PERFORMERS
GRAHAM COLTON
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Graham is a singer-songwriter from Oklahoma City. His music has been featured on television shows including American Idol, Pretty Little Liars, Oprah’s Big Give and many others. His most recent album, Lonely Ones, was released on January 21, 2014. |
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CAMPBELL WALKER FIELDS
Campbell
Walker Fields is an 8th grade vocal major at Classen School of Adanced
Studies.
His professional/collegiate performance highlights include Foo
(Lost Boy) in the world-premiere Dallas Theatre Center production of the
new musical “FLY,” Artful Dodger in ”OLIVER!” with Lyric Theatre of
Oklahoma and JoJo in “Seussical the Musical” at the University of
Oklahoma. Other favorite roles are Jack in ”Into The Woods” and Rum Tug
Tugger in “CATS.”
He has been featured in the OKC Philharmonic’s ‘The
Christmas Show’ and is regularly invited to perform at special events
and galas.
Commercial work includes the feature film “Home Run” and
commercials for SandRidge. He is a National Anthem favorite with Thunder
audiences and is a starting Center for the Classen SAS Middle School
Comets.
HORSE THIEF
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Horse Thief is a rock band based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This
youthful band is a purveyor of a panoramic yet nuanced sound, flowing
from intimate to anthemic, the mood from vibrant to contemplative, with
frontman Cameron Neal’s lyrics ranging from confessional to
metaphorical. The result evokes the wide-open spaces of America’s
midwest but infuses the sense of grit and wonderment with edgier
emotions. Horse Thief was originally founded in Denton, Texas. The members moved to Oklahoma City to attend the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma, from which they recently graduated. The band subsequently signed with the Flaming Lips’ management and soon came to the attention of Bella Union. Though Fear In Bliss was conceived at Horse Thief’s Oklahoma headquarters, the band decided to record the album in Los Angeles, “to leave our comfort zone of Oklahoma,” |
| with producer Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Vetiver) helping the band fuse their renowned stage performance with studio quality. Horse Thief’s new album “Fear in Bliss” is available now worldwide via Bella Union. | |
SAM KAHRE
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Sam Kahre began playing the cello at age seven and studied with Edward Tillery for seven years. After only a few months of lessons he wanted to play on the corner at the Paseo Art Festival. Nine years later he's been on that same corner every Memorial Day weekend! At age 14 he received a Mark Wood six-string fretted Cobra Electric cello for his birthday. He began studying with Tomasz Zieba (cello professor at OCU) that same year. Zieba was very excited to help him navigate this unusual instrument. Mark Wood, co-founder of the TranSiberian Orchestra, flew Sam and nine other protégés to Salt Lake City to join him onstage in November of 2013 to play for the MuzArt World Foundation’s "We Are Hope" concert in front of an audience of 22,000 people. Kahre has also performed for groups including the Oklahoma City Thunder, Art Moves, Governor’s Mansion, Oklahoma State Capital, and the Festival of the Arts. He loves archery and tennis but spends most of his time teaching himself songs he hears on the radio or requests from friends. |
ROB LAKE
Rob
Lake’s grand illusions have been witnessed by millions of people on
network television, in Times Square, on the Las Vegas strip, in Atlantic
City and before sold-out audiences in casinos, arenas, and theatres
worldwide.
Named
“The Top Illusionist in the World” by Caesars Entertainment, the
world’s largest gaming organization, Rob Lake is internationally
renowned for his mesmerizing and award-winning illusion spectacular.
In
2008, Rob became the youngest magician in history to receive the
prestigious Merlin Award – as International Stage Magician of the Year.
This award is considered magic’s highest honor, the industry equivalent
of the Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony.
In addition to performing, Rob
has served as magic consultant for network television series, films, and
has created illusions for today’s most famous magicians. Rob’s magical
effects can be seen in numerous theatrical productions across the globe
including the smash hit musical The Phantom of the Opera and in over 700
productions of Disney’s Beauty & the Beast.
Audiences worldwide
are captivated by Rob Lake’s incredible illusions, uniquely presented as
awe-inspiring story-telling on the grandest scale.
BEN MUGISHA
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Ben Mugisha was born on January 9, 1987 in Kampala,
Uganda. In 2008, Ben became Rwanda's first music superstar with his breakout
rhythm and blues hit Amaso Ku Maso.
After that auspicious beginning, his reputation has grown with a series of award
winning R&B songs and albums. |
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An invitation to perform at the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa further burnished his celebrity status and the trajectory of his music career continued to rise as one new hit replaced another. He was recognized as Best R&B Singer of the Year at the prestigious Salax Music Awards in 2008-2009. In 2009-2010 he again received the award for Best R&B Singer of the Year as well as the country's top music prize, Best Male Artist in 2010-2011. Ben received a Salax Award for Song of the Year.
After moving to the United States in 2010, he collaborated with Detroit based Mike-E Ellison, hip hop and spoken word recording artist, on yet another #1 hit in Rwanda, Turikumwe. Working with PressOne Entertainment, he has produced two new music videos: I'm in Love and the Rwandan gospel favorite, Nzarimba Igitangaza.
The popularity of I'm in Love, released in October 2012, led to the creation of a new music category at the 2012 Salax Music Award Presentations in Rwanda. Ben is the first ever recipient of the Award for Best Music Artist in the Diaspora. PressOne is thrilled to have Ben onboard. Ben is in his second year pursuing a degree in Public Health. He recently received a privileged invitation to perform his latest song I Can See at the United Nations Headquarters and many additional humanitarian events. |
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JAMES NAVE
| Over the past twenty-five years, James Navé’s work as an arts entrepreneur has enriched his creativity as a poet, writer, public speaker, radio talent, facilitator, creativity coach, events director, producer, and language arts educator. He holds an MFA in Poetry and a BA in International Relations. His poetry has been published in two volumes and in many national and international journals. |
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As a pioneer of the spoken word poetry movement, he has performed classic and original poems as stories for over twenty-five years. He cofounded Poetry Alive!, a theater company that has performed poetry for over ten million students (K-12) around the globe. He is the director of The Taos Poetry Festival and Slammaster of The LEAF Poetry Slam, one of the longest running Poetry Slams in the country. He has memorized over 600 poems and performed on all continents save Australia and Antarctica. His role in the creativity renaissance expanded when he cofounded The Artist’s Way Creativity Camp with Julia Cameron. So began two decades of hosting, producing, and facilitating creativity workshops, seminars, events, talks, and conferences, including most recently TEDxNewYork Salons. He hosts an annual Imaginative Storm Writing Salon in Taos based on the creative principles of safety, identity, possibility, and autonomy. |
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| He has worked with many corporate and non-profit groups including Creative Oklahoma’s annual Creativity World Forum, New York Open Center, University of Oklahoma Leadership Scholar Program, North Carolina Outward Bound School, Adidas, Ogilvy, Gettliffe Architecture, Timex, The Huston School of Film and Digital Media at the National University of Ireland, Telluride Mountain Film Festival, LKB Coaching in Paris, DevlinPix Films, LEAF Festival, and International Schools in Bangkok, Dakar, Nouakchott, Yaoundé, Accra, Nice, Paris, Brussels, Lima, La Paz, and Prague. He appreciates jazz, films, conversations with good friends, poetry, and colorful birds like the swallow-tailed catcher and the painted bunting. |
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PANDEMIC
Santa Fe South High School Steel Drum Band
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Starting in 2008 with three students, Director of Bands Scott Filleman has grown the steel drum band program at Santa Fe South High School to 33 students with over 100 on a waiting list. Membership in Pandemic is based on exceptional character, academic performance, and prior community involvement. No music skills are necessary to join the ensemble. Mr. Filleman teaches musicianship using the students' intrinsic work ethic and positive attitudes to attack a challenging curriculum in a light-hearted, energetic and fun classroom environment. Pandemic performs on an average of 25 occasions throughout Oklahoma every school year. Notable performances have included half-time at the 2014 Allstate Sugar Bowl, New Year's Eve celebration in Jackson Square (New Orleans, LA), the Oklahoma City municipal Fourth of July celebration, events for Governor Mary Fallin, events for the Oklahoma City Kids Foundation, the Oklahoma A+ Schools Network statewide educator conference, KCSC 90.1 FM Radio, and season |
| opening games for the Oklahoma City Dodgers (and formerly, Oklahoma City
Redhawks). In competition, Pandemic has earned consecutive superior ratings since attending its first competition in the Oklahoma, Missouri, and Louisiana region. While in New Orleans, Pandemic competed in a national marching band competition and won third place overall and took the Outstanding General Effect caption, despite not actually being a marching band. Beyond high school, every senior from the steel band program has entered college on an academically-based scholarship. Pandemic alumni have gone on to obtain degrees in the fields of chemical engineering (MIT), equestrian veterinarian science, endocrinology, forensic science, education, civil engineering, physical therapy, accounting, and represent every branch of our nation's military. Mr. Filleman began playing steelpan at the age of nine. He has served Santa Fe South Schools as its Director of Bands since 2007 and holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Oklahoma Christian University (where he was named a Distinguished Alumni in 2012), and a Master of Education degree from the University of Central Oklahoma. He and his beautiful wife of 12 years reside between Edmond and Guthrie and homeschool their four incredible children. |
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MADDOX ROSS
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11-year-old Maddox Ross was born a performer. He has been
performing with a live band since the age of five. In a very short
time, the Oklahoma-bred talent has developed a following in the
Heartland. He won his first karaoke contest at the age of four and
fell in love with the stage. Maddox is now a regular at the Rodeo Opry & McSwain Theatre and also stars in the Opry Heritage Concert Series, which is a unique field trip for schools. Maddox has been a member of the Country Music Singers Association and American Kids. He has performed for many charities such as Christmas in August, which offers an early Christmas celebration for the terminally ill and Toby Keith’s OK Kids Korral, which provides a home away from home for pediatric cancer patients and their families. Maddox also enjoys sharing his love for music with nursing homes & assisted living centers as well. |
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made his TV debut on KSBI’s Rodeo Opry show that is now broadcasting in
Oklahoma. He also made the top 20 of America’s Got Talent Youtube
contest. Maddox keeps busy performing across Oklahoma, Texas, Branson
& Nashville. He recently finished recording his second studio album
and shooting his first official music video. Highlights of the recent past include sharing a stage with Wanda Jackson, Bryan White, Ty England & Neil McCoy. Another highlight was being chosen to perform at Blake Shelton’s album release party in 2014. Maddox is a typical 11-year old boy when he’s off stage. He loves playing his fiddle, guitar, playing golf and watching super hero movies. Maddox is having a blast entertaining fans and his dream is to perform with Garth Brooks one day! | |
RUBBER BOOT BOYS
| The Rubber Boot Boys are a collaboration comprised of four musicians hand-picked for this very event. All four of these talented gentlemen are part of several other acts in the Oklahoma City area from bluegrass, to jazz swing, and even indie rock. The Rubber Boot Boys serve as what could be referred to as a "local supergroup" ready to tackle any music endeavor put in front of them. Clinton Avery Tharp (vocals, guitar) David Bruster (upright bass) Jake Simpson (fiddle) Sam Hochenauer (banjo) |  |
STEPHEN SALEWON
| Stephen Salewon is a singer/songwriter. He grew up in Lagos, Nigeria with his admiration for music starting at the age of 10, which was enhanced by talented musicians his father was acquainted with. His family eventually made a life-changing transition that would relocate him to Oklahoma City. Due to influences from his African roots, Red Dirt Music and the likes of Jack Johnson, Mumford and Sons, and Coldplay, his music has transformed into a unique character of its own; sugar-coated with a soulful and festive ambiance, which he considers indie pop-blues. His lyrics are the transcripts of his personal journey, which proclaims the innate desires of the heart. |  |
