Rialto Center for the Arts Announces its 15th Anniversary Season And 95th Birthday Year in Downtown Atlanta

June 13,2011

Georgia State University’s Rialto Center for the Arts announces its 2011-2012 Rialto Series featuring a unique mix of the best jazz, world music, dance, and more.  This season marks the Rialto’s 15th anniversary since the renovation by Georgia State University, spurring the revitalization of the Fairlie-Poplar district in downtown Atlanta, as well as 95 years on the corner of Luckie and Forsyth streets.  The birthday season will be a year-long celebration with performance-related events featuring local artists and scholars, in-depth master classes, thought-provoking talks, and more.  Patrons will find that each and every evening of the Rialto’s upcoming season will be an experience to celebrate arts and culture in the heart of the city.

The 2011-2012 Rialto Series opens with New Orleans in Atlanta:  A Night in Treme featuring acclaimed singer and trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, the Soul Rebels Brass Band, Mardi Gras Indian Chief and alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, Jr., and young trombonist Glen David Andrews.  As the season continues, the Rialto will present another Louisiana treat - Cedric Watson and his band Bijou Creole; the hilarity of political pranksters Capitol Steps; American dance companies Trey McIntyre Project and Ronald K. Brown/ EVIDENCE; and the legendary Latin Jazz rhythms of the Spanish Harlem Orchestra.  Throughout the season, Atlanta’s “Best World Music Venue” will also welcome Omar Faruk Tekbilek with Yasmin Levy; Anoushka Shankar, the daughter of sitar legend Ravi Shankar; Idan Raichel and Vieux Farka Touré; and Mali’s Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba.  And there is much more in store for the Rialto’s anniversary year!

“The new season features performances that will, in usual Rialto fashion, uplift, challenge, and inspire our audiences,” says Leslie Gordon, Director. “We believe that in 2011-2012, the Rialto will continue to be the place where audiences can experience the world without leaving Atlanta.”

Series subscriptions are on sale now with single tickets going on sale Thursday, September 1, 2011.  Tickets may be purchased by calling 404-413-9TIX (9849), in person at the Box Office, by fax at 404-413-9850, or online at www.rialtocenter.org