An afternoon with folk artist Mark Dvorak November 14
DOWNERS GROVE IL - The Plank Road Folk Music Society will present “An Afternoon with Mark Dvorak” on Saturday, November 14 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm central time. The ZOOM virtual event is part of the society’s thirty-fifth annual celebration.
Dvorak, who has been on faculty at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music since 1986, will present a combination workshop and concert during the two-hour virtual program.
“Mark has been part of the Plank Road since its beginning,” said Bob O’Hanlon. “He’s an outstanding singer, instructor and musician, and we couldn’t think of celebrating our thirty-fifth anniversary without including him in our program.”
Dvorak was among the handful of people who established the Plank Road Folk Music Society as a non-profit organization in 1986. He served twice as president of the board, was the editor of the newsletter for two years and was involved in the club’s activities through its early years.
“The Old Quarter Coffee House preceded the Plank Road,” said Dvorak. “The Old Quarter first began at St. Barbara’s Catholic Church in Brookfield, Illinois back in 1981. After four years of concerts, barn dances, open stages and jam sessions, our friends Dave and Barbara Reynolds came forward to take over our very modest grassroots group. They purchased a store front in Brookfield and ran the Old Quarter as a for-profit coffee house and concert venue for a number of years.
"Our organization grew in those years. We devised a plan to create a non-profit organization to support the Old Quarter. When the Old Quarter closed its doors in 1987, Plank Road was in position to take over the club’s activities. I’m so grateful so many good people have stepped up over the years to keep the tradition growing all these years.”
Those interested in attending are invited to email their music questions to Dvorak who will use those questions as the basis for the workshop.
“I’m hoping to get a good conversation going about music and learning music,” said Dvorak. “Almost everybody would like to give a lecture but almost nobody wants to listen to one. I’ve found that a good conversation can open people up and open up a learning opportunity.”
Email your music question or workshop topic suggestions to markdv@aol.com.
Admission to the virtual event is free for Plank Road members. For information or to become a member visit www.plankroad.org. For information on Mark Dvorak visit him online at www.markdvorak.com.