Amythyst Kiah is a powerful new voice with Appalachian roots. The Pro-Art Association welcomes the Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter in partnership with UVA Wise and the Appalachian African-American Cultural Center for the W. Campbell Edmonds Concert Series. Kiah will perform on Saturday, November 6th at 7:30 PM in the Lakeview Room of the Convocation Center at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise. Amythyst Kiah’s unforgettable voice earned national attention with her Grammy nominated hit “Black Myself,” which also won Song of the Year at the 2019 Folk Alliance International Awards.
Kiah is a graduate of ETSU's Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Studies program in the Department of Appalachian Studies. “I stumbled into Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies out of sheer curiosity. I’ve always been a very curious person and fortunately it has usually rewarded me as opposed to getting me into trouble. My creativity has always been a bit scattered and sporadic and learning about the cultural history helped give me some structure and a sense of identity and purpose. That program really whipped me into shape to develop a sense of discipline, and I’m so grateful for it.”
“I’m interested in experimenting with different sounds and instrumentation and continuing to push my creative boundaries. I’ve always been an alternative kid at heart, and I want to embrace that,” she said in an August interview with Bristol’s A! Magazine. Kiah’s music seamlessly fuses her own take on Appalachian tradition with roots and alternative music to create a style that is uniquely her own. She characterizes this blend as a “mix of roots and alternative. There’s always going to be a roots music element. The concept was to reconcile my alternative background with my roots background. I compartmentalized those things for so long, and I realized I don’t have to do that. It’s all interconnected anyway with roots being the foundation of all American music. It’s not that big a stretch, it’s just a matter of exploring the sounds and seeing how to connect everything.”
Tickets for this event are on sale now. General admission tickets are $15 and all students are free to attend. Pro-Art season tickets will be honored for this performance. Due to limited venue capacity, students and season ticket holders are encouraged to make ticket reservations ahead of the event. Interested patrons can purchase tickets and make reservations at proartva.org/amythyst-kiah.
A season ticket to 20+ shows can be purchased for $40 – less than $3 per show. Season tickets can be purchased at www.proartva.org, in person at any show, or by calling 276-376-4520. Please note that masks are currently required on the UVA Wise campus. To help reduce the spread of Covid-19, Pro-Art requests patrons to wear a mask for the duration of the performance.
Pro-Art partners with a variety of venues, therefore individuals with mobility issues are encouraged to call or email the Pro-Art office to make arrangements for parking. For evolving conditions related to the global pandemic, inclement weather, or similar unforeseen circumstances, patrons are encouraged to visit proartva.org or call 276-376-4520 for up-to-date information.
Pro-Art’s mission is to promote the arts and expand accessibility to cultural experiences for residents and students in Wise, Lee, and Dickenson Counties and the City of Norton. For more information about planned performances, please visit proartva.org. You can find the Pro-Art Association on social media @ProArtVA.
Pro-Art is supported in part by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the Slemp Foundation, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, and Mountain Empire Community College. If you have any questions, please visit proartva.org, call the office at (276) 376-4520, or send an email to pro-art@uvawise.edu.