***EMBARGOED UNTIL TUESDAY, MAY 10 AT 2:30 P.M. EASTERN*** LINEUP ANNOUNCED FOR 38TH ANNUAL BRIC CELEBRATE BROOKLYN! FESTIVAL, JUNE 8 – AUGUST 13 AT THE PROSPECT PARK BANDSHELL Brooklyn’s Premier Outdoor Summer Festival Returns With New Name Including Free Concerts Headlined by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Violent Femmes, Alvvays, Baaba Maal, Bombino, Femi Kuti, Red Baraat & Friends, Josh Ritter, Dr. Dog, Rachid Taha, Jon Batiste & Stay Human, Gregory Porter, Angelique Kidjo, Morgan Heritage, Dr. Dog, Andra Day, The Wood Brothers and Carla Morrison The World Premiere of The Hubble Cantata, Composed by Paola Prestini, Conducted by Julian Wachner and Featuring Nathan Gunn, Jessica Rivera, the Norwegian orchestra 1B1, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and Large-Scale Projection in Virtual Reality Live Music with Film screenings of Triplets of Belleville, Run Lola Run and Labyrinth Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert by Dan Zanes’ Leadbelly Project Benefit Concerts by Tame Impala, Ray LaMontagne, Case/Lang/Veirs, Beirut, The Lumineers and Herbie Hancock BRIC is pleased to announce the lineup for its 38th annual BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, which returns this year under a new name and will comprise 30 performances, June 8 – August 13. The programming, reflective of Brooklyn’s eclecticism and diversity, will feature a wide array of free, world-class performances in the singular environs of the Prospect Park Bandshell. Of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, The New York Times writes, “Brooklyn’s best festival only grows stronger over the years.” When it began in 1979 as a catalyst for a burgeoning Brooklyn performing arts scene, and to bring people back into Prospect Park after years of neglect, the Festival was an early anchor in Brooklyn’s renaissance. It has since become one of the city’s foremost summer cultural attractions. Winner of the Village Voice Readers’ Poll and Critics’ Picks for “Best Free Concert Series,” the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival is New York City’s longest- running summer outdoor performance festival. Over its 37-year history, the Festival has presented more than 2,000 artists, drawing a diverse audience upwards of 200,000 each season. Gothamist named Celebrate Brooklyn! #1 on their list of “100 Reasons Why Brooklyn Lives up to the Hype.” The New York Times says, “Prospect Park….truly comes alive in summer, when the tremendous Celebrate Brooklyn festival brings dozens of free and benefit shows to its bandshell.” Beginning June 8 with a free concert by Brooklyn soul legends Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, the 2016 Festival exemplifies the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival signature mix of music, film, dance and multimedia works, 323 DEAN STREET, #2 BROOKLYN, NY 11217 p 718.643.9052 www.blakezidell.com complemented by food and other provisions from local artisans and vendors. Of the 32 total performances being presented this season, 25 are free (with a $5 suggested contribution at the gate): 19 music concerts, three Music & Movies performance events in which live music accompanies films projected on NYC’s largest (50’ wide x 21’ high) outdoor screen, two dance performances and one mixed-media world premiere featuring virtual reality visuals accompanied by live music. The remaining seven shows are BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! benefit concerts, which offer rare opportunities to see great artists in an extraordinary outdoor setting at reasonable ticket prices while supporting the Festival’s free performances. A highlight of the season will be the world premiere of The Hubble Cantata, composed by Paola Prestini, conducted by Julian Wacher and featuring performances by Nathan Gunn, Jessica Rivera, the Norwegian orchestra 1B1 and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. This unique and ravishingly beautiful work combines music, electronics, filmed sequences with rarely seen photographs and footage from the Hubble telescope, and sung poetic movements to transport the audience to the far reaches of the cosmos. The finale will feature a unique immersive virtual reality experience for the entire audience. The full season lineup consists of artists from Brooklyn and around the world—across the U.S., the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa and Europe. They include Baaba Maal / Lakou Mizik (June 16), Alvvays / Ducktails / Big Thief (June 23), ¡Cubanismo! / Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca (June 24), Red Baraat’s Brooklyn Mela / Sunny Jain / DJ Rekha / Heems / Bhi Bhiman & More (July 7), Rachid Taha / Krar Collective (July 15), The Wood Brothers / Aoife O’Donovan / Hiss Golden Messenger (July 16), a double bill featuring Femi Kuti and Bombino (July 22), Angelique Kidjo’s Celia Cruz Tribute (July 29), Digable Planets / Camp Lo (July 30), and Morgan Heritage / British Dependency (August 5). Returning for the 15th consecutive year is Series Title Sponsor Bud Light, which presents the Bud Light Music Series including Violent Femmes / Kristin Hersch (June 18), Carla Morrison / Hurray For The Riff Raff / Buscabulla (July 9), Dr. Dog (August 12), and Andra Day / Son Little (August 13). BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival also welcomes back Series Title Sponsor American Express, which will present the American Express Series including Josh Ritter / Martha Redbone / Birds of Chicago (July 8), Jon Batiste and Stay Human & Friends (July 23), and Gregory Porter / Marcus Strickland & Twi-Life (July 28). Dan Zanes’ Leadbelly Project will headline this year’s Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert on June 11, performing the music of the blues icon. Dance performances this year include Philadanco (June 25), as well as Camille A. Brown & Dancers performing an evening-length piece, Black Girl: Linguistic Play, with an opening set by Brandee Younger (July 21). Music & Movies series events include a special Bastille Day screening of Triplets of Bellville with a live score composer Benoît Charest and his 9-piece Orchestre Terrible de Belleville (July 14); the U.S. premiere of Run Lola Run with a live score by The Bays (August 4); and a screening of Labyrinth, starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connolly, with an opening set by the Donny McCaslin Group, which backed Bowie on his final album Blackstar (August 10). This summer’s benefit concerts provide support for the free performances and include two nights with Tame Impala (June 14 & 15), Ray LaMontagne (June 22), supergroup Case/Lang/Veirs (July 26), Beirut (August 2) and The Lumineers (August 3) and Herbie Hancock (August 11). To help ease congestion and offer additional transportation solutions, first time co-sponsor Lyft will offer discounts on rides to and from the Festival. New users can get $20 off their first ride with the code BRIC16. Returning Co-Sponsors include IKEA Brooklyn, and WorldStage. The Festival is presented in partnership with the City of New York Parks & Recreation and the Prospect Park Alliance. Returning long-time Season Media Partners are The Village Voice, WABC-7 and WNYC 93.9 FM/820 AM. Longtime Promotional partners on select performances include WBGO 88.3 FM and WFUV 90.7 FM. A complete list of supporters can be found at www.BRICartsmedia.org/cb. 323 DEAN STREET, #2 BROOKLYN, NY 11217 p 718.643.9052 www.blakezidell.com Beloved Ditmas Park eatery The Farm on Adderley will again offer a menu of seasonal, carefully sourced extraordinary food; Brooklyn-based The Good Batch will operate the onsite snack bar, serving treats including handmade ice cream sandwiches, coffee ice cream floats and other goodies; and local artisans collective Etsy NY will make it possible for concertgoers to shop for a range of handmade merchandise. Lastly, Transportation Alternatives will provide valet bike parking BRIC President Leslie Schultz said, “As one of the leading lights of New York City’s vast cultural offerings, the world-class BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival will once again deliver a summer full of outstanding free performances by extraordinary and diverse artists. We are grateful for all the support BRIC receives to keep the festival free and accessible to all New Yorkers.” Jack Walsh, BRIC’s Vice President of Performing Arts and Executive Producer of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival said, “We are excited to announce the 38th summer season of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival at the Prospect Park Bandshell—the best outdoor venue in NYC. This special season features an amazing mix of both local and global artists – across the genres of music, dance, and film – that is sure to reinforce everything you love about the festival. Come out and be inspired.” “Providing high quality, free public programs to the diverse communities surrounding Prospect Park is an important part of our mission,” said Sue Donoghue, Prospect Park Administrator and President of the Prospect Park Alliance. “We are delighted to partner with BRIC to present Celebrate Brooklyn!, which has enjoyed nearly four decades of tremendous success.” Friends of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival memberships for individuals and small businesses offer reserved seats, Friends Tent access with food and beverage service, and ads for businesses. The Friends Tent interior is specially designed by IKEA Brooklyn. More information is available at www.BRICartsmedia.org/cb. BRIC CELEBRATE BROOKLYN! FESTIVAL 2016 LINEUP WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 8:00 P.M. Opening Night Concert SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS FREE Comeback queen Sharon Jones, whose “whirl of young Tina Turner energy and powerful, expressive vintage soul vocals” (Mojo) harken back to the glory days of Stax and Motown, returns to the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival with the unstoppable Dap- Kings, the beating heart of Bushwick-based Daptone Records, hell-bent on surpassing their legendary 2010 closing night show. Prior to the free concert, BRIC will host the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival Opening Night Gala, proudly honoring independent music and film entrepreneur Peter Shapiro. Pete is known for such celebrated endeavors as Brooklyn Bowl (Brooklyn, Las Vegas and London), The Capitol Theatre, Wetlands Preserve, the U2 3D film and the Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well concerts in Chicago’s Soldier Field.