Corsicana — With school already in full force, the Navarro Council of the Arts is gearing up for another year of presenting an exciting season of the arts to all the schools in Navarro County.

For the past 32 years, the Arts Council has presented high-quality, unique seasons to all the schools in Navarro County. Every school child, Pre K – 12th grade, will have the opportunity to experience two arts programs during the school year, which will expose children to the wonderful world of the arts.

This season the Arts Council is presenting favorites along with some new and different arts programs that will enlighten our county.  

The season will kick off in September with the music legends, Trout Fishing In America. Trout Fishing In America is the long-standing musical partnership of Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet. This duo has spent more than three decades performing, recording and writing together.

With their fourth Grammy nomination under their belt for Big Round World, and the release of a children’s book/cd My Name is Chicken Joe, this duo is sure to please all children both young and old.

Trout Fishing in America will be playing for school children grades 3rd – 5th at the Palace Theatre Sept. 28 to Oct. 1. A full concert will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, in the Palace Theatre.

The second Art in Education program is the nationally re-known group, The Ahn Trio. Born in Seoul, Korea and educated at the Juilliard in New York City, the members of the Ahn Trio, (cellist Maria, pianist Lucia, and violinist Angella), are constantly redefining the art and architecture of chamber music. Breathing new life into the standard piano-trio literature with commissioned works, the Ahn Trio brings a new energy and excitement to the chamber music world.

The trio has been touring successfully for over ten years and has six albums to date. An MTV appearance on Bryan Adams’ “Unplugged” led to the development of the “Ahn- Plugged” and “Groovebox” albums (EMI), which embodies the excitement and energy of the Ahn Trio.

Maria, Lucia and Angella thrive on dissolving the barriers between art forms. They have fused their work with that of dancers, pop singers, DJ’s, painters, installation artists, photographers, lighting designers, ecologists, and even kite makers.

You might recognize this group from one of People Magazine’s Most Beautiful or recently in Glamour Magazine. This group will perform for all 6th -12th graders in Navarro County at the Corsicana High School Auditorium on Oct. 26 and 27. The full concert will take place at the Palace Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Pre K – 4th graders in our county will have an opportunity to escape into the world of Scotland with legendary bagpiper, Patrick Regan. With 30 years of professional piping under his kilt, Patrick draws from his seemingly limitless repertoire to captivate children from first-time listeners to those well versed in the art of bagpiping. This highly entertaining musician will perform for schools during the week of Feb. 21-25, 2011.

In March of 2011, the Pre K – 2nd graders of Navarro County will go bananas for Shana Banana! Texas artist, Shana Banana will take students on an adventure of music and dance through her world. This artist will be touring Navarro County schools the week of March 29, 2011.

Finishing out the season is one of the hottest groups touring the country now, Rhythmic Circus. Rhythmic Circus has quickly risen from an underground percussive-dance phenomenon to an innovative live performance company known for transforming their tap shoes into instruments of rhythm. The Minneapolis Star Tribune put it well when they called the dance troupe “Flat out amazing!”

The company’s repute goes well beyond the sum of the dancers’ talents; themed pieces include costume changes and musical segues highlighting the funky styling of a seven-piece band. The combined and highly integrated talents of the dancers and musicians alike have built a reputation for leaving audiences on their feet and dancing in the aisles!

Rhythmic Circus will be performing for all 5th – 12th graders at Corsicana High School on May 3 and 4 and will perform a full concert at the Palace Theatre on May 5 at 7:30 p.m.

These programs give each child a chance to experience something different and spark their interest in the important world of the arts. Thanks to generous donors, our students in this county are exposed to quality arts, while increasing test scores and sparking their creativity. These programs are brought to the students of Navarro County by the J. Tom Eady Charitable Trust, Rena Fleming Foundation, J.N. and Macie Edens Foundation, The Annie Lee Robbins Charitable Trust, Katherine C. Carmody Trust, Perry D. Graham Charitable Trust, Roger and Marijo Cameron Trust, The EM Sheppard Foundation, Mid America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, and many generous donors.

For more information on these programs, please contact the Navarro Council of the Arts at (903) 872-5411 or visit our Web site at www.navarrocouncilofthearts.com.

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Leah Blackard is executive director of the Navarro Council of the Arts. She may be reached by e-mail at ncart@sbcglobal.net. Want to “Soundoff” on this column? E-mail: soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com