07-18-19 | Songs for Listening | Tess Mangum Ocaña
Durham-based producer and programmer Tess Mangum Ocaña, founder of Sonic Pie Productions, picked tunes for Thursday, July 18 at Songs for Listening.
Tess is a 7th-generation North Carolinian. Though she grew up in a musical family (her grandmother, Kate Mangum, taught Randy Travis how to play guitar and great-uncle Homer Briarhopper was fortunate to call Doc Watson a fan), she always felt her role in the family business was behind the scenes.
She holds a B.A. in Public Relations from UNC-CH and a M.A. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Limerick, Ireland. She worked as Concerts Director of The ArtsCenter in Carrboro from 2002-2012 and developed their critically-acclaimed American Roots Series, which helped launched the careers of the Avett Brothers and Carolina Chocolate Drops, as well as spotlight American music legends such as Dr. John & Mavis Staples. Tess is a 2012 INDY Arts award winner.
In 2013, Tess founded Sonic Pie Productions, a concert and event production company. Since then she's worked with clients including IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association), Duke Performances, MerleFest, Durham Central Park, Art of Cool Festival, Festival for the Eno River, and Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, amongst others.
'Soft Spoken' by Naia Izumi
'De Cara a la Pared' by Lhasa De Sela from 'La Llorna'
'Music From Our Soul' by Charnett Moffett
'Out of the Wilderness' by The Como Mamas from 'Move Upstairs'
