arts&life
festivals
Diana Lawrence
Sweet Summer
Multi-talented
musician Diana
Lawrence is part
of the action at this
year’s Ann Arbor
Summer Festival
details
Diana Lawrence performs at 6
p.m. Friday, June 30, on the O&W
Acoustic Stage as part of the Ann
Arbor Summer Festival, running
through July 4. For a complete
schedule, go to a2sf.org. For ticket
information, call (800) 221-1229.
40
June 15 • 2017
PHOTO BY JESSE MICHENER
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
D
iana Lawrence will get
a personal bonus when
she returns to perform
a solo show in the Ann Arbor
Summer Festival 2017. She can
visit with family and friends in
the city where she grew up.
Lawrence, who graduated
from Pioneer High School before
getting a degree in piano and
voice from the University of
Michigan, will be presenting her
original songs when she appears
June 30 on the O&W Acoustic
Stage.
“My work is influenced by
soul, pop, cabaret and theater,”
says Lawrence, based in Chicago.
“There’s a focus on storytelling
and interesting characters in the
lyrics.”
The songs express a wide
range of emotions. “Another
Pretty Face” tells about someone
infatuated with a person who
already has a significant other.
“In Missouri” delves into the
shooting of Michael Brown in
jn
Movies by Moonlight scheduled include Groundhog Day, Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory and Men in Black.
Ferguson.
Many of the songs written by
Lawrence express her personal
experiences, but they have been
altered to make them more dra-
matic or interesting. “Satellite” is
an example of that as it musical-
izes an on-again-off-again rela-
tionship.
Lawrence essentially writes
about subjects that interest her
or mean something special.
“This festival is a great place
to perform for people who are
really listening,” she says. “It’s an
all-ages audience so I like to pick
Ira Glass
a mix of things that are catchy
and provide a message.”
Ann Arbor audiences will get a
chance to experience messages
from all kinds of entertainers
through July 4 and have lots of
fun in the process. The entire fes-
tival features an eclectic mix of
more than 170 events showcas-