Published: January 16, 2009 06:26 pm      

Southeastern Bluegrass Association chapter coming to Calhoun, Dalton players wanted

Submitted by the Harris Arts Center

The Southeastern Bluegrass Association (SEBA) board of directors has approved a new chapter in Calhoun.

“We are looking to attract pickers from Dalton, Sugar Valley, Chatsworth, Fairmount, Rome, Kingston and Adairsville as well as other surrounding communities,” said future vice president Steve Dyrda. “It seems like a very logical spot to open up a new SEBA chapter.”

The Harris Arts Center will be the venue for SEBA’s jams. It includes music classrooms, meeting facilities, the Roland Hayes Museum and the 220-seat Ratner Theater. There are plenty of breakout rooms for smaller jamming circles and a large community room that will be used as the main jamming room and where all chapter meetings will be held.

Ricardo Morris, director of the Harris Arts Center, shared a vision of how SEBA, through its affiliation with the Harris Arts Center, can help foster a better relationship with the local communities and attract new visitors to the Arts Center. Plans may be made to hold an annual concert featuring SEBA bands with the idea of one day growing the event into an all-day (or possibly all-weekend) festival.

Ken Hamilton of Dalton, a fellow banjo picker and close friend of Dyrda’s, is also on the leadership team and will act as co-vice president. They hope to provide opportunities for new musicians to grow and develop by offering dedicated space for slow jamming as well as workshops and one-on-one instruction.

SEBA Calhoun meetings and jams are scheduled for the second Sunday of each month from 2 to 5 p.m. Look for more information about the new chapter to be posted on the SEBA Web site (www.sebabluegrass.org/) soon.