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The Freeman Stage’s 7th season to include 10 national recording artists

Diverse schedule of classics and contemporaries includes The Beach Boys, Barenaked Ladies, Jennifer Nettles and others
April 9, 2014

The Joshua M. Freeman Foundation has announced that The Freeman Stage at Bayside is set to celebrate its seventh season of bringing arts and entertainment to the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Freeman Stage has attracted more than 160,000 audience members since 2008, with a diverse offering of dance, theater, live music and children’s performances.

Located just four miles from the Atlantic Ocean in Selbyville, the stage has partnered to present over 300 different performing artists, which include both local and national acts. The 2014 season will include over 50 performances between Memorial Day and Labor Day, including 10 national recording artists - double the number offered in the 2013 season. The 10 artists include Bruce Hornsby, July 2; Aaron Neville Duo, July 11; Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, July 12; Wynton Marsalis with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, July 19, Barenaked Ladies, July 23, Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam, July 25; The Beach Boys, July 27; Firefall, Aug. 8; Jennifer Nettles, Aug. 9; and David Nail, Aug. 13.

Combined, performers from the 2014 season have won more than 20 Grammy Awards, and two are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Tickets for all paid performances will go on sale to the general public Monday, April 21, at 10 a.m.

“We have just released our 2014 schedule of events, and we couldn’t be more excited about the mix of classic and contemporary artists that our seventh season will offer to our community,” says Patti Grimes, executive director of the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation. “So many gifted and award-winning artists are scheduled to grace our beautiful stage. We hope that the performances in 2014 will expose new patrons to our diverse offerings and the importance of arts in the community, while continuing to be an inspiration for generations of families to come together for lifelong memories. Because of the generous support of organizations like our Season Sponsors - Sodoka Inc. Charitable Foundation, and Schell Brothers - we are able to offer free admission to 50 percent of our performances. This year, we welcome back the PNC Foundation as a sponsor of our Saturday morning children’s performances. It’s these kind of partnerships that are necessary for the continued success of our mission at The Freeman Stage at Bayside and in our communities.”

Among the performances scheduled this season are such crowd favorites as the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Clear Space Theatre Company, Jesse Garron’s tribute to Elvis, and the First State Ballet Theatre. Also returning in 2014 are the Arts & Jazz Festival; local artist John Donato; Tommy Edward as Sir Rod; tribute band Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles; and Bruce in the USA, whose performance will include special guests in the audience from Operation SEAs the Day - a beach week event held in September for veterans who are recovering from injuries sustained while serving this country. Two nights of Locals Under the Lights, where local artists will have their moment in the spotlight, will also be back in 2014. Performers new to the outdoor stage this summer include Vocal Trash, winner of NBC’s “Phenomenon," Mike Super, Darrah Carr Dance, the Shaun Johnson Big Band, the Hot Club of San Francisco, Grammy Award winner Cristina Pato, and many more.

The Freeman Stage at Bayside will officially kick off the 2014 season on the evening of May 24 with a performance of Rhythmic Circus’ Feet Don’t Fail Me Now!, a family fun event featuring world-class dance and live music. Regular weekly performances at The Freeman Stage will commence June 20 with a performance by the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, which will be joined by The Vallely Brothers Duo, and also approximately 100 students from John M. Clayton Elementary School will take the stage.

The Freeman Stage is a program of the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation, which partners to present memorable performances and provide inspired arts education for all. This program is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant support is also provided by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, the Carl M. Freeman Foundation, the Sussex County Council, and the State of Delaware.

For more information on this season’s events, or to find out how to volunteer at The Freeman Stage, call 302-436-3015 or go to www.freemanstage.org.

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