The city of Asbury Park is excited to announce the launch of its Asbury Park Musical Heritage 2011 Celebration on November 18 with a special fundraising concert at the Stone Pony. Headlined by popular singer-songwriter and former Styx band member Glen Burtnik, the concert will kick-off what will be a year-long celebration of the city’s rich musical heritage happening in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s New Harmonies exhibit coming to Asbury Park in March 2011.
Burtnik, known for his rock-opera compositions and role in “Beatlemania” as Paul McCartney, will be joined on the legendary Stone Pony stage by the city’s former mayor, and notable Asbury Park musician, Kevin Sanders and his band, The Mayor’s Players. Popular performers who call Asbury’s music venues home, including Outside the Box, will also join Burtnik as the evening’s special guests.
City officials are looking forward to announcing additional plans for the Asbury Park Musical Heritage 2011 Celebration to the Stone Pony crowd on November 18. “Since its inception, Asbury Park has been a destination for music,” said Tom Gilmour, Asbury Park’s director of commerce and economic development. “We are incredibly honored to be the first urban city to host the Smithsonian’s New Harmonies exhibit, so much so that we decided to keep the celebration going throughout 2011.”
Asbury Park first announced the New Harmonies: Celebrating American Root Music exhibit in July 2010 at the Stone Pony. Over the past several months, city officials have initiated plans to launch a comprehensive musical heritage celebration for 2011 which will pay homage to a variety of music genres; implement a music history syllabus in area schools; mobilize club owners, businesses and musicians to organize musically related events; include a summer concert series on Asbury Park’s popular beachfront; and much more.
The exhibit’s New Jersey visit will be administered by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. The Arts Coalition of Asbury Park (ArtsCAP) played an important role in bringing the exhibit to the city. “At the end of 2011, we want to look back and see that we tapped into the soul of the city, our musical heritage, to transcend economic conditions,” said Asbury Park’s Mayor Ed Johnson. “We are confident that after next year, we will have created a thriving, vibrant city – an internationally recognized place where music lives.”
The Asbury Park Musical Heritage 2011 concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. General admission is $20.00 and VIP tickets are $100.00. Interested parties can reserve tickets now via Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com and 800-745-3000) or by calling the Stone Pony box office at 732-502-0600. To learn more about Asbury Park Musical Heritage 2011, please visit www.asburyparkmusic2011.com. For more information about New Harmonies: Celebrating American Root Music, please visit www.museumonmainstreet.org.