The Missouri Botanical Garden's Popular Whitaker Music Festival Returns

By Karen Hagenow

St. Louis, MO - It wouldn’t be a summer in St. Louis without music under the stars at the Missouri Botanical Garden! The popular Whitaker Music Festival returns this year with a ten-week lineup of free Wednesday evening outdoor concerts, June 2 through Aug. 4. Music begins at 7:30 p.m., with free Garden admission after 5 p.m. Visit www.mobot.org/events/whitaker for the complete concert schedule.

Now in its 17th year, the concert series continues with the tradition of featuring several jazz artists in the month of June. The series debuts on Wednesday, June 2 with a performance by Denise Thimes, one of St. Louis’ favorite jazz artists. Venerable jazz masters Trio Trés Bien take the stage on June 9, followed by world-class jazz pianist Peter Martin on June 16. Local celebrity and singer-songwriter Javier Mendoza offers his unique blend of English and Spanish pop-rock on June 23, with Dawn and the Electro Funk Assembly serving up eclectic jazz and funk on June 30.

Branching out into other musical genres as the season continues, enjoy high-energy rhythm and blues as performed by the Dogtown Allstars on July 7. The name conveys the sounds of FolknBluesGrass, blending American roots music with a modern feel on July 14. Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Peter Mayer lends his talents to a Beatles tribute by Beyond Abbey Road on July 21. Explore contemporary world music with the Kevin Lucas Orchestra on July 28. The series concludes with a powerhouse blues performance by Gene Dobbs Bradford and the Blues Inquisition on Aug. 4.

Whitaker Music Festival concerts will be held outdoors on the lawn of the Cohen Amphitheater, just west of the Climatron® dome on the grounds of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. The concert series is the only time of year when picnicking is allowed on Garden grounds. Visitors are welcome to bring their own picnic supper, baskets or coolers; no barbecue grills or pets. Picnic fare including brisket sandwiches, hot dogs, cheese and grape plates, sno-cones, chips, cookies, beer, wine and soda are also available for purchase on site. The Garden is a tobacco-free campus; smoking is not allowed anywhere, indoors or outside, and visitors will be asked to extinguish or discard tobacco items. Soliciting is not permitted.

Wednesday evening admission is free after 5 p.m. Music begins at 7:30 p.m. and last entry is at 9 p.m. The Doris I. Schnuck Children’s Garden also remains open late until 7 p.m. on Wednesday evenings, with free admission after 5 p.m.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. in south St. Louis, accessible from Interstate 44 at the Vandeventer exit and from Interstate 64 at the Kingshighway North & South exit. Free parking is available on-site and two blocks west at the corner of Shaw and Vandeventer.

For more information, visit www.mobot.org/events/whitaker or call the recorded hotline at (314) 577-9400. In the event of inclement weather, tune in to WSIE-FM 88.7 for concert updates.
The Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden is funded by the Whitaker Foundation, which supports St. Louis arts and parks to promote common heritage, celebrate diversity, and encourage vitality within the community.

2010 WHITAKER MUSIC FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

June 2 Denise Thimes St. Louis’ jazz diva returns
June 9 Trio Trés Bien Venerable St. Louis jazz masters
June 16 Peter Martin World-class jazz pianist
June 23 Javier Mendoza Bi-lingual pop-rock
June 30 Dawn and the Electro Funk Assembly Eclectic jazz and funk
July 7 Dogtown Allstars Progressive rhythm & blues
July 14 FolknBluesGrass The name says it all
July 21 Beyond Abbey Road Beatles tribute with Peter Mayer
July 28 Kevin Lucas Orchestra Contemporary world music
Aug. 4 Gene Dobbs Bradford A powerhouse blues band
and the Blues Inquisition

The Missouri Botanical Garden’s mission is “to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment, in order to preserve and enrich life.” Today, 151 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science, conservation, education and horticultural display.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. in St. Louis, just south of I-44 at Vandeventer-Kingshighway (exit #287B). Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Dec. 25. Grounds open at 7 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays (exception: special admission rate events). Admission is $8; free children ages 12 and under and Garden members. St. Louis City and County residents are $4 and free Wednesdays and Saturdays until noon (exception: special admission rate events - third weekend of May, Labor Day weekend, and first weekend of October). Park for free on site and two blocks west at the Shaw-Vandeventer intersection. The Garden is easily accessible by taking the MetroLink commuter rail line to the Central West End station and picking up a Metro bus (www.metrostlouis.org). For general information, log on to www.mobot.org or call the 24-hour recording at (314) 577-9400 or 1 (800) 642-8842. For membership information, visit www.mobot.org/membership call (314) 577-5118 during weekday business hours. For volunteer opportunities, visit www.mobot.org/volunteer or call (314) 577-5187. The Missouri Botanical Garden is a tobacco-free environment.

To view Missouri Botanical Garden's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-1032-Missouri_Botanical_Garden