Cool Classics are Back

With of the heat of July setting in, it is time to enjoy the annual Cool Classics series.  Each Friday evening brings a new musical performance to delight the ears at the Stillwater History Museum and Sheerar Cultural Center Auditorium, located at 7th and Duncan Street in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This will be the 12th season of this summer tradition bringing cool musical relief to the long summer months when Stillwater’s arts and culture scene is just a little quieter. All concerts within the series take place on July 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th. Each concert will start at 7:30 and will be approximately one hour in length. Admission is completely free, but seating will be limited to the first 200 people in attendance.

This year’s Cool Classics musical lineup includes: Appassionata Viola & Harp Duo featuring Jeff Cowan on viola and Jill Wiebe on harp, performing on July 6th.  A new addition to this year’s series will be a performance by the OK Strings on July 13th.  This group was put together by Kaleb Benda and is accompanied by Jose Batty, Cheyenne Rains, Scotty Scott, Ryan Kyker, and Maria Marcos. Perry Gethner will perform a number of World War I era pieces for the July 20th concert performance, which will connect to our new World War I exhibit opening in August. The series' final performance will be on July 27th when Trio Aleszky hits the stage.  This group is made up of Allyson Eskitch on piano, Paulo Eskitch on violin, Krassi Figg on cello, and will feature guest artist Jeff Cowen on viola. 

Each concert will be followed by a reception sponsored by local community groups including the Stillwater Art & Humanities Council on July 6th, Daughters of the American Revolution on July 13th, Payne County Historical Society on July 20th, and the Sister City Council of Stillwater on July 27th.   This year the Stillwater History Museum at the Sheerar’s exhibit galleries will remain open to the public from 5:00-7:30 pm each Friday evening in July prior to each Cool Classic concert, and as always museum admission is free to the public.

The “Cool Classics” concert series is currently in its 12th season. Originally organized by the St. Cecilia Music Club, Mahlon Halleck, a local strings instructor, came up with the idea of starting a summer concert series in 2007. Due to the lack of cultural activities, this unique summer concert series was started to give performers the chance to showcase their talents during the slower, summer months. The Stillwater History Museum at the Sheerar took over hosting this concert series back in 2012.  The 12th season of the “Cool Classics” summer concert series is supported in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council www.arts.ok.gov.

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