Published on April 10, 2024 at 10:48 am
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Jacksonville Today Arts and Culture Editor Matt Shaw shares his arts and culture picks for the weekend.
Friday-Sunday
Gamble Rogers Folk Festival
St. Johns County Fairgrounds | Elkton
From the writing of the fiddle-showcasing bluegrass staple “Orange Blossom Special” (the song was allegedly penned about a train parked at the Jacksonville terminal) to the late Jimmy Buffett honing his Gulf & Western sounds at the Trade Winds Lounge in St. Augustine’s historic district, Northeast Florida has long cultivated the varying styles that make up the broadly defined genre of American roots music. For decades, Northeast Florida resident, the late Gamble Rogers, was at the center of the region’s burgeoning folk music scene. And for going on 28 years, the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival has celebrated Rogers’ influence and our region’s distinctive folk-music sensibility (read about Rogers and the history of the festival from the Jacksonville Music Experience). The 28th Annual Gamble Rogers Folk Festival is held Friday, April 12, through Sunday, April 14, with live music from AJ Lee & Blue Summit, John Jorgenson, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, Verlon Thompson & Wyatt Ellis and more, along with vendors and camping, at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds. Tickets and more information.
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Saturday
Women Arts Exchange
Phoenix Arts District | Downtown Jacksonville
The second annual Women Arts Exchange is held on Saturday in the Phoenix Arts District. Produced this year by local contemporary dance company Emily Cargill and Dancers, the event kicks off with a sip n’ stroll-style gallery viewing, featuring the work of local visual artists Barbara Hionides, Elena Ohlander, Amanda Holloway, Balsam Zour, Anne Cullum and Caitlin Flynn. The second half of the evening is highlighted by curated dance performances, featuring the work of regional choreographers, as well as the premiere of “grief rituals,” a new piece by Emily Cargill. The sip n’ stroll begins at 6:30 p.m., the dance performances at 7:30 p.m. Tickets and more information.
Sunday
Vincent DuBois
St. Johns Cathedral | Downtown Jacksonville
Celebrated organist Vincent DuBois — currently one of three musicians responsible for tickling the ivories at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris — will perform at the St. Johns Cathedral on Sunday as part of the Beaches Fine Arts Series. Following the performance, DuBois will lead a talk about the restoration of the Notre Dame Cathedral (which suffered a catastrophic fire in 2019). Doors at 3:15 p.m. Concert at 4 p.m. More information.
