Internationally Recognized Performers and North Wing Galleries Preview at Solstice 2013

CLEVELAND (May 2, 2013) — Cleveland’s hottest summer music festival returns on Saturday, June 22 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Now in its fifth year, this annual celebration brings some of the most innovative world music performers to Northeast Ohio. Guests to this year’s Solstice festival will be among the first to see the new North Wing galleries, featuring art from the Americas, Japan and Korea.

“As the CMA's building expansion draws to a close, we're inspired to be more expansive with our programs. Solstice is one shining example of this,” said Tom Welsh, director of City Stages.

This year’s event will feature two stages. The new atrium stage will feature music spun by DJ Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Rekha and Beatmatrix. The outdoor stage on the museum’s south terrace will feature innovative performers in a variety of musical styles, including Edmar Castaneda, Red Baraat, Burnt Sugar Arkestra and The Crystal Ark.

Tickets for Solstice will go on sale Monday, May 6 at 9 a.m. and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (216) 421-7350 or online at ClevelandArt.org/Solstice. The 8 p.m. entry tickets are available for $60 per person, $30 for museum members. Limited quantities of $25 tickets with an entry time of 10:30 p.m. will also be available.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase throughout the evening. Guests with an 8 p.m. entry ticket will have the option to purchase an all-inclusive food and beverage pass for an additional $50 at the event.

Solstice is sponsored by Thompson Hine, Dix & Eaton and Great Lakes Brewing Company, the preferred craft beer of Solstice. The City Stages series is sponsored by Medical Mutual.

Musical Line-Up
In order of appearance, times subject to change.

Edmar Castaneda
8 p.m., South Terrace Stage
Colombia native Edmar Castaneda has taken the world stage by storm with his virtuosic command of the harp. A master of beautifully complex timing, lush colors and dynamic spirit, Edmar has been called “almost a world unto himself” by The New York Times and will make his Cleveland debut at Solstice. His extensive performing career includes recent engagements at Paquito D’Rivera’s Carnegie Hall tribute, the DC Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Tanglewood Jazz Festival and the 10th World Harp Congress.

Beatmatrix
8 p.m., Atrium Stage
Local DJs and catalysts on the Cleveland music scene, Stout XTC and Homework Guy kick off the festivities in the museum’s atrium.

Red Baraat
9 p.m., South Terrace Stage
Red Baraat is an eight-piece band from Brooklyn, New York that has been heralded as a pioneer in world music. Merging hard driving North Indian bhangra rhythms with elements of jazz, go-go, brass funk and hip-hop, Red Baraat has performed all over the world. Recent notable performances include the White House, 2012 TED Conference and the London 2012 Paralympic Games. “A fiery blend of raucous Indian bhangra and funky New Orleans brass. The result, needless to say, is completely riotous.” - The Village Voice. Cleveland debut.

DJ Rekha
9:30 p.m., Atrium Stage
Back by popular demand, DJ Rekha will take the stage again at Solstice. Called the “Ambassador of Bhangra” by the New York Times and named one of the most influential South Asians by Newsweek, Rekha is among the first DJs to merge classic Bhangra and Bollywood sounds into the language of contemporary electronic dance music. In 2009, Rekha was chosen by the State Department to visit India as a Cultural Ambassador to the U.S. Consulate for a three-week tour of India. Later that year, DJ Rekha was inducted into the New York City's Peoples Hall of Fame.

Burnt Sugar Arkestra
10:15 p.m., South Terrace Stage
Founded by monster groove bassist Jared Michael Nickerson and Village Voice icon Greg “Ionman” Tate, Burnt Sugar Arkestra is a sprawling band of musicians that freely juggle a wide swath of the experimental soul-jazz-hip hop spectrum. Rather than being limited to one area, Burnt Sugar Arkestra freely moves amongst many styles, eras and genres to create exciting hybrids based on a solid foundation of various musical styles and use of cutting-edge music technology. Cleveland debut.

DJ Afrika Bambaataa
11:30 p.m., Atrium Stage
DJ Afrika Bambaataa, known as the Godfather of Hip Hop and Father of Electro Funk Sound, is one of the three main originators of break-beat deejaying. Through his co-opting of the street gang the Black Spades into the music and culture-oriented Zulu nation, he is responsible for spreading hip-hop culture throughout the world and is credited for coining the phrase "Hip-Hop." Bambaataa has recently performed at numerous music festivals with well-known headliners such as Rihanna, Kraftwerk, Elton John and Stevie Wonder. Cleveland debut.

The Crystal Ark
11:45 p.m., South Terrace Stage
The collaborative, body-centric, New York pop project of Gavin Russon and Viva Ruiz makes their Cleveland debut at Solstice. The Crystal Ark is about possibility, transformation and opening the body, mind and spirit to the forces of nature through sounds that reflect the diversity and intensity of New York City. The group released their debut album in October 2012 and has recently performed at the Sydney Opera House, Palais De Tokyo, Hirshorn Museum and MOMA PS1.