Alabama Bluegrass Music Association

The Alabama Bluegrass Music Association is a nonprofit organization established in January of 1996. The objective of the association is to promote bluegrass music in the state of Alabama.

We do this by publishing a monthly newsletter - "BamaGrass", holding an annual festival in March to showcase our bands, providing this web site, and by being present at bluegrass festivals to provide information on upcoming events, artists and membership information.

Source: http://alabamabluegrassmusic.org/index.htm

About the Alabama Blues Project:

The mission of the Alabama Blues Project is to preserve and promote blues music as a traditional and contemporary art form through interactive programs that educate and entertain. With educational programs, live performances, exhibits, and the development of archival and curriculum materials, the ABP increases awareness of the role blues music has played in the development of popular American music, with a special focus on Alabama's contribution to that story. These activities add to the richness of cultural experiences that make the West Alabama area a great place to live and visit. ABP’s programs reach a wide variety of students and audiences, including many at-risk and troubled youth. Our signature and unique blues camp programs pass on Alabama 's rich blues culture to the next generation while instilling self-esteem, discipline, cross cultural understanding, interaction, and teamwork.

Alabama Celtic Association

The Alabama Celtic Association is a non-profit service organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Celtic heritage, arts and education in Alabama.

Our primary functions are:
To serve as a central resource for Celtic-related news and activity in Alabama

To maintain and share information on Celtic resources state-wide

To seek/generate funding to support events and opportunities that promote and preserve Alabama's Celtic legacy

AJBF is a membership based organization driven by an all volunteer board of directors. Our mission is to preserve and perpetuate jazz and blues in Alabama. Today we produce a myriad of events including concerts and jam sessions, a Labor Day Jazz Festival “Jazz on the Grass”, River Jam, as many as 10 concerts a year and several musician clinics and workshops. We are also in partnership with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF) to provide musical entertainment for their opening night receptions for each play and are partners in education with Baldwin Magnet School where we support music students.

Source: http://www.alabamajazzandblues.com/

Alabama Music Educators Association

Membership in the AMEA is open to all public, private, and post-secondary music educators as well as private teachers. AMEA provides in-service opportunities for its members and educational opportunities for the music students in our state. Members of our organization strive to ensure the future of music education. Recruitment, rejuvenation, and retention are key in helping to continue providing superior music education in Alabama. These are the foundations upon which our organization will continue to grow.

Source: http://www.alabamamea.org/

Alabama Music Teachers Association

To enhance the professional development of its members

To encourage musical performance

To provide continual enrichment for music education

To promote the cause of music

Source: http://www.almta.org/

A.R.C.A. is Alabama's original organization for music collectors, founded in 1980 as a non-profit association dedicated to the memory and preservation of recorded music. Membership is available to anyone with an interest in music or music collecting. A.R.C.A. provides an opportunity for members to share their interests in music, and to assist other members in enhancing their collections and musical knowledge. Our members are a diverse group whose music interests cover a wide variety of musical styles, including rock & roll, jazz, country, big band, rhythm & blues, oldies, folk and blues. Their collections range from small to large, and from the 1920s to the 2000s. Some members collect rare and unusual recordings, but most just collect what they enjoy listening to.

Regular meetings are normally held at 2:00 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month at the Homewood Library, located at 1721 Oxmoor Road, near Homewood Park. We meet in Room 110 in the lower level (see News page for the exact dates of meetings/activities). Please drop in and join us!

At the meetings, members share refreshments, record swapping, fellowship and various types of entertainment or programs (videos, contests, special guests, etc.)

Other A.R.C.A. activties include a fall picnic, Christmas Party and our annual Spring CD & Record Show.

Alabama Roots Music Society
What Is It?
Alabama Roots Music Society or ARMS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that was formed to bring diverse musical genres into the central Alabama area. The current board of directors have been intimately involved in putting on musical events and have developed a network with other interested parties such that ARMS will be able to attract talent and sponsorship. By not limiting the organization to certain types of music, ARMS should be able to appeal to a wide range of people and performers. Knowing that Alabama has a rich musical history, ARMS wants to expose people of the area to live music of current Alabama artists and artists from across the country who have been influenced by those past Alabama icons.

Webiste:  http://alabamarootsmusic.com/index.htm

Mailing address:

Alabama Steel Guitar Association c/o Bill Cook101 Forest Mountain Dr.Wetumpka, AL 36093

Phone numebers: Work 334-242-2789; Home 334-567-9190

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ASGA was founded in late 2005. Alabama is the birthplace of numerous world class steel guitar players, and many of these artists have also been pioneers with the instrument, the technological advancements and the music we've all listened to over the years. Our purpose is to promote the instrument, its players, the music, and the great technicians. Being proud to promote and sponsor the "Alabama Steel Guitar Hall of Fame". Our first induction ceremony was held on February 26, 2006 at our inaugural show.

Website: http://alabamasteelguitar.net

Alabama Symphony Orchestra

The Alabama Symphony Orchestra can trace its beginnings to 1921, when on Friday, April 29, fifty-two volunteer musicians came together to perform at the Birmingham Music Festival at the Old Jefferson Theater. It was not until 1933, however, that the orchestra gave its first "formal" concert. The Birmingham Music Club presented the orchestra in concert, under the direction of Dorsey Whittington, at Phillips High School.

On October 23, 1933, the Birmingham Symphony Association was officially formed and J.J. Steiner was installed as president. With a budget of $7,000, four concerts were planned for its first season. By the 1935-36 season the orchestra had as many as eighty players, and a budget of $410,000. A full rehearsal cost $100 and guest artists' fees were low by today's standards- the renowned composer-pianist, Percy Grainger, was paid $350 for his appearance with the orchestra in October 1939.

Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center

Since opening in 1996, the Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center has established itself as the center for arts and education in Birmingham. This state-of-the-art facility houses four superb performance venues, including the:

* 1,330-seat Jemison Concert Hall
* 350-seat proscenium-style Sirote Theatre
* 170-seat Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall
* Black-box Odess Theatre

Each of these venues allows you to experience the best in world, pop, jazz, classical, dance, theatre, and comedy in an up close and personal setting extremely rare in the realm of live performance. We strive to enhance your concert-going experience by offering opportunities to get closer to the arts through educational programs, meet the artist activities, and more.

The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is the national professional association serving the organ and choral music fields. The Guild serves approximately 20,000 members in 348 chapters throughout the United States, and in Europe, Korea and Argentina.

Founded in 1896 as both an educational and service organization, the Guild seeks to set and maintain high musical standards and to promote understanding and appreciation of all aspects of organ and choral music.

Under the leadership of the National Council, a network of volunteer committees and officials at the regional, district, and local levels directs the activities of the Guild. The AGO National Headquarters is in New York City where a full time staff supports and coordinates publication, administration, and development activities of the organization. For purposes of administration and representation, the Guild is divided into nine geographical regions, and each chapter is assigned to one of them.

Charity Music Inc is a 501(c)(3) all volunteer, nonprofit organization that provides Musical Instruments on loan, to individuals wishing to explore their hidden musical talents.

Our Mission is to help cultivate the next upcoming crop of young musicians.

We are conducting a major expansion throughout the State, and are in need of the following:

- Musical Instrument Drop Off Locations

- Community Service Volunteers

Source: http://www.charitymusic.org/alabama.html

The non-profit Gulf Coast Blues Society was founded as a result of not only a passion for the Blues, but a result of having the blues. Much like the founders of Blues, the founder realized the healing powers of the music-the release, the expression, the energy-and decided to share the message with others along the Gulf coast. Our mission is to promote and preserve the history of Blues music through Blues in the Schools programs, Blues-related events in the area, and to promote awareness throughout the community.

Anyone in the Gulf Coast area who is interested in music, open to learning more about Blues music, as well as those already immersed in Blues and want to be 'in the know' about where to experience it live, will appreciate Gulf Coast Blues Society.

Source: http://www.gulfcoastbluessociety.org/index.html

Born in the Deep South, the blues incubated in the heat and hard times of Southern life, maturing for a century or more before gaining worldwide acceptance and popularity as an established musical genre. Many virtuoso blues performers never gained true public acceptance, and some have passed away unrecognized and unrecorded.

The Magic City Blues Society is a non-profit (501-C) organization founded on January 10, 1993.
The purposes of the society are:

(1) to encourage the performances of the blues;

(2) to encourage the preservation of the blues;

(3) to develop an appreciation of the blues within the community; and

(4) such other charitable civic, literary or cultural activities within the community consistent with the purposes stated above.

The blues is very much a part of Southern life and history, deserving recognition as a valid and historical folk art form.

Source: http://www.magiccityblues.org/index.php/

Mobile Country Music Association

In the begining...December of 1983, Jack Cardwell, Helen Bozeman, Marguerite (Fanny Bell) Martiniere, Boots Barnes, Jackie Cardwell and Mamma Cardwell were eating together at Hardee's on Highway 43 in Saraland, Alabama. They had just left Jernigan's Hardware Store in Saraland where they had just broadcast an all day celebration celebrating Jack Cardwell's 20th anniversary in radio.

Just as old friends usually do they began to reminisce about days gone by, when they all played music together. They talked about how nice it would be to have a reunion with all the musicians and entertainers who had worked with them in the past. Helen and Jack did not let the conversation end at Hardee's. During the next few months Jack, Helen and Johnny Bozeman kept talking and planning the reunion. Helen and Johnny spent many hours on the telephone locating their old friends. Many had moved away. Some had gone into other fields of work. When they had finally located every name on the list they set a date for June l, 1986 for the reunion. All the invitations were mailed with directions to the Bozeman's home in Fairhope...

Mobile Opera

Mobile Opera Guild Auxiliary (the eighth in the nation to be affiliated with the Metropolitan Opera Guild) provided an outlet for the countless volunteers whose support throughout the company's history has been so vital to its success. In addition to mainstage productions, programs of opera excerpts were presented throughout a five-state area, establishing the company's long-standing commitment to arts education in the schools and communities of Alabama and the Gulf Coast. Following the death of its founder in 1971, the leaders of Mobile Opera continued to kindle the operatic fire ignited by "Madame Rose", ennobling her efforts through the establishment of the vocal scholarship competition which bears her name and awards over $5,000 annually.

The emergence of Katherine Willson ensured the security of the company's future, overseeing the company's growth and expansion as the company's Production Coordinator and General Manager. During the company's 1995/1996 season, Mrs. Willson was elected the first female President of the Board, celebrating Mobile Opera's 50 th Anniversary Season and her own distinguished thirty-five year commitment to Mobile Opera. Under the guidance of Pelham "Pat" Pearce, Mobile Opera continued to earn notoriety for both the quality of its productions and its innovative programs dedicated to education and community outreach.

Montgomery Chamber Music Organization

Success is a journey. A journey of half a century for MCMO, distinguished for its concerts of artistic virtuosity, dedicated to excellence in chamber music performance. What a privilege to share this passion with Montgomery and the River Region. We thank YOU our subscribers for making this journey a joyful reality!

Our Jubilee Season showcases the variety and excitement that chamber music offers today. The Series opens with the Juilliard String Quartet, long considered the standard of excellence in chamber music. This group appeared on MCMO's 1960 season and has since returned 9 times to thrill our audiences. Our Matinee Concert presents the exciting Newstead Trio and their unique programming. The magnificence of the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin comes to us from Russia's capital and we conclude with the vivid and articulate playing of the Belcea Quartet from London.

We invite you to celebrate this Jubilee Season. Join us for a Champagne Gala following the Juilliard, a Tailgate Party preceding the Sunday Matinee performance and a Jubilee Anniversary Reception after our final concert. All of this to celebrate the fun and beauty of chamber music as we launch MCMO into our next 50 years!

*All concerts held at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts

Source: http://www.montgomerychambermusic.org/

Montgomery Symphony Orchestra

For more than 30 years, the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra has played a key role in Montgomery's artistic community. Through the years, many people have given generously of their time, talent and resources to ensure that residents of Montgomery's River Region and the state of Alabama have the opportunity to hear great orchestral works performed.

The Montgomery Symphony Orchestra began in 1976 under the direction of First United Methodist Church Music Director John Dressler who originally organized the group to accompany the church's choirs. Wind, brass and percussion players were recruited and a close relationship was developed with the City of Montgomery's Parks and Recreation Department through the efforts of Joanna Bosko, the city's Cultural Arts Supervisor and a member of the orchestra. The MSO rehearsed at the church and as it grew, began to offer concerts in the community. Maestro Dressler guided the young orchestra with great success and retired from the podium in 1979.

Musician's Union

708 37th St S
Birmingham, AL 35222
(205) 326-3248

Website: http://www.rmco.org/rmco/index.jsp

UAB Department of Music

In a relatively short time, the UAB Department of Music has distinguished itself as one of the finest centers for educating young musicians in the southeast. Faculty and students perform in the acclaimed Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center (with its four performing venues) and around the globe. The UAB Department of Music recently became the first program in the State of Alabama to be designated an All-Steinway School, making the department one of only 73 schools worldwide so named by piano maker Steinway & Sons.

The department is home to numerous world-renown scholars and performers, with recent appearances by faculty and students in Egypt, Russia, France, England, Scotland, Brazil, South Korea, the Czech Republic, and Mexico, as well as television broadcasts throughout the world. Graduates of the UAB Department of Music have consistently found success in graduate study at some of the nation’s most prestigious schools, work in music business and music technology, music education, and churches, and as active performers.

VSA Alabama is a statewide, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to serving children and adults with disabilities and chronic illnesses through the arts. We offer visual arts, drama, creative writing, drumming and rhythm, creative movement, music therapy, and art therapy programming. Annually, VSA Alabama serves over 3,000 people with disabilities and chronic illnesses through our programming in community, educational, and healthcare settings across Alabama.

VSA Alabama was founded in 1984 as an affiliate of VSA, an international nonprofit organization serving millions of people every year through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 51 countries worldwide. VSA was founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith as an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Source: http://vsaalabama.org/