Firehouse Arts Center To Present Bill Harley

Press release from the Firehouse Arts Center:

April 6 2021

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Firehouse Arts Center presents acclaimed storyteller, Bill Harley for a virtual performance of his songs and stories. Harley is a two-time Grammy winner and recipient of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award.

The concert, dubbed School!?#!?! will stream live on Fri, April 9 at 4pm (PST). Tickets may be purchased through Firehousearts.org. Tickets are $20 each. In this family-friendly show, Harley explores how some things never change—one of which being the attempt to teach children in large institutional settings. Mayhem is inevitable, and nobody presents it better than Harley in his stories and songs. Harley will perform some old favorites, as well as brand-new stories and songs.

In his over 45 years of performing and 30 years of recording, Bill Harley’s songs and stories have brought smiles to audiences around the world. When he is not touring or performing virtual shows, Bill is writing. He is an award-winning author of children’s picture books as well as a series of children’s fiction about the trials and tribulations of fourth grader Charlie Bumpers. Two of the books have been adapted for live theatrical production!

Over the years, Harley’s work has taken many forms. Bill has shared the stage with the likes of Sting, Pete Seeger and numerous elementary school choirs. In 2013, he was commissioned to write an opera with composer Paul Phillips for the North Cambridge Family Opera Company, based on one of his stories. And for 20 years he was a regular commentator on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Whatever his forum, Harley’s work is always about story, community and connection.

The Firehouse Arts Center is owned and operated by the City of Pleasanton, and dedicated to inspiring passion through the arts. The center is comprised of the 227-seat Firehouse Theater, the 2000 square foot Harrington Gallery, classrooms and rehearsal space, the grand atrium lobby, and the famous interior glass bridge. With world-class performing and visual arts, exciting interactive programs for all ages, and a state-of-the-art venue which opened in 2010, we combine the sophistication of the culturally rich Bay Area arts landscape with the hospitality and intimacy of our own hometown. The Firehouse Arts Center is located at 4444 Railroad Avenue in downtown Pleasanton.

This press release was produced by the Firehouse Arts Center. The views expressed here are the author’s own.