TAHLEQUAH — From Western swing music to Vaudeville to a family of fiddlers, the Sequoyah Institute’s 23rd annual Galaxy of Stars Series at Northeastern State University showcases a variety of artistic endeavors.

“For students of Northeastern and residents of Tahlequah and surrounding communities, the Galaxy of Stars series is an avenue that offers quality arts experiences, engages the community in promoting arts in our everyday lives and nurtures the artistic aspirations of community members,” said NSU President Dr. Don Betz, who founded the Sequoyah Institute in 1986. “In the final analysis, we are all enriched when the arts expand our range of perception and understanding.”

The 2008-09 season kicks off on Friday with a performance by Asleep at the Wheel. The big band “post-modern kings of Western swing” take the stage at the NSU Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The performance is sponsored by BancFirst.

Over the course of the last 37 years, Asleep at the Wheel has become an institution, carrying the torch of big band Western swing into the 21st century. Along the way, they have been awarded nine Grammys, entertained millions and won praise and admiration from the likes of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, George Straight and Van Marrison.

• From the sentimental songs that inspired a nation during two world wars to the innocent optimism of the 1950s, Irving Berlin created music the defined generations. The Sequoyah Institute is bringing “Irving Berlin’s I Love a Piano” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 to the NSU Center for the Performing Arts. The show is sponsored by Go Ye Village.

With over 60 of Berlin’s enduring and popular favorites, this spectacular new show captures the spirit of America from the Ragtime rhythms of the early 20th century through the swinging sophistication of the 1920s and 1930s. Timeless classics, such as “White Christmas,” “God Bless America,” “Puttin’ On the Ritz,” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” do more than define the music of a generation, they define the music of our country.

• Now in their 60th year, The Four Freshmen will bring its unique brand of vocal harmony at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 to the NSU Center for the Performing Arts in “Four Freshmen Christmas.” The show is sponsored by Cox Pharmacy.

They will share some of their favorite Christmas tunes, such as “Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and many more. The names and faces behind the Four Freshmen many have changed over the years, but their legendary sound continues.

• The exuberant madness of “Tomás Kubinek, Certified Lunatic and Master of the Impossible” comes to the stage at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17, 2009, at the Tahlequah High School Performing Arts Center.

Kubinek’s one-man show is equal parts comic brilliance, virtuosic Vaudeville and irresistible charm. Hailed as the Sultan of Silly, Arduous Advocate of the Commonplace Miracle, Maestro of Subversive Ingenuity, Curer of Melancholia, Certified Lunatic and Master of the Impossible, Kubinek is the antidote to the blues and blahs.

• One of North America’s most renowned dance groups, Ballet Folklorico Mexico will present authentic regional dances of Mexico at 7:30 p.m. March 12, 2009, at the Muskogee Civic Center. The performance is sponsored by the Muskogee Arts Council.

The troupe has been recognized by U.S. and Mexican officials as one the most exciting groups to present these dances, and has been traveling the continent for more than 30 years. Decked out in lavish, traditional regalia featuring spectacular headdresses that reach a jaw-dropping six feet in length, Ballet Folklorico will take you on a tour of Mexico through the power of the dance.

• Grammy Award-winning American Indian singer Joanne Shenandoah brings “Songs of the Spirit” at 7:30 p.m. April 16, 2009, to the THS Performing Arts Center.

Shenandoah has fulfilled the promise of her American Indian name, Tekaliwah-kwa (She Sings), winning numerous awards throughout her career. She has collaborated and performed with Bruce Cockburn, Neil Young, Brian Kirkpatrick, Willie Nelson, Rita Coolidge and scores of others across the nation and around the world. The Associated Press called her “one of the most acclaimed Native American singers of her time.”

• The Hunt Family Fiddlers rounds out the Galaxy of Stars Season at 7:30 p.m. May 2, 2009, with a performance at the THS Performing Arts Center. The performance is sponsored by Advantage Lifestyles Audiology.