By Jenae Peterson, Austin Daily Herald

Music from different parts of the world is coming directly to Austin.

The Paramount Theatre is partnering with Riverside Concerts to bring four worldwide artists and one dance troupe to the Paramount Theatre this summer.

Rochester Music Department/Riverside Concerts General Manager Steve Schmidt is excited for the concerts and the partnership, which has been going on about six years.

“The Paramount is just a beautiful space,” he said. “It’s a great relationship; we both benefit from it greatly.”

He’s excited that each artist brings something different from all over the world.

Executive Director of the Paramount Theatre Jennie Knoebel is also looking forward to the artists this summer.

“I haven’t heard any of them perform yet, so I’m really excited,” Knoebel said.

She said people enjoyed the series last year, so she is excited to see what this year brings.

Schmidt also said the series has been well received. He recalled the positive reception Columbian artist Locos Porjuana a few years ago. Schmidt remembered how “danceable” the contemporary Latin group’s music was.

“We had people up and dancing in the aisles that night,” he said.

According to Knoebel, the concerts are meant to be educational, since the artists talk about their culture and style along with performing.

“It’s been a great learning experience for me,” Knoebel said. “The comments I received from the show last year, people were just blown away.”

The countries and the style of the artists are different every year. She said the shows are free and each last about an hour long, which make them easier to attend since they are during the summer, and many people want to be outside enjoying the warm weather.

 

The concerts

• Keith Knight and Don Alder will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 11. The duo features acoustic guitars, mandolin, fiddle, violin, dobro, harp guitar, resonator guitars and vocals.

• Noura Mint Seymali will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 16. She’ll play more modern orchestra pieces, and she favors the international festival circuit.

• Moscow Nights, joined by dance troupe Golden Gates, will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 30. The group features balalaikas, bayan accordion, trashotky and loshky, dances and vocals. The group offers a glimpse into Old Russia through music, song and dance.

• Calle Sur will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13. They have four different program options, including “Latin Collage” as a duo, “Latin Fiesta” as a septet, “Viva Mexico!” as a quintet and “Cowboys of the Americas” with a symphony orchestra. Ed East, who is Panamanian, is combined with his music partner Karin Stein, who is Colombian, to create a very unique sound.