EDITOR'S NOTE: Ironically, this edition of the concert is ALSO being canceled because of inclement weather. We're working with Arts Council OKC to find another rain-check date.

Six diverse figures -- one holding a trumpet and another a guitar -- stand in front of a wall with brick showing through plaster

Latin Mojo Band

This Thursday, we welcome back Arts Council Oklahoma City's Spotlight Concert Series and Latin Mojo Band.

Last fall, we began presenting live concerts – audience safely ensconced in COVID-distanced circles on our North Lawn or streaming online – in partnership with Arts Council OKC. The series, part of the Bright Golden Haze: Reflections project, celebrated the “bright future” of Oklahoma City’s entertainment community with a variety of fun performances.

Reflections was a series of satellite exhibitions, installations and performances tied to Oklahoma Contemporary's inaugural exhibition. The Kirkpatrick Family Fund provided a series of grants to Oklahoma City arts and cultural organizations collaborating on projects tied to Bright Golden Haze, with its theme of light as an artistic medium and inspiration. Grantee organizations could interpret this curatorial framework in any number of ways: Oklahoma City Ballet produced Elemental. Scissortail Park installed Denise Duong and Gabriel Friedman’s The Unexpected Us. SixTwelve built a Garden of Light. Myriad Gardens and artist Nathan Pratt created Fireflies, and eight other projects – including the Arts Council OKC shows – centered around this theme of light.

Figures stand on a balcony overlooking a concert with people sitting in chairs on a green lawn

As you watch the show, you can enjoy a drink, a snack or a meal from Cafe Contemporary on our terrace or on the lawn. Want to reserve a terrace table? Call 405-768-2845.

The Spotlight Concert Series became a bright spot for many mid-pandemic. The biweekly performances offered a chance for the community to safely come together and connect through live music, still a rare treat in the days of physical distance. Attendees reserved socially distanced circles, an 8-foot space for up to four people, scattered across the grass, or watched from the terrace alongside drinks or a meal from Cafe Contemporary.

The surprise October ice storm threw a wrench in the plans for the sold-out penultimate show, featuring the Latin Mojo Band. With winter clearly on the horizon, there was no way to comfortably reschedule the event. So to spring it pushed – and here we are!

This Thursday, Latin Mojo Band finally takes the stage. You won't want to miss the Spanish pop, salsa and new hits interpreted through their fusion of electric guitars, horns, percussion and Latin rhythms. A few four-people circles still remain – you can reserve yours or catch the livestream on on Arts Council OKC’s Facebook and YouTube channel.

Already ready for some CPR (concert-psyching rock)? You can watch an August show from Latin Mojo Band below. Or catch much of the Spotlight Concert Series – Shortt Dogg, Steelwind and Charles Burton Band – in this YouTube playlist from Arts Council OKC.

Bright Golden Haze has come and gone – but we’re excited that one of its Reflections made it all the way to spring. See you Thursday.