(Enlarge) The Canadian world music group Barrage performs for the 2009 Columbia Festival of the Arts next Saturday, June 27 at The Jim Rouse Theatre for the Performing Arts.

The 2009 Columbia Festival of the Arts wraps quite literally with a barrage of sound and action when the Canadian world music group Barrage performs next Saturday, June 27 at The Jim Rouse Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Barrage is more than just a musical group that performs music while standing on stage. The nine-member ensemble supplements its playing with demanding physical showmanship, adding high kicks, dance poses and seemingly anything else that moves them while playing.

Their shows have been compared to such aggressively theatrical presentations as "Stomp" and "Riverdance" while being praised for its general musical excellence in countless newspapers and magazines.

When Barrage performed at the Columbia Festival two years ago, its appearance almost sold out, recalls the festival's executive director, Nichole Hickey.

"It made sense to have them back," she says. "We actually had inquires: 'When are you going to bring Barrage back?'"

Barrage boasts a musical lineup almost as unconventional as the music it plays. The group is comprised of a half dozen, mostly female fiddle players backed by a rock band made up of a bassist, guitarist and drummer. Altogether, they blend jazz, classical and rock, even though the result is not quite classical and not exactly rock.

Founder Anthony Moore originally came up with the idea for the group as a violin teacher who realized his students would be more interested in the music they were playing if they branched out beyond classical works.

"Their energy level is infectious and contagious," Hickey notes. "It's non-stop singing, dancing, playing. They're young, they're dynamic and they have cross-generational appeal."

The group's original compositions are based on traditional folk melodies done with driving rhythms. So far, it has released seven CDs, and was the subject of a high-profile PBS special back in 2001.

Barrage will perform "Fiddle Fest" Saturday, June 27 at 8 p.m. in The Jim Rouse Theatre for the Performing Arts at Wilde Lake High School. Tickets run $30-$45 general, $25-$40 for students and seniors.

Final acts unfold

As the annual Columbia arts festival enters its closing week, look for several other high-profile events to unfold.

The Cinema Columbia "filmmakers collective" project will screen the film it made during the festival's first weekend on Wednesday, June 24 at 7 p.m. in the Monteabaro Recital Hall at Howard Community College. The screening will also include a discussion about the process of filmmaking. Admission is free.

Legendary '60s musician-comedians the Smothers Brothers perform Thursday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m. in The Jim Rouse Theatre. But better hurry if you're planning to see them.

"We have fewer than 30 tickets left," said Hickey at press time. "So this is definitely a sell-out."

Real-life brothers Tommy and Dickie Smothers became heroes to the counterculture when their outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War led to their 1960s variety show getting cancelled by the CBS network in 1969. Tickets run $35 to $60 general, and $30 to $55 for students and senior citizens.

On June 26, 5:30 p.m., local artists will discuss the art of collecting art at "Collecting Affair II" at the Columbia Art Center and HCC's Horowitz Gallery. This event grew out of an event last year that encouraged arts organizations to partner with the goal of promoting local art collecting.

This year, artists were asked to select works from their own collections for the upcoming event. They'll discuss their selections from the vantage of both artists and collectors. Admission is free, and the evening includes a wine and cheese reception.

Overall, Hickey says, ticket sales for various festival acts like the California Guitar Trio and author Laura Lipman are going strong.

"I would encourage people to not wait any longer on those," she says.

For details about any of the above events, go to www.columbiafestival.com or call the festival headquarters at 410-715-3044.

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