OPEN DOORS III: Breaking Barriers through Music

Blue 5 Restaurant

312 Second Street, SW – Roanoke

Thursday, April 29, 2010

7:00 – 8:30 PM

By Jane Rorrer

            Have you ever thought about how tolerance and inclusion are treated in the music business?  From country to hip-hop, musical themes, lyrics and artists can break down barriers related to diversity in our communities.

            On Thursday, April 29, 2010, S.T.A.R., the Spirit of Tolerance and Art in the Region, a subgroup of Creative Connectors, hosts the third in a series of Open Doors events about diversity which will focus on how music plays a role in diversity.

            Music is an important part of people’s lives in many cultures and the creation, performance, definition and delivery varies by culture and social context.  Musicologist Jean-Jacques Nattiz once said, “’The border between music and noise is always culturally defined — which implies that, even within a single society, this border does not always pass through the same place; in short, there is rarely a consensus….By all accounts there is no single and intercultural universal concept defining what music might be, except that it is sound through time.’”

            Join area musicians along with music executive Bruce Houghton of Skyline Music, radio program director and show host Sara “Ripley” McClune of 101.5 The Music Place, and Cyrus Pace from Roanoke City Public Schools at Blue 5 Restaurant in Roanoke for a lively discussion about music and the role it plays in building a community. Susanna Rinehart, associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Cinema at Virginia Tech, will again facilitate our discussion.

               S.T.A.R. is one of four initiatives from the Creative Community Leadership Project (CCLP) in cooperation with the City of Roanoke and the Creative Class Group, founded by author and lecturer Richard Florida.  The premise behind CCLP is that an area’s success is dependent upon how fully it values, engages, and includes the rich diversity of its population.   

The event, in cooperation with Down by Downtown:  A Celebration of Music April 28^th – May 1^st, in the Red Room of Blue 5 Restaurant, is free and open to the public.  A cash bar will be provided.

This is the last in a series of three discussions about diversity and inclusion.  Open Doors I:  A Conversation about the Dynamics of Difference, was held at The Shenandoah Club, and Open Doors II:  Awaking the Sleeping Giant, was held at The Claude Moore Education Complex.

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