Folk musicians highlight arts center benefit
Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Group pay homage to the past while making a future with their own sound.
Folks will be able to savor the uniqueness of the musicians, long-time performers of "A Prairie Home Companion" and the Grand Ole Opry, at a benefit concert Saturday at the Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts. Folk musician John McCutcheon also will perform.
"We've had a lot of heroes that taught us, like the Carter family and legendary performers like that," Robin Williams said. "Then we took what we learned through creative people and came out with our own music that is similar, but completely different. We're not slaves to the past. We bring old country and make it up to date."
The event was orchestrated by the Prairie Center Arts Foundation, which acts as a fundraiser for the center with programs such as the Schaumburg Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Schaumburg Dance Ensemble.
"We raise money to support art so everyone can have it in their lives," said Lucinda Flodin, executive director of the foundation. "We support quality art so you don't have to go downtown for it. From the very oldest to a young child, art has something for everyone."
McCutcheon, who's been called the "Bruce Springsteen of Folk Music," has performed around the globe. The multi-instrumentalist picks guitar, fiddle, banjo, and autoharp. He has been nominated for seven Grammy awards.
"John McCutcheon is a personable musician and also a storyteller," Flodin said. "He's a Jack of all trades, playing lots of instruments and playing them brilliantly. He is considered to be the best hammer dulcimer player in the country."
McCutcheon and Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Group will perform separately. However, they all team up at the beginning and end of the program.
"We're similar, but we're more country than John," Robin Williams said. "We both love the music of the southern Appalachian mountains. What people will see when they come see us are musicians who love to get in front of people and play."
Robin Williams describes his music as "good, old Americana."
"It's what all country music is based on," he said. "It started out with folk music using banjos, fiddles and mandolins and turned into country music as the years went by."
The flow of the evening starts with a light reception, the cost of which is included in the $40 ticket price. There will also be a silent auction for several items. There will also be a raffle for dining opportunities and two American Airlines tickets.
"This will be an amazing night of music," Flodin said. "And, at the same time, people will be supporting the arts in our community."
If you go
What: Prairie Center Arts Foundation's benefit concert
Who: John McCutcheon and Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Group
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, with a pre-concert reception at 7 p.m.
Where: Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg
Tickets: $40
Info: (847) 895-3600 or www.prairiecenter.org