Dan Kamin, a world-traveled comedian in the style of Charlie Chaplin and Marcel Marceau, will give the ArtsLink concert series a jumpstart Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Theater, located on Main?Street, New Martinsville.

Season tickets are now on sale for ArtsLink’s 2012-2013 Concert Series. ArtsLink President Eric Vincent promises, “This year’s artists will offer audiences the most diverse entertainment in the 10-year history of the series.” Also, the group is straying from its traditional Sunday afternoon time to evening performances. Season ticket prices remain the same as last year. For ArtsLink members: $45 individual and $90 family; for non-members, $60 individual and $120 family.

A family is defined and two adults and children under the age of 18. By purchasing a Family Season Ticket, an adult couple will save $10 over the single event ticket price; an Individual Season Ticket will save you $5.

To purchase your Season Ticket for this upcoming Concert Series, make your check payable to “ArtsLink” and mail to ArtsLink, C/O WVNCC at 141 Main Street, New Martinsville, WV 26155. Please indicate “Season Ticket” on the memo line.

The series will open at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 27, at the Lincoln Theater with the antics of Dan Kamin, a world-traveled comedian in the style of Charlie Chaplin and Marcel Marceau. Kamin performs world-wide for theaters, colleges, and symphony orchestras. On film he created the physical comedy sequences for “Chaplin” and “Benny and Joon” and trained Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp for their acclaimed starring performances-Downey was nominated for an Oscar and Depp for a Golden Globe Award. During recent seasons Kamin has toured his solo show, “Comedy in Motion”, throughout America. Kamin will be in the area for three days, popping up unannounced in public places to perform his hilarious antics.

The second event will be a free performance of the Shelley Oliver Tap Dancers at Tyler Consolidated High School, courtesy of the Stealey Community Fund. This performance will be at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 18.

A high-caliber ensemble of dynamic tap dancers, the Shelley Oliver Tap Dancers perform with the David Leonhardt Jazz Group. Internationally acclaimed Shelley Oliver presents highly energetic and interactive concerts that inspire, entertain, and inform. The company consistently draws raves for their lightning-speed footwork, rapid-fire taps, and entertaining extended improvisations. Performances include classic dance routines from the 1920’s and 1930’s and original dance works such as I Got Rhythm, Bach to the Blues, and Ode to Bojangles, set to jazz classics.

White Ghost Shivers, an eclectic American band based in Austin, Texas, will be the next performers at 7:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Theater on Nov. 16. White Ghost Shivers claims cabaret, jazz, vaudeville, hokum, western swing, hillbilly, jugband, and ragtime as its inspiration. The band has been declared “Best None of the Above” by the Austin Music Awards for 2005 and 2007. Peeling the faces off the unsuspecting for over a decade, they revel in string-band music from the 20s and 30s, and unleashing the gutterous underbelly of a pseudo-rock world gone wrong.

Imagine a smorgasbord of Cab Calloway, circus sideshow, KISS, cabaret, Hee Haw, and Robert Johnson served up at Andy Kaufman’s bat-mitzvah.

A popular cabaret singer will make a return appearance for the annual Valentine Smorgasbord Concert, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the PPG Shelter in Proctor. Daphne Alderson is a radiant and soulful performer whose warm, contralto voice and classical sensibilities take the genre of cabaret in new directions. “Daphne has a great thing going. . . personal charisma and beautifully rendered love songs,” wrote the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Ted Sohier of WQED-FM in Pittsburgh calls her “magical. . . an enchanting and mesmerizing voice.” In a career that debuted at the acclaimed Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, she has toured from elegant New York cabaret rooms to venues through the mid-Atlantic states. Mensore Distributing, Inc. is sponsor for this event.

Returning to the traditional Sunday afternoon time slot will be guitarist Ernie Hawkins, scheduled for 2 p.m., March 10, at the Wells Inn. This concert is sponsored by Senator and Mrs. Larry Edgell. Hawkins, a master of American fingerpicking guitar, revives an almost lost art. He has worked closely with such southern blues greats as Mance Libscomb, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Fred McDowell. Hawkins’ soulful and dynamic performances bring this music back to life. Playing and teaching throughout the world, Hawkins has become one of the best, and last, living legacies to this rich musical tradition.

The former music director for the Emeril Live! cooking show, Doc Gibbs, will conclude this season’s ArtsLink concert series. Gibbs will perform at 7:30 p.m., April 19, at the Lincoln Theater under the sponsorship of Jim Phillips of Phillips Pharmacy in Sistersville.

After years as music director for the Emeril Live! cooking show and touring with such recording artists as Grover Washington Jr., Erykah Badu, and Anita Baker, Gibbs returns to his roots with New World Review, an exciting presentation of West African, Afro-Cuban, and Afro-Brazilian rhythm and song. Using hand drums and percussion instruments from throughout the world, Gibbs creates an enthralling musical experience.

Funding for these programs made possible with financial assistance from West Virginia Northern Community College, WETZ/WYMJ Radio, Dominion, Ohio Valley Online, the Wells Inn, and donations from members and friends.

Grant funding provided by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.

The Stealey Community Fund is a component fund of The Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley, Inc. Additional support received from Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, a program developed and funded by The Heinz Endowments; the William Penn Foundation; the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency; and the Pew Charitable Trusts; and administered by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

ArtsLink is committed to providing universal accessibility wherever possible. Persons with special needs may contact them at 304-455-2278 to request assistance.