“Wondrous, elegant…a miracle of musical and dramatic inspiration.” -The New York Times “The hottest guitarist in the world…” -The Sunday Times, London Taking its name from the celebrated court orchestra of French kings, Les Violons du Roy explores centuries of chamber music repertoire in performances that authentically reflect the period of each work’s composition. Informed […]
A Tribute to Patsy, Loretta, and Dolly Featuring Miko Marks and Kristina Train Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton revolutionized country music and blazed a trail for future generations of female artists. Each harnessed country music's rich storytelling tradition to offer their uniquely empowered - and unmistakably female - perspective on issues faced by […]
2024 GRAMMY Award Winner She’s written for the best of the best, penning hits for Brandi Carlile, Alicia Keys and Kacey Musgraves. She’s written for Broadway, where the hilariously charming musical Shucked charmed audiences. Now this CMA winner and 17-time Grammy nominee has a new album she’s written for herself, and it has made the “year’s best” […]
“Classical music doesn’t get much more life-enhancing than this.” -The Guardian Founded in 1975 in Budapest, Hungary, the legendary Takács Quartet counts among its many awards a Grammy, multiple Gramophone Awards and the BBC Music Magazine Awards Disc of the Year. “Rich and subtle playing…. Their sound draws you in from the first moment. The […]
“Classical music doesn’t get much more life-enhancing than this.” -The Guardian Founded in 1975 in Budapest, Hungary, the legendary Takács Quartet counts among its many awards a Grammy, multiple Gramophone Awards and the BBC Music Magazine Awards Disc of the Year. “Rich and subtle playing…. Their sound draws you in from the first moment. The […]
“The Chenault duo packs twice the punch. The Chenaults made tasteful and judicious use of the organ’s bountiful resources…and brought the audience to its feet.” -The Birmingham News Named "the World's Premier Duo-Organ Team" by The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, this husband-and-wife team dazzles at the keyboard, playing “as one excellent performer with four legs and four […]
"Turbulent, wildly colorful and exploding with life." - Washington Post Recently appointed Virginia Arts Festival Composer-In-Residence, Jessie Montgomery is recognized as a major force in contemporary classical music. Selected as Musical America's 2023 Composer of the Year, she has created works that The New York Times says are changing the American canon. Virginia Arts Festival patrons […]
Todd Stoll, director Catherine Russell, vocals Walter Blanding, tenor saxophone Presented by Virginia Arts Festival. A phenomenally gifted composer, band leader and pianist, Duke Ellington defined an era in jazz, shaping the sound of American music for more than 50 years. In fact, Ellington rejected being limited to jazz; he thought of his music as […]
“A festival for the eye and ear. Pure joy.” -ClevelandClassical.com This GRAMMY-winning ensemble “brings to life the music of the past for audiences of today, with passion—period.” Their slogan encompasses their mission, but not the overriding sense of joy and discovery they bring to every performance. Performing on historical instruments, they reveal the original glories […]
“A festival for the eye and ear. Pure joy.” -ClevelandClassical.com This GRAMMY-winning ensemble “brings to life the music of the past for audiences of today, with passion—period.” Their slogan encompasses their mission, but not the overriding sense of joy and discovery they bring to every performance. Performing on historical instruments, they reveal the original glories […]
Prepare to be blown away by these elementary to high school-age musicians! Virginia Arts Festival’s Rhythm Project is a world percussion ensemble that serves young people throughout Hampton Roads, teaching them discipline, responsibility, and creativity as they learn to perform together on steel pans. Over the program’s 26-year existence, Rhythm Project performers have opened for […]
This North Carolina-based band captivates audiences with their finely layered vocal harmonies and down-home sound, the product of impeccable artistry. Steeped in the traditions of mountain music, they make the old sound new, alive, and electrifying. Co-presented with North Shore Point House Concerts.
“There is only one Adrienne Warren.” – The New York Times Hampton Roads native Adrienne Warren leapt into the limelight with her Tony-nominated performance in Broadway’s Shuffle Along. She then won the Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, Antonyo, and Outer Critics Circle awards for her riveting portrayal of a rock/soul superstar in Broadway’s Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, and also […]
“She is an intoxicating and unmissable cocktail of power and vulnerability.” -The Times A Festival fan favorite, this singer, actor, playwright, author, and irresistibly dynamic performer wows audiences with her sultry, powerful performances, delivering “each song with an unwavering, exhilarating intensity and passion that pierces the air with a controlled recklessness sure to send shivers […]
"There is something about O'Donovan that can't be denied. Whether it be her easy demeanor or her effervescent writing, unique among her Americana peers, O'Donovan can always be trusted to provide an unforgettable show" (Third Coast Review). GRAMMY Award-winning artist Aoife O'Donovan operates in a thrilling musical world beyond genre, mixing folk, bluegrass, blues, and beyond […]
Hailed as a national treasure by Opera News, Anthony Davis has created a legacy of operas that have broken through a centuries-old color barrier to place stories from the history of African-Americans centerstage, including his X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, Amistad, and his newest work, The Central Park Five. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis has deep roots in Hampton Roads, […]
