Appalachia in the Bluegrass Series: Okapi
OKAPI is an Asheville, NC-based musical duo composed of Scott Mitchell Gorski (Upright Bass, Voice) and Lindsey Paige Miller (Cello). Hailing from differing musical backgrounds but sharing a passion for unique approaches to songwriting, craftsmanship, and structure, they began formulating candid, cathartic, and intentionally intricate orchestrations rooted in honesty and rawness. Carrying evocative works abundant with descriptive lyrical paintings, they present ideas both intimately and aggressively, hoping to stimulate a universal confrontation with our absurd reality. They aspire to challenge others’ perceptions through promoting consciousness, healthy growth, and individual empowerment.
Okapi have toured nationally, performed as part of many festivals including the experimental Big Ears Festival, and have been lauded by such publications as The Wire. The duo has been awarded grants for music and art by such organizations as the Jazz Foundation of America, MusiCares Foundation, and Toe River Arts.
Concerts presented as part of “Appalachia in the Bluegrass” are free and open to the public and begin weekly at noon on Fridays, in the Niles Gallery of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, located at the University of Kentucky’s Lucille C. Little Fine Arts and Design Library.
An annual series, “Appalachia in the Bluegrass” celebrates the old-time roots of American folk music, while simultaneously representing a variety of different musical expressions, featuring performances by noted Appalachian soloists, duos and groups. The “Appalachia in the Bluegrass” concert series is sponsored by the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, the Appalachian Studies Program, and the Appalachian Center of the University of Kentucky.
