Oxford celebrates 10 Years of Sarahfest, the town’s annual celebration of the arts through music, literature, the fine arts, and more. This year’s festival is a partnership between the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies with campus partners the Department of Music, Living Music Resource, UM Institute for the Arts, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, Department of Art and Art History, and the Department of Archives and Special Collections; and community partners End of All Music, Proud Larry’s, and the Lyric Oxford. It is also being supported by the College of Liberal Arts, the Office of the Provost, and the Division of Student Affairs. The festival will occur over three weeks, from October 20 to November 8.
“We are excited to celebrate 10 years of Sarahfest with our UM and Oxford community and to welcome the talented Jon Langford back to Oxford,” states Theresa Starkey, associate director of the Isom Center. “The highlight of the week will be our concert at the Ford Center featuring Langford, where he will be joined by the amazing vocalist Kelly Hogan, who is taking time from touring with Mavis Staples to perform, and UM alumna and singer Izzy Arthurs and her band. We can’t wait for them to take the stage together. This concert promises to be a night of good music and jubilation. We hope to see you there.”
This year’s festival will kick off with a SouthTalks featuring 2025 Artist-in-Residence Jon Langford in conversation with Printmaster Jim Sherraden, where they will discuss their artistic collaborations. It will be moderated by John Rash, assistant professor of Film Production and Southern Studies, and hosted by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. Wednesday night features a screening of Revenge of the Mekons hosted by the End of All Music at The Lyric Oxford. On Thursday, Izzy Arthurs, is also set to take the stage at Proud Larry’s at 8 pm. Friday will feature an LMR Live with Langford at 1 pm on the main stage of the Ford Center. The week will end with a concert at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts featuring Langford, Kelly Hogan, and Arthurs.
“The greatest achievements are possible when they are done with others and universities provide this opportunity. Now more than ever, higher education must demonstrate, teach, and facilitate collaborations to prepare our students for the professional world,” Chair of Music and Founder of Living Music Resource Nancy Maria Balach expresses. “In 2021, we established the Sarahfest Artist-in-Residence Program with the goal of providing a unique opportunity to learn from working professional artists. With financial support from university entities, we have offered five different intensive residencies. The focus has proudly been on process, collaboration, and social engagement. This year will be an epic celebration of this mission.”
Sarahfest will continue the following week of October 27-31 with an archival exhibit, “Celebrating 10 Years of Sarahfest” at J.D. Williams Library. This year’s festival will conclude with an art show in Gallery 130 in Meek Hall, November 3-6. A closing reception for the show, “The Unquiet Ground: Sarahfest’s 10th Anniversary,” will take place on Thursday, November 6, at 4:30 pm.
For more information or links to purchase tickets, visit the website sarahfest.rocks.
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