George Daily releases 2023-24 professional touring schedule

Jun. 29—OSKALOOSA — The George Daily Community Auditorium is announcing a 2023-24 professional touring season jam-packed with diverse musical groups from across the globe.

From traditional Ghanaian songs to a "musical TEDtalk" about some of the modern music scene's biggest hits, there's a little something for everyone coming to the George Daily this season.

"We are really looking forward to this season with the professional touring shows that come through the George Daily auditorium," says Allison McGuire, an employee at the auditorium. "One of the things that I think is really fun about this season is that there's a real focus on music and community life and nature, and those are just part of the rhythm of everyone's lives."

McGuire says she's particularly excited to share the season's opening and closing shows with the community, both of which highlight agriculture with a twist.

"Our opening and closing shows for the year just happened to feature people who make their livelihoods through agriculture, but in the ocean, which in one sense is very different than our life in Iowa," she says. But on the other hand, there are a lot of similarities just in what that is about, you know, organizing your life around the rhythm of the season and of the harvest."

The season will kick off with a visit from Oskaloosa's latest artist-in-residence through World Fest, a program that allows international artists to spend about a week at a time performing and engaging with smaller communities like Oskaloosa.

Oskaloosa kicked off its partnership with World Fest in September 2022 with a visit from Finnish electro-folk group Okra Playground. In February of this year, the community enjoyed a week of events with Pamyua, an Inuit soul group. To kick off the 2023-24 professional touring season, Oskaloosa will be welcoming Okaidja Afroso, all the way from Ghana, from Oct. 23-27.

Located on Africa's east coast, Ghana enjoys a rich tradition of fishing in the Atlantic ocean. Afroso was born into a family of musicians and storytellers. Growing up, he worked on fishing boats and learned "the songs of the great sea" from the fishermen while they worked. He feels a deep connection with the African diaspora. Afroso's music "explores the perseverance of ancestral traditions and creates a new, contemporary African oral tradition."

More details will be released about Afroso's performance schedule as October nears.

On Nov. 15, George Daily will host Jimmy Ryan for his musical TEDtalk, "The Heroes Behind the Hits: Music and Tales from the Legends of Rock & Roll." A guitarist, Ryan will show his audience how music sensations like Paul McCartney, Carly Simon and Elton John take raw songs and spin them into world-famous hits.

In January 2024, the Missoula Children's Theater will be coming back to town and holding auditions for local youth to perform "Jack and the Beanstalk." Auditions will be held Jan. 8 from 4-6 p.m. Performances will be on Jan. 13 at 3 and 7 p.m.

In February 2024, the George Daily will host another World Fest artist who is yet to be announced before enjoying a performance of the musical "Forever Young," as seen in Branson, Missouri. The musical is set to perform at the George Daily on March 12 at 7 p.m.

Rounding out the season will be "The Pa'akai We Bring," an original play performed by the Honolulu Theater for Youth, which traces the story of a multi-generational family of salt farmers on the Hawaiian island Kauai.

The show boasts a mixture of "ancient stories, hula, live music, original songs, and plenty of audience participation into a tasty potluck performance joyously served with aloha."

The word pa'akai means salt in native Hawaiian. According to Hawaiian tradition, pa'akai can function as food, medicine, a sacrament or a treasured gift. The performance "introduces audience members, young and old, to the Native Hawaiian relationship to pa'akai and invites everyone to have a restorative experience together."

"The Pa'akai We Bring" will show on April 2, 2024 at 7 p.m.

Channing Rucks can be reached at crucks@oskyherald.com.