NEWTON — The Catawba Valley Festival of the Arts announces community support and sponsorship for its annual “all-arts” event to be held on April 22-24. The financial support includes both nonprofit and corporate sponsorship to attract diverse audiences and attendees who are often underserved with access to the arts.
To support this target, the board of directors of the United Arts Council of Catawba County unanimously approved its Collaborative Arts Projects Grant to the CVFA in March.
“The United Arts Council of Catawba County is proud to support the Catawba Valley Festival of the Arts in its efforts to reach our local underserved communities,” said Ingrid Keller, executive director of the United Arts Council.
The festival organizers also announce Wanzl North America as the premier corporate sponsor for the event. Wanzl, a major employer located in Newton, is the North American headquarters of Germany’s Wanzl Group.
“Wanzl has been a member of this community for many years, with most employees being originally from the Catawba Valley area, so supporting this event, which includes what we do best — industrial arts — is a reflection of who we are as a company,” said Ben Hinnen, CEO of Wanzl North America. Founded in 1946, the company became well known for the quality of its shopping carts. In 2012, the company was acquired by Wanzl, and in 2020, with over seven decades at the forefront of innovation for shoppers, became Wanzl North America, having expanded into shelving, material handling, digital guidance systems, self-checkout systems, and integrated services to provide turn-key solutions to retail and industrial markets. Financial support from Wanzl and the United Arts Council has enabled festival organizers to attract major artists this year whose performances will attract diverse audiences. The artists scheduled include:
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Manolo Badrena, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a world-renowned percussionist and songwriter. In the ’70s, Badrena not only worked for several years with Weather Report, one of the top modern jazz groups at the time, he also toured with the Rolling Stones as a second percussionist. Over the years, he has played with Herb Alpert, George Duke, Gino Vannelli, Joni Mitchel, The Rolling Stones, Ahmad Jamal, Michael Franks, Spyro Gyra, and many more. He has played with innumerable classical orchestras around the world and created an instructional DVD called “All That Percussion” for Hal Leonard Music, which includes a performance with Vicki Genfan. Badrena has taught percussion as a private instructor as well as with the famed New School in New York City.
Singer, songwriter, and performer Vicki Genfan has a unique guitar playing style, utilizing over 30 alternate tunings and applying a percussive technique that she calls “slap-tap.” Genfan won Guitar Player magazine’s Guitar Superstar ’08 contest, the only female as well as acoustic guitar player to win at the time. Drawing from folk, jazz, pop, soul, and world music, whether covering the tunes of others or presenting her own compositions, Genfan has a distinctive style that pushes the boundaries of the singer/songwriter genre into new territories. Genfan loves teaching and has seven instructional DVDs to her credit, and is in high demand at clinics and music camps all over the world.
Sharon Lutz, regional author of a children’s illustrated book based on the Ridgeview Panthers. In addition, popular local musicians will perform, including a chorus of culturally diverse gospel singers and local legacy bands, guitar pickers, and crooners.
The festival is anchored by academic institutions Catawba Valley Community College and Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Events begin Friday evening, April 22, on the grounds of the 34-acre venue of Catawba Farms in Newton, and continue through Sunday, April 24, in a hub and spoke pattern at various venues throughout Catawba County.
The CVFA exposes the works of artists, performers, educators, and creative stewards and encourages participation from diverse organizations.
For more information on the event including the schedule, visit the website at cv-fa.org.
