FINAL SAMMONS LUNCH JAM IS THURSDAY, APRIL 30

The exciting new lunchtime concert series, Sammons Lunch Jam will have its final spring performance on Thursday, April 30 at noon. The series, on the outdoor stage in Sammons Park on the AT&T Performing Arts Center campus, features the talented student performing ensembles from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The series was extended one week due to weather cancellations so that all the originally scheduled ensembles could perform.

The inaugural season of Sammons Lunch Jam has featured Booker T. student ensembles performing Latin Jazz, Salsa Dance, Mariachi, Folklorico, R&B and more, in addition to visual arts students who created original sketches live on the Center campus. Every Thursday during the spring, workers, visitors and artists from across the Arts District have converged on the Center campus to enjoy the performances, take advantage of the food trucks and enjoy the Dallas arts scene. City Councilmember Philip Kingston, representatives from Dallas ISD headquarters, the Arts District Cathedral, Arts District Executive Director Catherine Cuellar and many Booker T. students and parents have come out to support the students.

For Booker T. principal Scott Rudes, it’s a fantastic spotlight for his talented teens.

“The AT&T Performing Arts Center presents some of the best performers in the world, and through the Sammons Lunch Jam we can add our students to that list,” said Rudes. “It’s so important that our community has opportunities to see our ensembles and the talent they possess… not only because it shows that the arts are strong in North Texas and vital to its health, but because these students are a source of pride for us all.”

With the support of Neiman Marcus, Sammons Lunch Jam helped enliven the arts district and the Center campus – a place that strives to enrich lives in our community.

“We can’t think of a better platform for our talented young neighbors this spring than outdoors in Sammons Park,” said Doug Curtis, president and CEO of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, a nonprofit arts foundation. “These concerts really add to the sense of community in our rapidly growing neighborhood.”

While the season is wrapping up for 2015, the success of the Sammons Lunch Jam may mean the pilot program could be back next fall.