Some Feats of the Games Will Be Staged

In 1984, Los Angeles showed that arts and the Olympics can commingle nicely. And this month Atlanta has its own series of arts and entertainment programs during its Summer Games.

The official programming is the city’s 22-day 1996 Olympic Arts Festival, called the Cultural Olympiad.

It’s a mixture of theater, music and dance programming highlighted by performances by opera singer (and Georgia native) Jessye Norman, plus Wynton Marsalis and the Olympic Jazz Summit, Itzhak Perlman, the Russian National Orchestra, and a joint concert with the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra.

All concerts are taking place at Atlanta Symphony Hall and tickets, ranging from $5-$75, are hard to come by.

More accessible will be AT&T;’s 95,000-square-foot Global Olympic Village, which will feature free concerts throughout the Olympics, starting the day after the July 19 opening ceremonies.

The concerts, most held at 8 p.m. with some afternoon exceptions, showcase performers in all genres of popular music.

Produced by Cossette Productions (the same company that produces the Grammys), the 17-concert series will feature an eclectic mixture of pop, country, gospel, jazz and blues artists.

The AT&T; schedule:

* July 20: Soukichi Kino & Champloose (afternoon) and the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

* July 21: Jon Secada.

* July 22: Gospel acts the Sound of Blackness with guest artist CeCe Winans and Shirley Caesar.

* July 24: Country artists Tim McGraw & Faith Hill.

* July 25: The National Dance Theatre of Korea (afternoon) and country music stars Travis Tritt & Mary Stuart.

* July 26: Nagano Ensemble (afternoon) and Reggae act Steel Pulse.

* July 27: American Jazz Philharmonic with Tom Scott, Byron Striplin, and Ray Brown.

* July 28: World music singer Angelique Kidjo.

* July 29: Finnish folk star Varttina (afternoon) and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

* July 30: Buckwheat Zydeco.

* July 31: Santana.

* July 31-Aug 2: Cirque du Soleil.

* Aug. 1: Ray Charles.

* Aug. 2: Joan Osborne.

* Aug. 3: Chinese female pop sensation Wei Wei, and Little Feat.

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Although not an official Olympic sponsor, Issac Tigrett’s House of Blues also has a hand in the Atlanta festivities, with an emphasis on entertainment with Southern roots, such as blues, country and funk.

Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell asked Tigrett to come up with an entertainment and live music venue near the Olympic Village. Tigrett’s company refurbished the city’s old Baptist Tabernacle Church, transforming the 62,000-square-foot venue into a temporary House of Blues, complete with new floors, six bars, rustic art and a plush HOB Foundation room for VIPs.

The Blues Brothers will be part of the entertainment, with House of Blues co-founder Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi. The performances begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise indicated.

* July 18: Kirk Franklin.

* July 19-20: The Blues Brothers Band.

* July 20: “Player’s Night,” with Olympians and other sports stars to be announced.

* July 22: “A Night to Remember,” with Will Downing, Najee, Jonathan Butler, and Angela Bofill and the Average White Band (midnight).

* July 23: Seven Mary Three and the Refreshment (7 p.m.) and Jerry Lee Lewis (11 p.m.).

* July 24: George Clinton & the P-Funk All Stars (9 p.m.).

* July 25: Little Richard (7 p.m.) and Dr. John & Bobby “Blue” Bland (10:30 p.m.).

* July 29: Johnny Cash.

* July 30: Third World, Johnny Clegg featuring Juluka and Burning Spear (18 years and older).

* July 31: Tito Puente & his Latin Jazz All-Stars with special guest Celia Cruz (7 and 10:30 p.m.).

* Aug. 2: Al Green and Keb’ Mo’ (7 and 10:30 p.m.).

* Aug. 3: The Mavericks and Junior Brown.

Ticket prices will range from $20-$50, and all shows are for 21 and over, except as noted.