DETROIT — The 2009 17th annual Concert of Colors, metro Detroit’s free diversity-themed music festival, will present rising and established acts, bring back past favorites and offer free, outdoor activities while forging ahead in its mission to shed light on and celebrate cultural diversity through music.

The festival takes place on Sat., July 18 with performances from 5-11 p.m. (doors open at 4 p.m.) and Sun., July 19 from 4-10 p.m. (doors open at 3 p.m.) at the Max M. Fisher Music Center located at 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit.

Designed to celebrate the many ethnic and cultural groups that comprise metro Detroit, the Concert of Colors is produced in partnership by the Arab American National Museum, New Detroit, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services).

All Concert of Colors performances are free and open to the public, however, reserved box seating at the Main Stage is available throughout the festival for concertgoers who would like to become a Concert of Colors “Groupie,” an exclusive opportunity that also includes a private “meet the artists” reception and a limited-edition Groupie tee shirt. Individual Groupies pay $60; a Couple of Groupies is $100. Call 313.624.0205 or visit www.concertofcolors.com for groupie registration. For complete schedule information, breaking festival news and a free download of the 2009 Concert of Colors poster call 313.624.0215 or visit www.concertofcolors.com. Free seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis with no advanced registration necessary.

Headliners for Concert of Colors includes West African bluesman Vieux Farka Toure, whose brand new CD Fondo (Six Degrees) received an energetic review in The New York Times; hot Hoboken-based alternative rockers Yo La Tengo, making their Concert of Colors debut; and Concert of Colors favorite, the American soul legend Aaron Neville, this time with his Quintet featuring Charles Neville.

The resounding success of 2008’s Don Was Detroit Super Session, a high-wattage showcase of notable area rockers, has led the mega-producer to reprise the event with an all-new once-in-a-lifetime lineup including Sir Mack Rice (Mustang Sally), Amp Fiddler, Scott Morgan’s Powertrane, Question Mark (96 Tears), Thornetta Davis, Teegarden & Van Winkle (God, Love and Rock & Roll), Blanche, Gorevette (Amy Gore and Nikki Corvette), The Go, The Upscale, The Layabouts and Mick Bassett and the Marthas.

Rounding out the glowing 2009 lineup are the electric sounds of Don Was Detroit Super Session II house band, Native American singer/songwriter Joe Reilly, folkmeister Dick Siegel, the steaming Latin strains of Orquesta La Inspiracion, Latin funksters Grupo Fantasma, Mazaj (Arabic folk-blues), family-friendly punk rockers Candy Band, Galitcha (East Indian traditional w/ jazz and folk), reggae/dancehall experts Roots Vibration, Nulife Youth Choir and Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, accordion-driven dance music.

The Concert of Colors annual Forum on Community, Race and Culture, previously a fee-based, invitation-only event, is now free and open to the public. This year’s discussion revolves around Freedom Songs: Music That Empowers and Breaks Down Barriers, with panelists Mark Stone, an ethnomusicologist at Oakland University, and singer/songwriters Joe Reilly, Rev. Robert B. Jones and Ismael Duran. The Forum is set for 2 p.m. on Sat., July 18 in the Music Box at the Max M. Fisher Music Center. No advance registration is necessary; all ages are welcome.