DOWAGIAC — The city’s largest celebration of the fine arts will return later this year, with a greater emphasis on delivering a feast for the ears.

Organizers of the 2018 Dogwood Fine Arts Festival unveiled this year’s featured artists during an announcement party hosted at Round Oak Revisited Friday evening. The lineup for the upcoming festival, which will be from May 3 to 19, includes four bands and musicians, with genres from classical to country music.

This year’s lineup will also include several Dogwood traditions, including an author lecture, delivered this year by psychological suspense author Karen Dionne, as well as a visit from a nationally-acclaimed storyteller, with year’s performance by Ed Stivender.

Preorders for tickets are now available by calling (269) 782-1115 or visiting dogwoodfinearts.org.

This year’s lineup of events includes:

Starfish Circus

7:30 p.m., May 3 and 4

Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center

Tickets: $10 for adults, $5 for students

One of the most unique events in the festival’s history will return for an encore performance later this year.

Dowagiac students are, once again, invited to “run away with the circus” when the cirque artists of the Kalamazoo’s Aerial Angels come to town. The group first performed for Dogwood audiences in 2016, when 55 children and teenagers learned to do tricks and stunts to wow friends and families in the audience.

Dowagiac kindergarten through high school students who sign up to participate will meet the angels beginning April 21 to begin rehearsals for the show

Two weeks of rehearsal will culminate with a student production of the Starfish Circus, with performances on Thursday, May 3, and Friday, May 4. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, come to the circus and see the kids tumble, juggle and fly.

Fischoff Soirees

7:30 p.m. May 10 and 11

Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce office (May 10) and Dowagiac Area History Museum (May 11)

Tickets: $18 (limited number)

Festival goers will be invited to enjoy some classical chamber music while surrounded by years of Dowagiac history during a number of limited engagement parties Thursday, May 10, and Friday, May 11.

People enjoy music produced by a Quarter Finalist Ensemble of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition during the soirees, the first of which will be inside the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce office in the downtown train depot, and the second inside the Dowagiac Area History Museum.

Each concert will be followed by a brief question and answer period with light refreshments. A different ensemble will perform at each location, so people may choose to visit one or visit both.

Klassics for Kids

May 10

Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center

Not open to the public

The SMC Jazz Ensemble and Select Voices Choir will perform for local students during a special free concert at the Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center Thursday, May 10.

Sweet Tea Trio

7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 12

Dowagiac Middle School Performing Arts Center

Tickets: starting at $20

Rising country group Sweet Tea Trio will bring their sound and harmonies to the Dowagiac Performing Arts Center Saturday, May 12.

The trio — Victoria Camp, Savannah Coker and Kate Falcon — was named Alabama’s Country Female Artist of the Year for 2016. They have toured through Indiana and Michigan with Kid Rock during his eighth annual Chillin’ the Most Cruise in 2017, where they performed six shows. They were also chosen by LiveNation to be the opener for Bon Jovi in Birmingham, Alabama, last year.

They have also performed at the CMA Music Fest in Nashville. The Trio’s self-titled EP debuted on the iTunes Country Chart at number 11 this past June.

Storyteller Ed Stivender

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 16

Dale A. Lyons Building theater, Southwestern Michigan College

Tickets: $6

National storyteller Ed Stivender, referred to as the “Robin Williams of storytelling” by the Miami Herald, will perform audiences at the Southwestern Michigan College theater Wednesday, May 16.

Stivender left his day job as a high school teacher in 1977 to become a full-time storyteller. His path has wound through schools, churches, coffeehouses and theaters, reaching onto the stages of the major storytelling festivals of the world. 

He has been the featured performer at the National Storytelling Festival, the Cape Clear Island International Storytelling Festival in Ireland, the Graz Festival in Austria, and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. He has also appeared at the Walt Disney Staff Seminar, the Philadelphia Mummers Parade, and a number of universities.

Stivender has consulted with the Independence National Historic Park teaching the tellers how to tell the stories of the country’s independence.

The National Storytelling Association inducted him into its circle of excellence in 1996.

Stivender will also conduct a master class from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, at the Cass County Council on Aging Front Street Crossing Facility, 227 Front St. The course will cost $10.

Youth Fine Arts Night

6 p.m. Thursday, May 17

Dowagiac Union High School

Tickets: Free

People may watch the community’s students shine during the annual Youth Fine Arts Nights event, at Dowagiac Union High School May 17.

The event will showcase the artistic and musical talents found throughout the entire Dowagiac School system. People may tour the student gallery to see student art pieces, then sit back and enjoy the music of the choirs and bands. The evening concludes with the high school marching band bringing everyone to their feet with the Dowagiac Chieftain Fight Song.

Author Karen Dionne

7 p.m. Friday, May 18

Dale A. Lyons Building theater, Southwestern Michigan College

Tickets: $20

Karen Dionne, international bestselling author of “The Marsh King’s Daughter,” a dark suspense novel set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula wilderness, will speak at Southwestern Michigan College’s theater May 18.

She is cofounder of the online writers’ community Backspace, and organizes the Salt Cay Writers Retreat hosted every other year on a private island in the Bahamas.

She is a member of the International Thriller Writers, where she served on the board of directors as vice president of technology.

The festival will host a book signing and reception following Dionne’s talk. Tickets to the event will be $15.

Harp Twins

7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19

Dale A. Lyons Building theater, Southwestern Michigan College

Tickets: $20

Harpists Camille and Kennerly Kitt, known as the Harp Twins, will perform their eclectic style of music at Southwestern Michigan College’s theater May 19.

They have achieved extraordinary success by taking electric harps and acoustic concert grand harps to perform music across a variety of music genres. The duo has amassed more than 1 million fans across their social media sites, and more than 65 million views on their YouTube music videos. 

The two will mix their harp skills with their arrangements of classic rock, metal and show tune hits, as well as their own creations, during the performance.