The Ann Arbor Summer Festival has announced its headlining performances for its 2009 season.  From Motown legends and jazz superstars to Broadway hoofers and Warhol tributes, the new season spans three and a half weeks, from June 12 to July 5, 2009, and offers an eclectic mix of music, dance, comedy, film, and family fun.  Tickets go on sale to the public beginning Monday, April 27 at 9:00 a.m.

Now celebrating its 26th season, the festival’s Mainstage performances features a wide variety of established and emerging artists that include:  chamber trailblazers the Ahn Trio with Aussie duo The Kin; downtown performance artist Neal Medlyn in his one-man tribute to Beyoncé; roots rock favorites Los Lobos with Latin alt-folk group Pistolera; the vintage chic orchestra Pink Martini; tap dance sensation Savion Glover.

Also, global groove-centric Zap Mama with mixologist Qool DJ Marv; the fiery dancers of Tango Connection; soul revivalist Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings; pop-jazz vocalist Diana Krall; the hilarious improv of Whose Live Anyway?; the daredevil acrobatics of Circo Comedia;  acoustic troubadour José González with UK funk-soul diva Alice Russell; indie darlings Dean & Britta with their Andy Warhol film project; Motown legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Gladys Knight; and the return of popular political satirists The Capitol Steps.

The Ann Arbor Summer Festival remains an important cultural destination that continues to present accessible and affordable arts and entertainment experiences to the broadest audience possible.  In addition to tickets priced as low as $10 to some of this year’s indoor shows, the festival continues to grow and expand its admission free outdoor activities and attractions at Top of the Park. 

Program highlights at this year’s festival include:  the launch of Festival Fringe, a alternative performance series presented in partnership with the University of Michigan Museum of Art, which introduces music scene innovators and performance-based artists to the festival lineup; After Dark @ Top of the Park, a series of late-night DJ sessions mixed by local guest artists in the Grove area of the beverage garden; and a special opening weekend engagement with nationally renowned extreme face painting troupe Body Masterpiece, who will transform children and adults into creations of art and spectacle. 

Other notable events include the festival’s opening night celebration, First Friday, which this year takes place on June 12, and includes a colorful community procession into Ingalls Mall followed by a dance party at Top of the Park. 

The closing night festivities of So Long Sunday are scheduled for July 5, and will feature a sing-a-long screening of “The Sound of Music,” complete with a themed costume parade, contests, and plenty of audience participation.

The festival’s Mainstage performances take place in Power Center for the Performing Arts, Hill Auditorium, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art.  The outdoor activities at Top of the Park continue at Ingalls Mall, located directly in front of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies on Washington Street near the Burton Memorial Tower.

For updated information, patrons are encouraged to visit:  www.annarborsummerfestival.org