Ebony & Ivory will appear in concert in Hornell, N.Y., for the Hornell Area Arts Council on Saturday, October 19, 2002. Join the Dynamic Duo at 8:00 p.m. at the Hornell High School for this much-anticipated appearance!

Robert Baird reports that the Ebony & Ivory Booth at the Midwest Arts Conference in Columbus, OH, from September 19th to the 21st provided a great opportunity to meet and greet many presenter-friends of the Duo. Robert attended several workshops, took a tour of the majestic Ohio Theatre, enjoyed some marvellous showcases, and manned the booth for the many exhibit hall hours. It was wonderful to have people just come up to the booth and introduce themselves, thank us for our marketing efforts ("Great marketing!" "The best marketing in the business!" "Thanks for the chocolates!" etc.), obtain a detailed Presenter’s Kit on the Duo, and walk away with their Chocolate Emergency Kit to get them through the convention day.

Visitors to the booth included Cindy Allen (Jackson Community College), Deb Baker (Allegheny College), Laurie Bell (Freed Center for the Performing Arts), Gwethalyn Bronner (College of Lake County), Bruce Browne (Weill Center), Christina Burgess (Western Illinois University), Joe Burnett (Lucille Tack Center for the Arts), Karen Christilles (Lied Center of Kansas), Bob DeStocki (Oshkosh Opera House), Brad Downall (Glema Mahr Center for the Arts), Diane Ernst (The Lange Trust), Teresa Faukhauser (Performing Arts Associates), Audrey Fultz, Anne Olson and Martha Vredenburg (Jackson Concert Series), Cassandra Goski (Young Auditorium), Pat Guttenberg (Council for the Performing Arts), Susan Hall (Northland College), Mary Lehman (College-Community Arts Council), Chris Moore (Springfield Arts Council), Karl & Jeannine Morris (Warren Civic Music Association), Mary Lynn Neuhaus (Loras College), Traci Plamondon (Flint Youth Theatre), Kelly Raymond (The Historic Holmes Theatre), Stuart Secttor (Civic Hall Performing Arts Center), Shana Shallue (Lawrence University), Lisa Shoemaker (State Fair Community College), Allen D. Varner (Indiana State University), Judy Winchester (Southwestern Oklahoma State University), and Randall Wright (George Daily Community Auditorium).

Robert also met Amy Ehrman (Lutcher Theatre) and Jim Guelfi (Bradford Creative Performing Arts), Karen Mondor (Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils), and Rachel Cohen (Cadence).

A special thank you to Charles Henry Bethea (Lied Center in Lincoln, NE) for being such a good mentor, to John Lambert and Patti Hannan Swofford for their work as co-chairs of the conference, and, of course, to David Fraher, Sarah McNally and others too numerous to mention.

The Ebony & Ivory Booth at PAE in Atlanta, Georgia, from September 25-28 was the scene for the meeting of many old friends and the making of new ones. Robert had three very busy and full days, discussing concert timetables with presenters, firming up details on forthcoming appearances of the Duo and introducing Presenters to the uniqueness and universal appeal of Ebony & Ivory.

Visitors to the booth included Pat Alford and Diann Robinson (Ned R. McWherter W. T. Cultural Arts Center), Carol Antman (Creative Spark Fine Arts Center), Patsy Carson and Barbara Arwood (Monroe Area Arts Council - where Ebony & Ivory will be performing in the spring!), Hassell Moores, Becky Belcher, and Ursel Behnken (Emerald Coast Concert Association), Sharon Bevis (Polk Community College), Cynthia Black and Kelli Fisher (Bartlett Performing Arts), Chris Brown (UMASS Lowell Center - just to say "hi!"), Tracie Brown (U of Georgia), Suzanne Sawyer and Cheri Clark (Coffee County), Joanne Cox and Stephanie Pettis (Panama City), Hyla Crane (CT Theatre Foundation - Robert enjoyed a conversation with Hyla at the All-Conference luncheon), Laura de Abruna (Susquehanna U. - Thanks to Laura for her sympathetic understanding of computer woes), Dr. Alan Goldspiel (Louisiana Tech Concert Association - Alan was a member of the state panel that approved the application to bring Ebony & Ivory to Louisiana for their residency beginning in May of 2003), Lori Jenkins and Linda Lokey (Cherokee County Arts Council), Cay Lane and Becky Priest (Montgomery County), Gale Laubach (Museum of Fine Arts), John Loesser (The Lyric Theatre), Jane Lonon (Ashe County Arts Council), Frances McCranie (Polk Theatre), M. Ann McKinney and Sarah Harper (University of West Florida), Jayne McQueen (Mobile Meal Service), Sid McQueen (International Arts Association), Ralph Reel (Flagler Auditorium), Tony Walsh (Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts), Leigh Woodham (Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center), and Coleen Saunders (South Jackson Civic Center). Robert also met Steven Foley (Franklin Opera House), said hello to George Troxler (Elon University - an SAE mentor), and shared a delightful and thought-provoking session on contracts with Randy Presswood (Bloomsburg University - Randy was the negotiating winner!).

Larry Turner, Cynthia McGuinness (and Jacob!), John Talbot and many others have to be congratulated for this convention. The atmosphere was convivial, the details organized superbly and the support offered was all-encompassing, in the great tradition of southern hospitality.

On Thursday, October 31st at 2:30 p.m. in The George Weston Recital Hall at the Toronto Centre for the Arts (formerly The Ford Centre), Ebony & Ivory will present a Showcase at Ontario CONTACT, the annual gathering of Ontario Arts Presenters. This showcase will give Ontario Arts Presenters an opportunity to hear Ebony & Ivory live.

The Showcase will be an exciting glimpse of the virtuosity, versatility and vibrancy of an Ebony & Ivory performance. The Duo will showcase their many instruments, their range of repertoire and their dynamic stage presence. There will be an Ebony & Ivory booth at Ontario CONTACT as well, and Robert Baird looks forward to meeting and greeting Ontario Presenters.