Artist-in-Residence Programs Continue At Rocky Mountain National Park With Percussionist Cory Hills

Cory Hills, Percussionist

Courtesy Photo

News Release Date: June 29, 2015

Contact: Kyle Patterson, [phone]

Storyteller, musician and performing artist Cory Hills of Thousand Oaks, California will continue to highlight this year's Art in the Park Program at Rocky Mountain National Park with presentations held Wednesdays, July 1 and July 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center.

Cory Hills is an active percussionist in the Los Angeles music scene, known for actively performing and championing new music and for making this music accessible to all ages. With degrees from Northwestern University, Queensland Conservatorium and the University of Kansas, and with an award-winning children's album (The Lost Bicycle) under his belt, Hills is equally comfortable in a concert hall or school gymnasium. Hills is the creator of "Percussive Storytelling," a program he performs that fuses unique percussion instrument sounds with oral storytelling, creating exciting sonic worlds for both children and adults.

Since 2009, Hills has presented Percussive Storytelling over 350 times to more than 32,000 children in eight countries. The Lost Bicycle, his debut solo CD of percussive stories, was released in the spring of 2010 and received four national awards, including a gold medal from the National Parenting Publication Awards (NAPPA), a silver medal from the Parent's Choice Awards, a Preferred Choice from the Creative Child Awards, and World Storytelling honors. In addition, NAPPA named The Lost Bicycle one of the top 13 children's products for 2010.

Six artists were selected for the summer 2015 Artist-in-Residence Program at Rocky Mountain National Park. Artists are provided with a creative, contemplative environment in which to generate artistic works and share their works with the public. During their stay at the park, artists share their vision in two public presentations.

Artistic diversity, new ideas and creative uses of media were encouraged in the application process. Artists are given two-week residencies at the William Allen White cabin from June through September. For a specific schedule and to learn more about these artists go to: www.nps.gov/romo/supportyourpark/meet-our-2015-artists-in-residence.htm

Artists have had a long-standing impact on the formation, expansion and direction of our country's national parks. Musicians, composers, painters, writers, sculptors and other performing artists also draw upon the multifaceted quality of parks for inspiration. All of these artists translate the national park's purpose, as a place of pleasure and preservation, into images which bring others enjoyment and a deeper understanding of the parks some may never visit. Rocky Mountain National Park's Artist-In-Residence program provides artists the opportunity to become a part of a long established tradition of artists in our national parks.

For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park please contact the park's Information Office at [phone].