…..from Main Street News

The Confetti Park Players were recently profiled in the Spring 2016 issue of “Main Street News,” the newsletter of the Old Algiers Mainstreet Corporation. Thank you, Valerie Robinson, for the profile! We are very proud to represent our community through music.

You can view the newsletter here. Text of article is below.

Preparing for stage performance

Katy Ray Engages Kids with Confetti Park Players

Katy Hobgood Ray moved to New Orleans from Shreveport in 2003, but she really started to find her groove after moving to Old Algiers in 2007. Today, she works with Confetti Park Players, an all-ages children’s choir that just received a Parent’s Choice Approved Award for its first CD.

“I’ve always been active in music, writing and performing folk, country and jazz,” explained Katy, who holds a Master of Arts degree in musicology from Tulane University and has hosted radio shows since her college days.

“I started writing kids’ songs when my son, Louis, was born in 2011,“ she said. “I got involved with Confetti Kids (an organization that supports children’s activities in the area) after I became a mom, and started doing music circles in Confetti Park. After a while, these became more formal, and we started calling it a choir.”

The first performance of the Confetti Park Players was at Charles Gillam’s Folk Art Fest in October 2014, and they’ve been going strong ever since. The group meets weekly to sing, make rhythms, learn traditional New Orleans songs, and practice the craft of songwriting. Katy described the songs as “a mixture of fun and whimsical originals by contemporary Louisiana songwriters, classic folk songs, nursery rhymes, jump rope jingles, fairy tales, and natural lore.”

A CD that came out in November 2015 titled “We’re Going to Confetti Park!” with songs about pirates, frogs, sno-balls, and Candy Land balls, featured a star-studded lineup of New Orleans musicians, including Johnny Vidacovich, Jon-Erik Kellso, Evan Christopher, Matt Perrine, Patti Adams, Beth Patterson, Tom McDermott, Roger Lewis, David Rosser, Brian Coogan, Tim Robertson, and others. Old Algiers folk artist Charles Gillam created the cover art for the CD.

Momentum for the choir continues to grow, Katy said. The kids have recorded some music videos and special sessions with AJ Loria and Ginger and the Bee, and the group will be appearing at Jazz Fest for the first time on Saturday, April 23, at 12:40 pm at the Kids Tent.

Other upcoming events include the following:

• April 16, 2016 – The Confetti Park Players will give an in-store performance at Euclid Records in the Bywater, 3301 Chartres St., 4 p.m., for International Record Store Day.
• April 23, 2016 – The Confetti Park Players will perform at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival! 12:40 – 1:25 p.m. in the Kids Tent.
• May 22, 2016 – 10:45 a.m. – The Confetti Park Players will perform at Algiers United Methodist Church, 637 Opelousas Ave.
• May 22, 2016 – 3:30 p.m. – The Confetti Park Players will perform at Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo. (NBC Kids Stage)
• June 11, 2016 – 12:30-2:00 p.m. – Katy Hobgood Ray & the Confetti Park Players at the Creole Tomato Fest! French Market. (Kids Stage will be located at the U.S. Mint, on the front lawn, Esplanade side)

Parents may contact Katy at [email protected] or connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, at @confettipark. Or visit the website at https://confettipark.com/