PBS music series to tape at The Niswonger

Independent staff and submitted information

The Niswonger Performing Arts Center will host a taping of the PBS series, “Songs at the Center,” on Thursday, September 16, at 6:30 p.m., and area residents have an opportunity to be part of the live audience for free.

The series, which has been seen on more than 385 PBS stations and is hosted by songwriter Eric Gnezda, will feature fellow songwriters Carrie Newcomer, Over the Rhine, and another artist to be announced.

The Niswonger Performing Arts Center joins other Ohio concert halls in the series, whose purpose is to showcase the best songwriters in America in Ohio’s finest venues.

“Van Wert Live at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center is honored to be a featured venue on ‘Songs at the Center’,” said Van Wert Live Executive Director Tafi Stober. “This opportunity to be a backdrop for the story behind the song has a deep purpose as it highlights the entertainment industry from a different perspective, the artist’s heart.”

“Songs at the Center” airs on area PBS stations WGBU in Bowling Green late Friday and Sunday nights and WFWA in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at 11:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

“We’re pleased to be working with the top-notch crew at The Niswonger,” said Executive Producer Jack FitzGerald. “Our show highlights the songwriter and their stories. We’re pleased to bring the show to northwest Ohio, where we welcome an enthusiastic audience.”

“Songs at the Center” is taping its eighth season and has welcomed John Oates, Rodney Crowell, Janis Ian, Jim Brickman, and Delbert McClinton, among others.

For free tickets and the opportunity to be part of the session taping, contact the Van Wert Live Box Office at 419.238.6722 or boxoffice@npacvw.org. The Niswonger Performing Arts Center is located at 10700 Ohio 118 in Van Wert. Visit vanwertlive.com for further details.

“Songs at the Center” celebrates The Song. The Songwriter. And Their Stories, according to promotional information for the series. The show features songwriting royalty, as well as other artists people will want to get to know better. The series is taped before a live audience in an interview/performance format, where singer-songwriters sit down with Gnezda, the series creator and host, for a chat and a few songs. 

For more information on “Songs at the Center”, visit songsatthecenter.tv.