Community Outreach Grant

The best way to give somebody a love and appreciation of their culture is to start ‘em out when they’re young. Hosted by Sean McCollough, Kidstuff on WDVX is a show full of great music that kids and kids at heart will love.  Most Saturdays the show is a mix of recorded and live music from inside the WDVX studio, but Sean hosts a special live performance edition every 2nd Saturday of the month that is free & open to the public!  Click here for upcoming performance schedule. Singalongs, percussion, movement, and general chaos is the name of the game! Past performers include Jim Gill, Farmer Jason, Lunch Money, Four Leaf Peat, Miss Lynn and many others.

Billy Jonas believes that creating a bright future starts with singing along. Using homemade and re-cyclable “re-percussion” instruments, songs that celebrate community, as well as personal and planetary ecology, his all-ages think-outside-the-box performances occur at festivals, theaters, churches, and synagogues, schools, colleges, universities, and libraries around the country. Billy’s goal is to plant musical seeds that will help grow creative, open-minded, engaged, and open-hearted citizens of the world. 

Some ask: “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” Billy Jonas asks: “What is the sound of 600 sets of keys jingling on the downbeat? and how shall we inspire the audience to do it?” For over thirty-five years, Billy Jonas; performer, singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and educator has perfected the art of the neo-tribal hootenanny around the globe; original songs performed with a generous dose of audience participation. Jonas performs solo or with his band, using voice, guitar, and ‘industrial re-percussion’ – homemade creations of buckets and barrels, keys and cans, bells, and body percussion. Each concert is a soul-spelunking, heart-healing, joy-filled journey of spirited music that is accessible to anyone and everyone, regardless of age or cultural background.

Music from El Rio de la Plata offers a blend between tradition and innovation which has been the main aesthetic focus of the Ensemble. The Variego3+ include Jorge Variego (clarinets and compositions) Taber Gable (piano), Matías Pedrana (bandoneón) and Rob Linton (bass). This concert is a collaboration with the Knoxville Chamber Music Society.

“… what I love the most about this album is the incredible variety of textures and organic sounds within. The ensemble has a warm, roomy tone which reminds me of old jazz records. On the other hand, the band is not afraid to experiment with distortion effects, li-fi dynamics and many other elements adding a grittier character to the mix. The sheer variety of sounds and influences in this release is also quite fantastic, giving the tracks a unique and memorable feel that truly stands out.”- Stacey Zering INK19

“…the Domino Ensemble’s debut album is an intriguing journey filled with contrasts and surprising shifts. The performers are all seasoned veterans who collaborate with ease and instinctively cross genres to form a style which is distinctly their own. Purple Ego is released by Centaur Records and is available on Spotify, Apple Music and from all major music retailers.” – Zachary Dierick – The Clarinet

“A great disc [Recompensa], and a treat for all jazz lovers. The range of styles is large; all three players are superb in their own right and even better together as one entity. A Want List candidate, for sure. […] five stars: A great disc, and a treat for all jazz lovers.” Colin Clarke – Fanfare

Are you a Knox County non-profit organization that would like to apply for the Bijou Community Outreach Grant in 2025? Join our mailing list to find out when the next grant application is available.