Shana Tucker

March 12, 2015

Singer-songwriter and cellist Shana Tucker presents a free musical performance for parents and children at The Smith Center Saturday, March 21 at 10 a.m. For the special family performance geared toward all ages, parents and children are invited to bring homemade rhythm instruments made from plastic containers filled with rice or beans and to bring a picnic basket for lunch in the park.

A recipient of the 2015 Nevada Arts Council Performing Arts Artist Fellowship, Tucker brings new energy to familiar pop, jazz, and traditional folk favorites through her Chamber Soul musical style.

Tucker weaves stories of life and laughter through what she calls infectious, rhythmic lyrics and melodies that encourage guests to dance and sing along. Tucker’s self-described Chamber Soul style of music is an eclectic blend of soulful, jazz-influenced contemporary folk and acoustic pop.

Raised in Amityville, NY, she learned to play piano at an early age from her great-grandmother, who was a beginner taking community center lessons. With musical studies completed at Howard University and Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music, Tucker’s talents brought commissions for works performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Joyce Theatre in NY, and the Witts Theater in Johannesburg, South Africa. In addition to touring, Tucker performs with Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, conducts workshops and residencies for grades K–12, and is working on her second recording project.

Programming is funded in part by the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The Artist Fellowship Program was created in 1988 by the Nevada Arts Council to encourage the pursuit of artistic excellence by providing financial support to Nevada artists. The 12-month fellowships provide artists with time, materials and living expenses, and may be awarded to artists at any stage of their career development. Since the program’s inception, NAC has recognized the work of 167 actors, dancers, choreographers, composers, filmmakers, musicians, photographers, playwrights, poets, sculptors, theater directors, visual artists and writers. By acknowledging outstanding artistic accomplishment, the program promotes public awareness and appreciation of the role of the artist in society.