COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The annual Smith Memorial Concert at Tibbits Opera House on September 17 will feature KARAMA: An Arab Music & Dance Celebration.
The 7:30 p.m. show will kick off the community-wide Cultivating Community event schedule.
Karama means “generosity”; the name celebrates in the Arabic language and a shared ethic of generosity.
The annual benefit, organized by Diane Smith Pridgeon and her sister Susanne Smith Wise, honors the memories of their family Ruth, Robert, Douglas and Dean Smith. Years ago when their father and two brothers died in a small plane crash, the farming community rallied around the family to help them harvest their fields. The annual musical celebration, as Pridgeon has explained, “is a way for us to give back to the community that loved us back to life…”
Pridgeon continued, “The annual concert has never showcased a dance troupe; I’m thrilled to share this with our area. In addition to offering an evening of entertainment, this is a chance to expand both minds and hearts. Music is a natural medium to show we are more alike than different. Here’s to celebrating our neighbors and friends!”
KARAMA is one of more than two dozen events taking place throughout Branch County and hosted by groups including Branch Intermediate School District, Branch District Library, Hope Café, AIRA, KCC Grahl Center, and Branch Pride to name just a few.
Proceeds from the concert this year will fund future diversity programming including other events in the Cultivating Community schedule.
Tickets for this benefit performance are $20 for adults, $10 for students, and a special rate of $30 for families. All prices include fees.
Tickets are available online at Tibbits.org, at the Tibbits Admin Office at 93 West Chicago Street 9 am to 5 pm weekdays, by calling 517-278-6029, as well as at the performance.
There are no additional fees for ordering online.
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