A to M Festival
to
The Parlor 705 St. Joseph Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802
Courtesy of LeMieux Studios
The Parlor, located in Baton Rouge's Beauregard Town, is already one of the most creative environments you can find in the city—serving as a workspace for local artists, a music venue, and the spot for special events. The three-day A to M (Art to Music) Festival will heighten that sensibility through a series of collaborations designed to engage the audience and expose musicians and artists to new opportunities.
Opening night will feature the works of mobile artist George Ufford, set to a string quartet composition by Yiseul LeMieux inspired by Ufford's kinetic pieces. On Friday, modern American art songs are performed and lyrics recited as the audience is taught calligraphy to pen select words from the songs. Friday night, soprano McKenzie MIller sings with local pianists; electronic musician and artist Jeffrey Livingston rises to the challenge of his first solo show; and audience members are invited up for an open mic following.
On Saturday, youth artists and musicians from around Baton Rouge are at the core of the day, beginning at 11 am, as music and art are paired piece by piece. Guitar duo Eric Liffman and Masson LeMieux take the stage at 3:30 pm. Jeffrey Livingston creates live, mixed-media artwork inspired by classical music, then at 6 pm drummer Luke Hester performs his "Nocturne Frequencies." The closing program, beginning at 7 pm, combines Yiseul LeMieux's compositions with voice pieces by Robert Schumann, performed by Rhaea D'Aliesio; youth artists will collaborate.
If you don't leave A to M Festival with a deeper appreciation of the connections between music and art, perhaps that day job isn't so bad. Free. Visit lemieuxstudios.com or "LeMieux Studios" on Facebook for details.