{"id":2225601,"date":"2026-01-07T12:22:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T12:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2225601"},"modified":"2026-01-07T12:22:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T12:22:41","slug":"a-look-ahead-at-macons-arts-and-entertainment-scene-the-macon-melody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/a-look-ahead-at-macons-arts-and-entertainment-scene-the-macon-melody\/","title":{"rendered":"A look ahead at Macon’s arts and entertainment scene \u2013 The Macon Melody"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Acute Inflections, a New York-based jazzy R&B and comedy duo, will come to Macon Jan. 25 to transform the Anderson Conference Center into an elegant Harlem Renaissance revival scene. Photo by David Divad.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Macon\u2019s first-ever Fashion Week, the Nutcracker of Middle Georgia\u2019s 40th anniversary and Joy Harjo bringing Indigenous creativity to Macon were but a few of the arts and entertainment highlights of 2025.<\/p>\n

As we step into 2026, there are highlights ahead in all the arts, entertainment and related communities in Macon and Middle Georgia. Looking back and forward is warranted to stir memories and get a start on marking 2026 calendars.<\/p>\n

This personal look \u2014 a writer\u2019s notebook in a sense \u2014 can only scratch the surface, but that can\u2019t be helped. I\u2019ll be offering much more as, week by week, I further highlight events, people and the work going on to make Macon a brightly creative community and bring others into the light for maybe the first time.<\/p>\n

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Looking ahead: music and comedy<\/strong><\/p>\n

First, Bob Dylan is coming to the Macon City Auditorium on April 22. Love him or not, he\u2019s been a top-level creative, musical and lyrical force in a class by himself since the 1960s, eschewing fame\u2019s trappings for a don\u2019t-look-back attitude \u2014 see what I did there? \u2014 toward keeping his music new.<\/p>\n

The folks running the Macon City Auditorium, Atrium Health Amphitheater and Macon Coliseum under the Centreplex umbrella have a tremendous start to 2026 lined up. At the auditorium, Larry the Cable Guy is coming Jan. 20, and Kamala Harris on Feb. 11. That\u2019s hitting two ends of the spectrum, right?<\/p>\n

At the Atrium Health Amphitheater, look forward to The Masters of Funk (Feb. 28), bluesman-guitar great Joe Bonamassa (March 20), Babyface (May 16) and the Goo Goo Dolls (Aug. 27). Katt Williams brings The Golden Age Tour to the Macon Coliseum on Feb. 21, and there\u2019s a whole lot of Macon Mayhem hockey going on \u2014 and Monster Jam-ing \u2014 there too.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a fan of Irish music and dance, the Piedmont Grand Opera House is the place to be when \u201cA Taste of Ireland\u201d brings award-winning performers to the stage on Jan. 15.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Bored Teachers\u2019 unique comedy show, \u201cIs It Friday Yet?,\u201d is on stage Jan. 22, bringing relatable classroom and teacher comedy, and the Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra continues its season on Feb. 23 \u2014 all at the Grand.<\/p>\n

Combining music and comedy with a roaring \u201920s look and feel is the New York-based jazzy R&B duo Acute Inflections, who will be transforming the Anderson Conference Center on Eisenhower Parkway into an elegant Harlem Renaissance revival on Jan. 25. The duo has been featured on HBO, Amazon and NPR. Find tickets at acuteinflections.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Count on the Macon Film Guild to program great, interesting films at the Douglass Theatre all year. This month, it brings the Norwegian film \u201cSentimental Value\u201d on Jan. 11 and the documentary \u201cImmediate Family\u201d on Jan. 20. It tracks legendary studio musicians Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel, Russ Kunkel, Leland Sklar and Steve Postell through the 1970s as they back Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac and many more. These are the \u201970s studio greats who followed their \u201960s forerunners, known as the Wrecking Crew.<\/p>\n

Finally, in this run of coming events is a one-of-a-kind opportunity Feb. 27-March 1 to meet and see the photographic work of May Pang in an exhibit and sale at Gallery West. The photos primarily consist of John Lennon during what\u2019s called his \u201clost weekend\u201d \u2014 actually more than a year in the mid-1970s \u2014 when Pang and Lennon were a couple, spending much of their time in California collaborating with the likes of Harry Nilsson, Elton John, David Bowie, George Harrison, Mick Jagger and Ringo Starr, all while Lennon produced much of his best solo work.<\/p>\n

Stay tuned for news of the Middle Georgia Lit Festival coming to Warner Robins on Feb. 7. It\u2019s doubling the number of writers and booksellers from last year\u2019s 80, plus there will be more breakout sessions.<\/p>\n

On March\u2019s First Friday, take the opportunity to visit internationally acclaimed artist Cedric Smith\u2019s gallery exhibit and artist talk in downtown Macon at the Wesleyan Leadership Lab. There\u2019s more to come but mark those calendars now.<\/p>\n

Observations from 2025 and a look ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n

For me, a highlight of new art in Macon in 2025 was the work of collage artist Maura Luccesse. Moving here last year from Florida, her painstakingly created collages made purely from cut magazine pieces \u2014 no drawing or paint allowed \u2014 are remarkable. She\u2019s selling her work and picking up local and national commissions all the time as people become acquainted with her art. You can see examples and make purchases via her Instagram account, @braincandy, or see it live at Gallery West and soon at the Society Garden.<\/p>\n

An artist who surprised me was Macon\u2019s Colin Penndorf. I\u2019ve known Penndorf for years, but mainly for his arts organizing, curating work and overall entrepreneurial spirit. I was shocked to finally see his actual work, from illustrating fantasy fiction with intricately drawn maps to creative drawings and printmaking. He is a truly gifted native son as an artist, promoter and community builder.<\/p>\n

Among many other elevated moments were celebrating Macon musical icon Newton Collier\u2019s 80th birthday; attending the sold-out premiere of young local filmmaker Phillip Serafin Weaver\u2019s \u201cMidknight\u201d; touring the newly relaunched childhood home of Little Richard as a museum honoring his career and the Pleasant Hill neighborhood he grew up in; and getting in on activities with photographer\/cinematographer Jave Bjorkman and his talented friends at Third Street Studio\/And So We Go Productions.<\/p>\n

Look closely and you\u2019ll see a thread running through all of this, but it\u2019s not a singular thread; it\u2019s three entwined.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One is the art itself in its many forms and fashions \u2014 fine and commonly recognized art and art that is part of our daily lives, such as fashion. The second is the people who create the art or who make the art happen by setting the stage or working behind the scenes. The last is the resulting community that\u2019s built and the good that comes from such efforts aesthetically, economically and even spiritually.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s cool to do around town will always be in view as I write, but also look for a focus on who\u2019s doing it \u2014 expected or unexpected. From very visible creatives to art entrepreneurs to those carrying on traditions of creating instruments and even some whose work seems utilitarian but couldn\u2019t happen without an artist\u2019s view. For instance, Michel Hernandez, a young entrepreneur will open Michel Design Studio, a microblading and permanent makeup services studio at the end of the month.<\/p>\n

Or how about those who keep the makeup and greasepaint on our community theater actors? Or a top Macon tattoo artist?\u00a0<\/p>\n

But I need your help. I can\u2019t fulfill every request in this space, but I\u2019m eager to hear from you about such worthy folks and happenings of all kinds in our arts community. My email is always below.<\/p>\n

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com<\/a>. Find him on Instagram at michael_w_pannell.<\/em><\/p>\n


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\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source maconmelody.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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