The FREE festival to take place Wednesday, June 12 at Myriad Botanical Gardens in downtown Oklahoma City with an appearance also from Mayor David Holt!
“Kyle Dillingham has a remarkable heart for people, especially the people of Oklahoma City”- Mayor David Holt of Oklahoma City
– Mayor David Holt
This blog post comes from a release from 2911 Media in Nashville.
Americana music maestro Kyle Dillingham, known to many as Oklahoma’s Official Musical Ambassador, is once again earning his right to be referred to as such. The globe-trotting, fiddling maestro from Enid has announced his co-founding and launching of a FREE charitable music concert and festival in honor of the homeless on June 12, 6-9 pm at Myriad Botanical Gardens in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Spawned by a fortuitous Valentine’s Day encounter between Dillingham and Eddie Monarch, a homeless man in Oklahoma City, the festival is aptly named ‘Reddened Monarch Music Festival – Honoring OKC’s Homeless.’ The meeting left Dillingham inspired by Monarch’s idea of creating a music festival for the homeless, so he is making it a reality.
“Eddie told me, ‘You could put on a big concert downtown for all the homeless in OKC, and everyone else could come too. Then we would all be down there enjoying the music together,’ Dillingham commented on his encounter with Eddie Monarch. “That thought gave me chills, and I knew we had to do this. As Eddie walked away that day, he turned back around and said to me, ‘you know Kyle, you and I, we are already friends.’”
Once Dillingham began to pitch the idea of the festival’s creation, he quickly gained the support from Oklahoma City’s Mayor David Holt, whose office just recently announced the formation of the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness, charged with developing a new unified vision for OKC as it relates to this important issue.
“Kyle Dillingham has a remarkable heart for people, especially the people of Oklahoma City,” said Mayor David Holt of Oklahoma City. “I am grateful for his vision in working with Eddie Monarch to launch this special new event. I’m very supportive of the Reddened Monarch Music Festival and I’m excited for the support and awareness this will provide to the issue of homelessness in our community.”
Also stepping up to help make Reddened Monarch a reality is local music, marketing and event organization OKSessions, and community outreach organization the 405 Center, who together have helped secure additional talent for the festival’s diverse concert lineup. The Homeless Alliance, City Care and Frontline Church are also helping with the planning and preparation of the festival.
Festival co-founder Kyle Dillingham along with Horseshoe Road band-mates Peter Markes and Brent Saulsbury, will headline the concert, with additional support from Will Carl Gaines, The Odds, Jabee, and Jynxx. The 405 Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit community outreach organization, will serve as the festival’s primary beneficiary for donations, although admission to the family-friendly festival is FREE. Donations may be made via the Clover Give App.
A plated dinner will be served to all the homeless by volunteers, and food truck vendors will be on site for the general public.
“For me there is before June 12th when we have nothing in common with our friends living outside; but after June 12th, we will all have this shared experience that I hope can somehow bring us closer together,” said Dillingham. “Only music can do that!”
- What: Reddened Monarch Music Festival: A Music Festival honoring OKC’s Homeless
- Who: Kyle Dillingham with Will Carl Gaines, The Odds, Jabee, and Jynxx. Plus, words from OKC Mayor David Holt.
- When: Wednesday, June 12th, 6:00 – 9:00 pm CT
- Where: Myriad Botanical Gardens (301 W. Reno Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73102)
- Why: A benefit concert for the homeless, to bring about understanding and change for homelessness in Oklahoma City.
Event lineup:
6:00 – Will Carl Gains Band
6:30 – Mayor David Holt of Oklahoma City
6:45 – The Odds
7:15 – Jabee
7:45 – Kyle Dillingham & Horseshoe Road
8:30 – Jynxx
More information is available online at OkSessions.com/redmonarch or at the Facebook event page.
Dillingham recently returned from Kuwait and the Republic of Kosovo as part of the 2018-2019 American Music Abroad tour. Dillingham, along with bandmates Peter Markes (guitar) and Brent Saulsbury (bass), were selected from a pool of over 300 artists across the United States, and were one of only 15 participants in the annual program. The AMA tour raises Dillingham’s total number of international countries he’s performed in to 40. The program was organized by The Association of American Voices, and sponsored by The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
“So much incredible programming by the two US Embassies on this tour,” said Dillingham. “We had a lot of interaction with young people, and we found ourselves often saying, ‘This is the kind of day that I would give up a day of my life and travel halfway around the world for.’”
Kyle Dillingham Events:
MAY 25 – Paseo Arts Festival at Paseo Arts District / Oklahoma City, Okla.
JUN 04 – Swamp House Tulsa / Tulsa, Okla.
JUN 05 – Tulsa Performing Arts Center / Tulsa, Okla.
JUN 12 – Reddened Monarch Music Festival @ Myriad Botanical Gardens / Oklahoma City, Okla.
JUN 18 – Healthy Living OKC / Oklahoma City, Okla.
JUL 18 – UCO Jazz Lab / Edmond, Okla.
About Kyle Dillingham
Kyle Dillingham picked up the violin when he was nine, and eight years later, he gave two featured performances at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Kyle is now managed by legendary impresario, Jim Halsey, who has guided the careers of many great performers including Roy Clark, The Oak Ridge Boys and James Brown. Between Dillingham’s touching songwriting, classic covers and fiddlin’ favorites, he is sure to have audiences on their feet. Dillingham has represented America internationally in 40 countries, and is the youngest ever recipient of the distinguished Oklahoma Governor’s Arts Award, thus earning him the title of “Oklahoma’s Musical Ambassador.” He’s also performed for many governmental leaders including the Japanese, Thai and Saudi Arabian Ambassadors to the United States. Through his musical diplomacy, Dillingham has serenaded the King of Malaysia, the Princess of Thailand, and performed during Singapore’s National Day Celebration. His performance at the Beijing Central Conservatory was broadcast on Chinese national television.
Dillingham has also been a soloist with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, the Amici New York Orchestra, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Enid Symphony Orchestra, the Oklahoma City University Orchestra, the UCO Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, and the Oklahoma Community Orchestra.
To learn more, visithttp://oksessions.com/redmonarch/
