North Dakota Museum of Art hosts concerts on the Coulee Sept. 3 and 4
The North Dakota Museum of Art will host their first-ever Concerts on the Coulee on September 3 – 4, 2021.
Due to construction surrounding the Museum the usual Tuesday evening Concerts in the Garden could not happen. In its place, the Museum organized Concerts on the Coulee, a condensed two-day event.
There will be two opening bands each evening with one nationally touring headliner. Food trucks will provide a wide selection of food, while Judy’s Tavern will provide a cash bar. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and take a place along the bank of the Coulee or enjoy the standing room in front of the stage.
The festival will take place west of the Museum across the English Coulee between the Museum and the Hughes Fine Arts Center. Guests can enter the grounds by parking in the Hughes Fine Arts Center and taking the sidewalk on the south side of the building near the Chester Fritz Auditorium, or by parking west of the Burtness Theatre, or in front of the Museum and taking the bridge by the Celebration wall.
Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for single day, or $35 for a two-day pass. UND students (with I.D) and children 12 years and younger are admitted free of charge. Tickets available at NDMOA.com or at the gate.
Friday, Sept. 3: Morgan Wade with special guests Mandalynne and David Allen
Morgan Wade (Virginia) has never sounded like anybody else, and for a long time, she thought that meant her songs were just for her. “Honestly, I think that was really good for me,” she says. “It made me think, ‘Alright, well, I’m not going to sing for anybody else––but I’m singing for myself.’” Produced by Sadler Vaden––Jason Isbell’s longtime guitarist and an acclaimed solo artist in his own right––Wade’s full-length debut Reckless is a confident rock-and-roll record that introduces a young singer-songwriter who is embracing her strengths and quirks as she continues to ask questions about who she is––and who she wants to be. Her voice, a raspy soprano that can soothe liltingly or growl, is on brilliant display. “I feel like the last couple of years have been me trying to figure out where I fit in, who I fit in with, and what’s going on,” Wade says. “I’m almost four years sober, so a lot of the friends I had, I don’t really hang out with anymore. When I wrote these songs, I was going through a lot, just trying to figure out who I am.”
Saturday, Sept. 4: William Elliott Whitmore with special guests Kwaician and The Sardine Brothers
William Elliott Whitmore (Iowa) has played the North Dakota Museum of Art’s Concerts in the Garden many times. Whitmore is an American Blues musician from Lee County, Iowa. He has been building a reputation as an absolutely stirring live performer able to convert crowds with just his banjo and voice. Creative Loafing stated, “Whitmore writes songs as honest as Abe Lincoln, takes to the road to share these songs with rooms full of people who’ve likely never heard of them, and turns these strangers into fanatics nightly,” while the Seattle Times offered, “You hear the diesel engine growl of his voice, the century of blues and folk tradition behind his banjo-driven stomps, the everyday relevance of his lyrics, and you succumb.”
Need to know:
- No outside food or drinks allowed
- Smoking is not permitted on campus
- Tickets are non-refundable
- No coolers allowed
- All concerts are rain or shine, but will be canceled if conditions do not allow for an outdoor performance
- Free parking provided, courtesy of the museum
Concerts on the Coulee is sponsored by the following:
- Underwriter – Grand Forks Subaru and Kia
- Premium Sponsors – HB Sound and Light, and UND Student Affairs and Diversity
- Supporting – Botsford Family Foundation, Prairie Public, UND Alumni Association and Foundation
For more information call 701-777-4195 or visit ndmoa.com.
