Moss Arts Center: 2017-2018 Fall Guide

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“As musicians, we transcend technique in order to seek out the truths in our world in a way that gives meaning and sustenance to individuals and communities. That’s art for life’s sake.”

—Yo-Yo Ma

Art for life’s sake.

Welcome to the 2017-2018 season at the Moss Arts Center.

As we launch into the center’s fifth season, we are reminded daily of why we do the work we do. From the public performances by visiting artists, students, and faculty to the school-day matinees and hands-on youth programs, from gallery exhibitions, artist talks, and master classes to workshops and experimentation with new creative forms— meaningful work is happening throughout the Moss Arts Center all year long.

Our work, fueled by artists, means the most when shared across our community—when people of all ages, backgrounds, and from all walks of life participate and find new ways to connect with one another and the world.

We are excited about the year ahead, and we’re all in! We hope you will join us in celebrating the sustenance that the arts provide.

With warm regards, Ruth Waalkes Associate Provost for the Arts and Executive Director, Moss Arts Center

Season at a glance August

December

26 A Hokie Hi Event: DEMETRI MARTIN

9

September 7

A Hokie Hi Event: OMAR OFFENDUM, KARIM NAGI, + SABA TAJ

ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Holiday Pops

January 25 ALARM WILL SOUND, 1969

22 TANGO BUENOS AIRES, The Spirit of Argentina

28 L.A. THEATRE WORKS, The Mountaintop

28 CHERYL STRAYED, A WILD Life

February

October

3

6

10 MANUAL CINEMA, Ada/Ava

THIRD COAST PERCUSSION, Lyrical Geometry

HELSINGBORG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

13 LUCKY PLUSH PRODUCTIONS, Trip the Light Fantastic: The Making of SuperStrip

16 CHINA NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Chinese New Year Celebration

15 ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Masterworks Concert

23 DORRANCE DANCE, ETM: Double Down

20 FLIP FABRIQUE, Catch Me!

March

27 JENNY SCHEINMAN, Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait

3

November 3

NIYAZ, The Fourth Light Project

5

YO-YO MA, cello KATHRYN STOTT, piano

10 U.S. NAVY BAND COMMODORES

LIMÓN DANCE COMPANY

10 CIRCA, Carnival of the Animals 17 SALAAM: EXPLORING MUSLIM CULTURES 21 NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF CUBA 24 SARAH KOENIG + JULIE SNYDER, Binge-Worthy Journalism

16 BEO STRING QUARTET

April

29 THE TALLIS SCHOLARS

28 URBAN BUSH WOMEN, Hair and Other Stories

30 AWADAGIN PRATT, piano

May 4

MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA

DEMETRI A HOKIE HI EVENT

MARTIN

Demetri Martin started doing stand-up in New York City, became a staff writer at Late Night with Conan O’ Brien, and then became a regular on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In 2003 he won the Perrier Award at the International Fringe Festival for his first one-man show, If I. He has released two standup comedy albums and three hour-long specials, including Netflix’s Demetri Martin Live (At the Time). He had starred in his own series for Comedy Central, Important Things with Demetri Martin. He has appeared in feature films and television shows, including Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock and Showtime’s House of Lies. His books, This Is a Book by Demetri Martin and Point Your Face at This, are both New York Times best sellers. His fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Playboy, and Esquire.

Martin recently wrote and directed his first feature film, Dean.

He has brown hair and he is allergic to peanuts.

This is a Moss Arts Center Student Ambassadors’ Choice event.

This performance is supported in part by a gift from Bob and Susan Quisenberry.

Saturday, August 26, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre Theatre + Words $25 general admission $10 students and youth ages 18 and under

© UTA

A HOKIE HI EVENT

OMAR OFFENDUM, KARIM NAGI, + SABA TAJ

Omar Offendum is a Syrian-American hip-hop artist born in Saudi Arabia; raised in Washington, D.C.; and living in Los Angeles. He was one-half of The N.O.M.A.D.S., co-produced the critically acclaimed FREE-THE-P compilation, participated in the Arab Summit project, co-authored the Brooklyn Beats 2 Beirut Streets performance-lecture, and has been featured on major news outlets. Offendum has helped raise thousands of dollars for humanitarian relief organizations and has toured the world to perform his groundbreaking music, including his solo album, SyrianamericanA. Karim Nagim, a native Egyptian drummer, DJ, composer, and folk dancer, is the creator of Turbo Tabla and has released four internationally distributed CDs of his unique brand of Arab house/ electronica using acoustic instruments.

Saba Taj is a Pakistani-American artist and activist native to North Carolina. Drawing from her identity as a queer Muslim in the American South, her work challenges racism and xenophobia through empowered representations of people of color.

Through interdisciplinary practices, Taj explores hybrid identities, inherited trauma, and revolution.

This program is part of the Moss Arts Center project, SALAAM: Exploring Muslim Cultures. This project is made possible by a grant from the Association of Performing Arts Professionals; Building Bridges: Arts Culture and Identity, a component of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

Thursday, September 7, 2017, 7 PM Location TBD World Beats Free, open to the public, no tickets required

fahnenbild b, 2012 (detail) Oil on panel Collection of Francie Bishop Good and David Horritz

ikarus, 2010-2011 Oil paint and silkscreen on wood 27 1/2 x 86 5/8 inches Courtesy of the artist and CRG Gallery, New York

PIA

FRIES

Pia Fries (Swiss; based in Dusseldorf, Germany) is internationally acclaimed as an undaunted and intrepid painter, whose exuberant paintings integrate silkscreened facsimiles of 17thcentury Baroque and Mannerist prints and the gestural rigor and emotional depth of Abstract Expressionism with a contemporary sensibility. Fueled with formidable skill and an adventurous spirit, Fries’ paintings, characterized by audacious color and thick, pulsating pigment applied with brushes, spatulas, and palette knives, represent a hybrid fusion of painting and printmaking, figuration and abstraction, and tradition and innovation.

This exhibition presents a selection of paintings and prints from two renowned collections, the Pizzuti Collection and the Francie Bishop Good and David Horritz Collection, from the CRG Gallery in New York and Crown Point Press in San Francisco, respectively.

September 14-December 9, 2017 Ruth C. Horton Gallery OPENING RECEPTION Thursday, September 14, 2017, 5-7 PM Grand Lobby Free refreshments and cash bar visual expressions | artscenter.vt.edu

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ORDER + CHAOS

Two immersive works by artists Diana Thater (American, based in Los Angeles) and Talia Greene (American, based in Philadelphia) illuminate connections between human culture, conceptions of order, and nature through geometry, dimensionality, and movement as observed in the behavior of one of our planet’s most fascinating—and vulnerable—creatures: the honeybee.

September 14-December 9, 2017 Miles C. Horton Jr. Gallery and Sherwood Payne Quillen ’71 Reception Gallery OPENING RECEPTION Thursday, September 14, 2017, 5-7 PM Grand Lobby Free refreshments and cash bar JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Throughout the exhibition, join us for a series of talks by researchers, hobbyists, artists, and faculty on subjects related to bees, behavior, and geometry. To stay connected, follow us on Facebook or visit artscenter.vt.edu.

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artscenter.vt.edu | visual expressions

Left: Diana Thater knots + surfaces, 2001 5 video projectors, 16 video wall monitors, 6 DVD players, 1 synchronizer, and 6 DVDs Installation view, Dia Center for the Arts, New York, 2001 Courtesy of David Zwirner, New York/ London Right: (detail) Talia Greene Cross Pollination, 2013 Wallpaper installation Installation view, The Print Center, Philadelphia, 2013 Courtesy of the artist

VIRGINIA TECH

TRUMPET FESTIVAL: 5TH BRIDGE This School of Performing Arts performance features music for five trumpets and electronics.

Friday, September 15, 2017, 7:30 PM Cube $10 general, $7 students

Moss Arts Center | artscenter.vt.edu

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© CAMI

TANGO

SEASON OPENER

BUENOS AIRES The Spirit of Argentina

“...repeatedly crafted swirling, fast-paced tapestries of movement, laced with proud postures and sensual couplings.”

—The Washington Post

The alluring and distinctive movements of the tango captivates audiences with its grace and playfulness. Tango Buenos Aires is known throughout the Americas, Europe, and the Far East as the most authentic and uncompromising representative of the tango. One of Argentina’s greatest cultural exports, the ensemble’s 2017 tour features orchestra and dancers in a celebration and homage to “the King of Tango,” Carlos Gardel. One of the most prominent figures in the history of tango, Gardel died in an airplane crash at the height of his career, becoming an archetypal tragic hero mourned throughout Latin America. The program features a rich array of tango classics by numerous composers, from Gardel, himself, to Astor Piazzolla.

This performance is supported in part by a gift from Constance C. Cedras.

RELATED EVENTS Friday, September 22, 2017, following the performance TANGO IN THE CUBE Cube Led by Sapphire Ballroom and Dance Center

Friday, September 22, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre JOYFUL, GLOBAL (Argentina) World Beats

Following the performance by Tango Buenos Aires, learn to tango and dance the night away.

No experience necessary.

Category A $55 | Category B $40 | Category C $25 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

Free; admission first-come, first-served, but to guarantee your spot, register through the box office.

world beats | artscenter.vt.edu

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© Penguin Random House

CHERYL STRAYED A WILD Life

“[Wild is] spectacular . . . at once a breathtaking adventure tale and a profound meditation on the nature of grief and survival, ...both a literary and human triumph.”

—Dani Shapiro, New York Times Book Review

At 22, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail—alone. Strayed describes this trek in her #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, Wild, which was the basis of the Oscar-nominated movie of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. Strayed will discuss what she learned about how to bear the unbearable, how to move from grief and anger to acceptance, and how to keep walking even when it seems impossible to stand.

Strayed is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Tiny Beautiful Things and Brave Enough, as well as the novel Torch. Her essays have been published in The Best American Essays, the New York Times, the Washington Post Magazine, and Vogue. Strayed is the co-host, along with Steve Almond, of WBUR’s hit podcast Dear Sugar Radio.

Presented in partnership with the Department of English Visiting Writers Series Thursday, September 28, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre DEEPER Theatre + Words $25 general admission $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

RELATED EVENTS Thursday, September 28, 2017, 5 PM CRAFT TALK: CHERYL STRAYED Cube Learn about Cheryl Strayed’s approach to writing, and engage in an informal question-and-answer discussion with the visiting author.

Free; admission first-come, first-served, but to guarantee your seat, register through the box office.

Thursday, September 28, 2017, following the performance MEET THE ARTIST: CHERYL STRAYED Grand Lobby After A WILD Life, meet Cheryl Strayed at this book-signing event.

Strayed’s books will be available for purchase.

Free

theatre + words | artscenter.vt.edu

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© Saverio Truglia

RELATED EVENTS Wednesday, October 4, 2017, 10-11 AM SCHOOL-DAY PERFORMANCE THIRD COAST PERCUSSION: THINK OUTSIDE THE DRUM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre Pre-kindergarten through sixth grade Open to public and private schools, and homeschool families; tailored to the Virginia Standards of Learning

THIRD

COAST PERCUSSION Lyrical Geometry

“...commandingly elegant.”

—The New York Times

“Virtuosity and deft, precisely timed wit.”

—The Washington Post

Chicago-based Third Coast Percussion has forged a unique path in the musical landscape with virtuosic, energetic performances that celebrate the extraordinary depth and breadth of musical possibilities in the world of percussion.

Lyrical Geometry highlights the ensemble’s most exciting recent work, featuring music from their Grammy-winning 2016 album of Steve Reich’s work, new works written for the ensemble by acclaimed composers Glenn Kotche (band Wilco’s percussionist) and Augusta Read Thomas, and Third Coast Percussion’s own original music.

An introduction to the building blocks of music (rhythm, melody, and timbre) through active participation in a series of interactive activities, including clapping, singing, and a listening game. Students will learn about the extraordinary range of percussion instruments that can be found in cultures around the world, as well as in their own kitchen cabinets.

Free; registration required. To learn more and reserve your seats, visit thirdcoast.eventbrite.com.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017, 1-2 PM THIRD COAST PERCUSSION WORKSHOP: WAVES Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre Third through sixth grades Open to public and private schools, and homeschool families; tailored to the Virginia Standards of Learning

Friday, October 6, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre FRESH Chamber Expressions

The WAVES program (Wonder, Arts, Vibration, Engineering, Science) is an interactive educational presentation exploring the scientific and musical properties of sound waves. The four members of Third Coast Percussion perform music, teach students about sound waves using app-based technology and video projections, then pass out customdesigned percussion instruments to all audience members and teach the audience to perform a piece of music together with Third Coast Percussion.

Category A $45 | Category B $35 | Category C $20 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

Free; registration required. To learn more and reserve your seats, visit thirdcoastwaves.eventbrite.com.

This performance is supported in part by a gift from CY and Carole Davis.

chamber expressions | artscenter.vt.edu

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VIRGINIA TECH

WIND ENSEMBLE + SYMPHONY BAND

Join the Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band for an afternoon of wind band masterworks and contemporary compositions in this School of Performing Arts performance.

Sunday, October 8, 2017, 3 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre $10 general, $7 students

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artscenter.vt.edu | Moss Arts Center

LUCKY

PLUSH PRODUCTIONS Trip the Light Fantastic: The Making of SuperStrip Follow a group of washed up superheroes as they try to reinvent themselves in a non-profit think tank for do-gooders with dance-theatre company Lucky Plush. The group brings its signature blend of nuanced dialogue, complex choreography, and off-the-cuff improvisation in Trip the Light Fantastic: The Making of SuperStrip. Drawing from classic pulp novels and comic books in a blend of dance, theatre, and visual design, the event moves between live performance and projected video.

Founder Julia Rhoads leads her dancers in expression that honors the vaudevillian humor and physical skills of a Keaton or Chaplin put to service for 21st-century audiences.

Friday, October 13, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre FRESH Theatre + Words

Category A $45 | Category B $35 | Category C $20 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available RELATED EVENTS Friday, October 13, 2017, 6 PM LOBBY DISPLAY: NONPROFIT SUPERHEROES OF THE NEW RIVER VALLEY GRAND LOBBY Before experiencing Lucky Plush Productions’ Trip the Light Fantastic: The Making of SuperStrip, engage with some of the New River Valley’s very own nonprofit superheroes and learn about the work of their organizations.

Presented in collaboration with the Community Foundation of the New River Valley Free

ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Masterworks Concert

David Stewart Wiley, artistic director and conductor Jeffrey Biegel, piano Celebrate the 2017-2018 season opening of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra with this special appearance in Blacksburg. Under the baton of Maestro David Stewart Wiley, the orchestra performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 5, Emperor, in E Minor, op. 73, with guest pianist Jeffrey Biegel. The second half of the evening features Brahms’ Symphony no. 4 in E Minor.

This performance is supported in part by a gift from Mike and Candi Kelly.

Sunday, October 15, 2017, 3 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre TIMELESS Orchestral Sounds Category A $55 | Category B $40 | Category C $25 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

RELATED EVENTS Sunday, October 15, 2017, 2 PM LISTEN IN THE LOBBY: PIANO Grand Lobby Prior to the performance by the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, enjoy classical piano works performed by Virginia Tech music students.

Free

orchestral sounds | artscenter.vt.edu

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© CAMI

FLIP

FABRIQUE Catch Me!

“Flip FabriQue projects an irrepressible spirit of fun and, yes, it’s catching.”

—The New York Times

Movement, strength, and gravity-defying athleticism are bound together by the deep friendships of the performers in Flip FabriQue. The company was created in 2011 by six graduates of Quebec City Circus School, who performed with esteemed companies around the world, such as Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Éloize. Their collaborative approach spotlights each performer’s qualities and strengths to create pure magic on stage. Catch Me! combines spectacular acrobatics, a one-of-a-kind trampowall, and humor in an evening of spellbinding fun. Leave your troubles behind and settle into an astonishing, lively show that will leave you smiling from ear to ear.

RELATED EVENTS Friday, October 20, 2017, 10-11 AM SCHOOL-DAY PERFORMANCE: FLIP FABRIQUE Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre First through fifth grades Open to public and private schools, and homeschool families; tailored to the Virginia Standards of Learning

Friday, October 20, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre JOYFUL Dance + Motion

Since the Moss Arts Center’s opening in 2013, nearly 15,000 students, teachers, and families have participated in the center’s free pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade arts activities.

Category A $55 | Category B $40 | Category C $25 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

Free; registration required. To learn more and reserve your seats, visit flipfabrique.eventbrite.com.

dance + motion | artscenter.vt.edu

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VIRGINIA TECH

FALL CHOIR SHOWCASE

The Virginia Tech Chamber Singers, Tech Men, and Women’s Chorus share the stage for an afternoon of inspiring, entertaining harmony in this School of Performing Arts performance.

Sunday, October 22, 2017, 4 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre $10 general, $7 students

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artscenter.vt.edu | Moss Arts Center

JENNY

SCHEINMAN

Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait

Captivating visuals from small towns in the 1930s and ’40s are set to an original live score created by composer, singer, and violinist Jenny Scheinman. Depression-era filmmaker H. Lee Waters documented more than 118 small towns in the southeastern United States between 1936 and 1942. He filmed regular people going about their lives—mill workers streaming out of factories, a mother and daughter dancing on a dirt road.

Scheinman’s score of folk songs and fiddle music accompany this footage in a new film by director Finn Taylor. Iconic images set to Scheinman’s music speak deeply to us today, as they did to the towns portrayed at the time.

This performance is supported in part by a gift from Don and Libby Drapeau.

Friday, October 27, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre DEEPER Images + Sound

Category A $45 | Category B $35 | Category C $20 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available RELATED EVENTS Friday, October 27, 2017, 6 PM LOBBY DISPLAY: LIFE IN BLACKSBURG, 1930-1949 Grand Lobby What did everyday life look like in Blacksburg in the 1930s and ‘40s?

Experience photographs and artifacts from the period.

Presented in partnership with the Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation and Virginia Tech Libraries Special Collections Free

NEW RIVER VALLEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Join the New River Valley Symphony Orchestra, made up primarily of Virginia Tech student musicians, for an evening of orchestral masterworks in this School of Performing Arts performance.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre $10 general admission, $7 students

Moss Arts Center | artscenter.vt.edu

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NIYAZ The Fourth Light Project Azam Ali, vocals

“Their journey across oceans can be heard in their music...this is an interesting blend of modern electronica with traditional folk songs and Sufi mysticism... Los Angeles meets New Delhi meets Tehran.”

—NPR Weekend Edition

Music can be a universal line of communication, highlighting shared human values and a desire for unity. Iranian-American ensemble Niyaz embraces this idea, connecting the East and the West through their music—serving as a sanctuary in the modern world of polarized ideologies and bridging the gap of understanding and tolerance. This groundbreaking new show, based on their album, The Fourth Light, is a live musical and sacred dance performance, combined with interactive technologies and advanced projection and body-mapping techniques that respond to sound and movement in real time. Created in collaboration with interactive designer and visual artist Jerome Delapierre, The Fourth Light provides a unique narrative and an immersive, multi-sensory experience.

This program is part of the Moss Arts Center project, SALAAM: Exploring Muslim Cultures. This project is made possible by a grant from the Association of Performing Arts Professionals; Building Bridges: Arts, Culture and Identity, a component of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

RELATED EVENTS Friday, November 3, 2017, 6:30 PM TALK: FEMINISM, SUFISM, AND MUSIC Cube Nadine Sinno, Ph.D., assistant professor of Arabic, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures Anne Elise Thomas, Ph.D., ethnomusicologist

Friday, November 3, 2017, 8 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre DEEPER, GLOBAL World Beats

Before the performance, join Nadine Sinno and Anne Elise Thomas in this discussion on feminism, Sufism, and music and the enduring legacy of Rabia Al Basri, the central figure of Niyaz’s Fourth Light Project.

Category A $45 | Category B $35 | Category C $20 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

Free; admission first-come, first-served, but to guarantee your seat, register through the box office.

world beats | artscenter.vt.edu

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VIRGINIA TECH

SCIENCE FESTIVAL

The Virginia Tech Science Festival, co-presented by the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology; other partners at Virginia Tech; and the Science Museum of Southwest Virginia, is an expo-style, familyfriendly event. Science is bigger than you think! The festival provides families with hands-on experiences, interactive demonstrations, and techno entertainment that will inspire a wonder in science for all ages. Meet scientists and researchers who solve all kinds of problems.

Saturday, November 4, 2017, 10 AM-4 PM Throughout the Moss Arts Center and Newman Library Free

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artscenter.vt.edu | Moss Arts Center

YO-YO MA, CELLO KATHRYN STOTT, PIANO

With a discography of more than 100 albums, including 18 Grammy Award winners, Yo-Yo Ma has a multifaceted career that serves as a testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences and to his personal desire for artistic growth and renewal. Ma’s friend and musical collaborator for more than 30 years, British pianist Kathryn Stott, also shares a vast repertory, international connections, and a keen interest in contemporary music. Their program will include works from Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninoff.

This performance is supported in part by gifts from the Chachra Family, the Easels, and Ken and Mary Ann Walker.

Sunday, November 5, 2017, 3 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre TIMELESS Chamber Expressions

SOLD OUT RELATED EVENTS Sunday, November 5, 2017, 2 PM LISTEN IN THE LOBBY: LOW STRING ENSEMBLE Grand Lobby Directly before the performance by Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott, enjoy chamber music performed by Virginia Tech student cellists and bassists in the Low String Ensemble.

Free

Š Todd Rosenberg

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artscenter.vt.edu | Moss Arts Center

U.S. NAVY

BAND COMMODORES

Jazz is America’s music, and the U.S. Navy Band Commodores, the Navy’s premier jazz ensemble, have been performing the very best of big band jazz for over 40 years. This 18-member group continues the legacy with some of the finest musicians in the world, providing public concerts, national concert tours, ceremonial support in honoring our veterans, jazz education classes and clinics, and protocol performances for high-level military and civilian government officials. Their concerts are an eclectic mix of traditional big band music, jazz vocal arrangements, and fresh new instrumental music written specifically for the Commodores of today.

Friday, November 10, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre JOYFUL Free, tickets required; tickets available through the box office beginning October 10, 2017, and are limited to 4 tickets per order

VIRGINIA TECH

JAZZ ENSEMBLES with guest Chad Eby, saxophone

The Virginia Tech Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Lab Band present an evening of jazz classics in this School of Performing Arts performance, featuring guest artist Chad Eby, saxophone.

Saturday, November 11, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre $10 general, $7 students

Moss Arts Center | artscenter.vt.edu

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BEO

RELATED EVENTS

STRING QUARTET

“Easy-going, stylish, and vehemently precise: how music should always be and how the Beo [String] Quartet plays.”

—Alejandro Rutty, University of North Carolina Greensboro

Four musicians, endlessly passionate about their art, share their dedication to the continued understanding, exploration, and love of music. The Beo String Quartet is a 21st century music ensemble that performs the masterpieces of the string quartet repertoire, collaborates with living composers and engages new listeners. Beo has developed a reputation for their enthusiasm and dedication to new music. This concert will include classic repertory juxtaposed with new compositions from the ensemble, as well as from Charles Nichols, assistant professor in Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Arts, Department of Music.

This performance is supported in part by a gift from David A. West and Lindsay B. West.

Thursday, November 16, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre FRESH Chamber Expressions Category A $45 | Category B $35 | Category C $20 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

Wednesday, November 15, 2017, 10-11 AM SCHOOL-DAY PERFORMANCE: BEO STRING QUARTET Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre Third through eighth grades Open to public and private schools, and homeschool families; tailored to the Virginia Standards of Learning Since the Moss Arts Center’s opening in 2013, nearly 15,000 students, teachers, and families have participated in the center’s free pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade arts activities.

Free; registration required. To learn more and reserve your seats, visit beo.eventbrite.com.

Thursday, November 16, 2017, following the performance POST-PERFORMANCE QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSION Cube After experiencing Beo String Quartet’s performance, engage with the guest artists in this informal question-and-answer discussion.

Free

chamber expressions | artscenter.vt.edu

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© Clive Barda

THE TALLIS SCHOLARS

“The Tallis Scholars vocal ensemble seems to have a direct line to heaven inspiring reverence for the power of the human vocal chords to echo spiritual realms.”

—Australian Stage

Ten a cappella voices combine to produce the beautiful sounds of Renaissance sacred vocal music. Founded in 1973 by director Peter Phillips, the Tallis Scholars bring Renaissance works to audiences throughout the world.

Career highlights include tours of China in 1999 and 2014 and the privilege of performing in the Sistine Chapel in April 1994 to mark the final stage of the complete restoration of the Michelangelo frescoes. This concert program commemorates the 500-year anniversary of composer Heinrich Isaac’s death. Isaac was one of the leading and most prolific composers of the Flemish School in the late 15th century, renowned for his masses and sacred music.

This performance is supported in part by a gift from Jack and Sandy Davis.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre TIMELESS, GLOBAL (United Kingdom) Chamber Expressions Category A $55 | Category B $40 | Category C $25 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

RELATED EVENTS Wednesday, November 29, 2017, following the performance MEET THE ARTIST: TALLIS SCHOLARS Grand Lobby After the performance, meet members of the Tallis Scholars at this CD-signing event.

Free

chamber expressions | artscenter.vt.edu

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© Rob Davidson

AWADAGIN PRATT, PIANO

“…Pratt played in the grand manner, employing large but convincing rubati and a huge range of tempo and dynamics; he commanded a staggering sound.”

—The Boston Musical Intelligencer

Pianist Awadagin Pratt has achieved high acclaim for his musical insight and performances. At the Peabody Conservatory of Music he became the first student in the school’s history to receive diplomas in three performance areas—piano, violin, and conducting. Pratt won the 1992 Naumburg International Piano Competition and two years later received an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Since then he has played numerous recitals and orchestral performances across the U.S. He has recorded with the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Zuill Bailey, and the Harlem Quartet, in addition to solo recording projects. Pratt is professor of piano at the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) at the University of Cincinnati, artistic director of the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, and artistic director of the Art of the Piano Festival at CCM. This performance is supported in part by a gift from Intimate Voices.

Thursday, November 30, 2017, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre TIMELESS Chamber Expressions $20 general admission $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under, 20%-30% subscription discounts available

RELATED EVENTS Thursday, November 30, 2017, 6 PM TALK: AWADAGIN PRATT Cube Before Awadagin Pratt performs in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, engage with him during this informal talk.

Presented in partnership with the Lifelong Learning Institute at Virginia Tech Free; registration required. To reserve your seat, contact the box office.

chamber expressions | artscenter.vt.edu

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ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Holiday Pops

David Stewart Wiley, artistic director and conductor The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra returns with everyone’s annual favorite, the Holiday Pops program. Gather your friends and family, and celebrate the season with a merry musical program for audiences of all ages.

Presented in partnership with the New River Valley Friends of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.

Saturday, December 9, 2017, 4 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre JOYFUL Orchestral Sounds Category A $75 | Category B $60 | Category C $40 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

VIRGINIA TECH

WIND ENSEMBLE + SYMPHONY BAND Join the Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band for an afternoon of wind band masterworks and contemporary compositions in this School of Performing Arts performance.

Sunday, December 10, 2017, 3 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre $10 general, $7 students

Moss Arts Center | artscenter.vt.edu

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VIRGINIA TECH

STRING PROJECT

Students from the Virginia Tech String Project perform their annual fall concert in this School of Performing Arts performance. The Virginia Tech String Project is a non-profit instructional program dedicated to offering affordable string instrument instruction to elementary students while training future string music educators.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 7 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre Free

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artscenter.vt.edu | Moss Arts Center

RAY KASS

Still Life 8-23-2014, 2014 Water media, oil emulsion, and dry pigment on rag paper under beeswax mounted on panel and framed in recessed white maple 32 x 58 1/2 inches Courtesy of the artist

A prominent Virginia artist with a long record of national and international exhibitions, Ray Kass is well known not only for the quality and breadth of his art but as a pivotal, even catalytic figure who over the years brought luminaries of the art world, including John Cage, to our region and influenced generations of artists. This exhibition highlights exemplary work from Kass’ prolific career, ranging from his large-scale, multi-panel Polyptch (1961-2003) paintings to his most recent Still Lifes (2015-2018), created with stencils in an inventive layering of water media, oil emulsion, and dry pigment on rag paper.

January 18-March 31, 2018 Miles C. Horton Jr. Gallery and Sherwood Payne Quillen ’71 Reception Gallery visual expressions | artscenter.vt.edu

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artscenter.vt.edu | Moss Arts Center

VIRGINIA TECH

HONOR BAND BAND-A-RAMA

This School of Performing Arts concert for the participants of Honor Band Weekend features the Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, and Marching Virginians; open to all.

Friday, January 19, 2018, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre Free

VIRGINIA TECH

HONOR BAND FINAL CONCERT

This School of Performing Arts performance features approximately 400 high school musicians in four different ensembles; open to all.

Sunday, January 21, 2018, 1 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre Free

Moss Arts Center | artscenter.vt.edu

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Š Michal Ramus

ALARM

WILL SOUND 1969

“…a tightly scripted, continuously morphing collage of music, dialogue, and visual images that explores the compositional and political currents that swirled in the late 1960s and continue to resonate.”

—The New York Times

Just over 45 years ago, the Beatles and composer Karlheinz Stockhausen were fabled to have arranged to meet in New York City to plan a joint concert. No such performance would ever take place, but its tantalizing promise is the departure point for Alarm Will Sound’s 1969. Told through their own words, music, and images, 1969 is the story of great musicians—John Lennon, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Paul McCartney, Luciano Berio, Yoko Ono, and Leonard Bernstein—striving for new music and a new world amidst the turmoil of the late 1960s. Alarm Will Sound is a 20-member band committed to innovative performances and recordings of today’s music. The versatility of the group allows it to take on music from a wide variety of styles ranging from the arch-modernist to the pop-influenced.

Thursday, January 25, 2018, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre DEEPER Images + Sound

Category A $45 | Category B $35 | Category C $20 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

images + sound | artscenter.vt.edu

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L.A. THEATRE WORKS The Mountaintop

“It is a relationship that is breathtaking, hilarious, and heart-stopping in its exchanges and in its speedy ability to reveal character and pull the audience into the ring.”

—The Independent, London

On the evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated outside room 306 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.

What happened inside room 306 the night before is a mystery.

In this internationally acclaimed play, author Katori Hall imagines what may have transpired in the overnight hours between the legendary civil rights leader and a seemingly inconsequential hotel maid. Winner of the Olivier Award for Best New Play, The Mountaintop is rife with humor and political jabs, giving a glimpse at the human side of Martin Luther King Jr. Hours after his famed final speech, punctuated by the immortal line, “I’ve been to the mountaintop,” Dr. King reveals his hopes, regrets, and fears, creating a masterful bridge between mortality and immortality. The Mountaintop premiered in London in 2009 and subsequently ran on Broadway, starring Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson. The program contains some mature language.

Colors VA is the media sponsor for this event.

Sunday, January 28, 2018, 4 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre DEEPER Theatre + Words Category A $45 | Category B $35 | Category C $20 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

HELSINGBORG

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Stefan Solyom, music director Catherine Manoukian, violin

“The Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra…play with an intensity untempered by discretion. Must be heard.”

—Norman Lebrecht, sinfinimusic.com

Enjoy an all-Beethoven program performed by one of Sweden’s most venerated orchestras, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra.

Founded in 1912, its principal conductors have included Sten Frykberg, John Frandsen, Okko Kamu, and Andrew Manze.

Manze has recorded symphonies by Beethoven and Brahms with the orchestra. In addition to regular guest appearances on major Scandinavian stages, the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra has had many successes at prominent European venues. Violinist Catherine Manoukian, who began her career at age 12 with a Vancouver Symphony debut, has been praised for her innate musicality and imaginative artistry on orchestral, chamber music, and recital stages. The Beethoven pieces featured in this program will include the Egmont Overture, op. 84; Violin Concerto in D Major, op. 61, featuring Manoukian; and Symphony no. 3, Eroica, op. 55.

Saturday, February 3, 2018, 4 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre TIMELESS, GLOBAL (Sweden) Orchestral Sounds Category A $75 | Category B $60 | Category C $40 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

© CAMI

© Yi Zhao

MANUAL CINEMA Ada/Ava

“…this Chicago troupe is conjuring phantasms to die for in an unclassifiable story of spectral beauty…”

—The New York Times Critics’ Pick

The cinema experience is transformed, infused with liveliness, ingenuity, and theatricality by Manual Cinema, a performance collective, design studio, and film and video production company founded in 2010. They combine handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive visual stories for stage and screen. Using vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, multi-channel sound design, and live music, Manual Cinema presents Ada/Ava, the story of 70+ year old Ada who, bereaved of her twin sister, Ava, solitarily marks time in the patterns of a life built for two.

However, a traveling carnival and a trip to a mirror maze plunges her into a journey across the thresholds of life and death. Set in a landscape of the New England gothic, Ada/Ava uses a story of the fantastic and supernatural to explore mourning and melancholy, self, and other.

Saturday, February 10, 2018, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre FRESH Images + Sound

Category A $45 | Category B $35 | Category C $20 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

images + sound | artscenter.vt.edu

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© Feng Hai

CHINA NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Chinese New Year Celebration

Tan Dun, artistic director and conductor Sandy Cameron, violin Liu Wenwen, suona “[Tan Dun’s] language, a mix of Hollywood grandeur and primal, percussive vitality, was consistent throughout the evening, yet each segment had its own distinct sound.”

—Sydney Morning Herald

Celebrate the Chinese New Year at the Moss Arts Center with a vibrant performance by the China National Symphony Orchestra that blends sounds from East and West and includes imagery from multiple sources, such as the China National Shadow Puppet Theatre. Founded as the Central Philharmonic Orchestra of China in 1956, this special evening with the orchestra features renowned composer, conductor, and Honorary Artistic Director Tan Dun on the podium. Dun has transcended stylistic and cultural boundaries to become one of the world’s most famous composers. Stravinsky’s Fireworks and The Firebird, which will serve as bookends to works by Guan Xia and Dun, including Dun’s The Martial Arts Trilogy, based on his Academy Award-winning scores for films The Banquet, Hero, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Friday, February 16, 2018, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre JOYFUL, GLOBAL (China) Orchestral Sounds Category A $75 | Category B $60 | Category C $40 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available View special seating charts for this performance at artscenter.vt.edu.

orchestral sounds | artscenter.vt.edu

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© Matthew Murphy

DORRANCE DANCE

ETM: Double Down

Michelle Dorrance, artistic director “[F]resh and innovative… When ETM: Double Down is rocking, Dorrance Dance is one big band.”

—The New York Times

The unique and powerful history of tap dance is presented in a new and dynamic context by Dorrance Dance, a dance company that upholds the tradition of tap, while simultaneously pushing it rhythmically, technically, and conceptually. ETM: Double Down is a collaboration between Dorrance and company member Nicholas Van Young. The show incorporates his electronic tap boards, which turn the entire stage into an instrument. ETM stands for “electronic tap music,” giving a nod to electronic dance music. Founded in 2011 by artistic director and 2015 MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance, the company’s inaugural performance garnered a Bessie Award for “blasting open our notions of tap.” Since then, the company has received countless accolades and performed across the U.S. and in Europe.

This performance is supported in part by a gift from Sherwood Quillen.

RELATED EVENTS Friday, February 23, 2017, 10-11 AM SCHOOL-DAY PERFORMANCE: DORRANCE DANCE Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre Sixth through twelfth grades Open to public and private schools, and homeschool families; tailored to the Virginia Standards of Learning

Friday, February 23, 2018, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre FRESH Dance + Motion

Since the Moss Arts Center’s opening in 2013, nearly 15,000 students, teachers, and families have participated in the center’s free pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade arts activities.

Category A $55 | Category B $40 | Category C $25 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

Free; registration required. To learn more and reserve your seats, visit dorrance.eventbrite.com.

dance + motion | artscenter.vt.edu

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VIRGINIA TECH

WIND ENSEMBLE + SYMPHONY BAND

Join the Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band for an afternoon of wind band masterworks and contemporary compositions in this School of Performing Arts performance.

Sunday, February 25, 2018, 3 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre $10 general, $7 students

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artscenter.vt.edu | Moss Arts Center

LIMÓN

DANCE COMPANY

Colin Connor, artistic director

“All the performers have a beautiful understanding of Limón’s rich, strong style and the curving gestures that suspend—as in a caught breath—yet acknowledge the pull of the earth.”

—The Village Voice

Acclaimed for its dramatic expression, technical mastery, and expansive, yet nuanced movement, the Limón Dance Company illustrates the timelessness of José Limón’s work and vision. The company has been in the vanguard of dance since its inception in 1946, distinguishing itself as the first dance group to tour internationally under the auspices of the State Department and the first modern dance company to perform at Lincoln Center in New York. The company is the living legacy of dance theatre developed by Limón and his mentors, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman, whose innovative works revolutionized American dance. Thematically, founder Limón possessed a social awareness that transcended distinct groups to address the search for commonality, earning him a special place in American culture. His works continue to influence the evolution of the art form more than 40 years after his passing. This program will feature the company’s historic repertoire by founders Humphrey and Limón.

Saturday, March 3, 2018, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre TIMELESS Dance + Motion

Category A $55 | Category B $40 | Category C $25 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

© Beatriz Schiller

CIRCA Carnival of the Animals Yaron Lifschitz, artistic director

The lines between movement, dance, theatre, and circus are beautifully blurred by the Circa carnival and its whimsical tales of creatures of land and sea, who tumble, fly, leap, and spin their way through the many wondrous worlds of the animal kingdom. Since 2004 the Australia-based Circa has been at the frontier of new circus, creating powerful works that challenge, thrill, and delight. Carnival of the Animals whisks you away on a thrilling escapade inspired by the music of Camille Saint-Saëns.

A delightful salute to feathers, fur, and fins, Circa’s acrobats bring this classical music suite to life for a new generation of circus, music, and animal lovers. A work of sophisticated and delightful family entertainment, it is at once both contemporary and old world and amazes, amuses, and uplifts.

Saturday, March 10, 2018, 2 PM Saturday, March 10, 2018, 7 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre JOYFUL, GLOBAL (Australia) Dance + Motion $20 general admission $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under, 20%-30% subscription discounts available

© Justin Nicolas

© Jim Thomas © Andrew Swaine

SALAAM:

EXPLORING MUSLIM CULTURES PERFORMANCE

The Moss Arts Center celebrates the voices and creative work of Virginia Tech students, developed in collaboration with visiting artists Omar Offendum, Saba Taj, and Karim Nagi throughout the 2017-2018 academic year.

This program is part of the Moss Arts Center project, SALAAM: Exploring Muslim Cultures. This project is made possible by a grant from the Association of Performing Arts Professionals; Building Bridges: Arts Culture and Identity, a component of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

© Samra Habib

Saturday, March 17, 2018, 8 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre GLOBAL World Beats Free, no tickets required

world beats | artscenter.vt.edu

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VIRGINIA TECH

SPRING CHOIR SHOWCASE The Virginia Tech Chamber Singers, Tech Men, and Women’s Chorus share the stage for an afternoon of inspiring and entertaining harmony in this School of Performing Arts performance.

Sunday, March 18, 2018, 4 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre $10 general, $7 students

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artscenter.vt.edu | Moss Arts Center

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF

CUBA

Enrique Pérez-Mesa, conductor Featuring the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medalist, piano “The National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba can play symphonies… and play them well. But what is special is when the musicians make like a big dance band from the Tropicana… and play classical music with an Afro-Cuban beat.”

—Tampa Bay Times

Direct from Havana, the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba brings a Latin-flavored and dance-inspired program that includes Ravel’s Boléro; other great Latin works from de Falla, Farinas, and Roldan; and a piano concerto performed by the 2017 Cliburn gold medalist. Since its inception in 1960 the NSO of Cuba has been instrumental in developing and introducing Cuban and Latin American music to the international classical music community.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre TIMELESS, GLOBAL (Cuba) Orchestral Sounds

Category A $75 | Category B $60 | Category C $40 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

© Rodger Mallison

SHAKESPEARE’S GARDEN:

AN IMMERSIVE SOUND STROLL THROUGH HIS SONNETS + SOLILOQUIES Using the spatial audio capabilities of the Cube, this project creates an immersive theatrical experience. Actively engaged in their own exploration of Shakespeare’s garden, small groups of audience members follow a meandering path through the space. As they stroll, audience members hear Shakespearean sonnets and soliloquies performed by Virginia Tech theatre students. The selections are curated and directed by Amanda Nelson, assistant professor of theatre, and Natasha Staley, associate professor of voice and performance. The performance includes sounds of the garden with original music composed by Charles Nichols, assistant professor of composition and creative technologies and a faculty affiliate at the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology.

Thursday-Saturday, March 22-24, 2018, 7:30 PM Saturday, March 24, 2018, 2 PM Cube Free; admission first-come, first-served, but to guarantee your seat, register through the box office.

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artscenter.vt.edu | Moss Arts Center

SARAH KOENIG + JULIE SNYDER Binge-Worthy Journalism

“[Serial] was a true cultural phenomenon, and radio was once again front and center in our daily lives.”

—Ewan McGregor

Award-winning podcast Serial has become an internet sensation, downloaded more than 300 million times since it launched in 2014. Sarah Koenig, host and co-creator of Serial, began her career as a newspaper reporter and in 2004 became a producer for the radio show This American Life.

Julie Snyder is co-creator of Serial and executive producer of the Serial production S-Town. In 2013 Snyder and Koenig decided to try something new: making a show that does not follow the usual format of a different story every week, but instead making a show that covers one story over the course of an entire season. The format meant they could use all the tools of narrative journalism to report an in-depth story that featured twists, turns, tangents, and suspense along the way. Serial has received several awards, including the Peabody, Edward R. Murrow, duPont-Columbia, and Scripps Howard Awards and the Silver Gavel Award for Media and the Arts.

Saturday, March 24, 2018, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre FRESH Theatre + Words

$25 general admission $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

© Sandy Honig

EXPOSITION V:

CINESCAPES

Join talented students and faculty for a stunning musical showcase of choral and instrumental music in this School of Performing Arts performance of classical music made famous (or infamous) through its inclusion in film.

Sunday, March 25, 2018, 4 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre $25 general, $20 seniors, $5 students

MUSIC ON

MONDAYS

This School of Performing Arts performance features guest artist Jennifer Parker-Harley, flute, and associate professor of music Tracy Cowden, piano.

Monday, April 2, 2018, 7:30 PM Cube $15 general, $10 seniors, $5 students

VIRGINIA TECH

PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE

The Virginia Tech Percussion Ensemble, directed by Annie Stevens, assistant professor, percussion, School of Performing Arts will perform various works featuring a multitude of percussion instruments, including Mallet Quartet by Steve Reich. Utilizing many of the spatial audio capabilities of the Cube, they will also present the world premiere of Marimbas Everywhere

by Eric Lyon, associate professor of music at Virginia Tech.

Saturday, April 14, 2018, 7:30 PM Cube $10 general, $5 students

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artscenter.vt.edu | Moss Arts Center

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST:

A TRIVIAL COMEDY FOR SERIOUS PEOPLE

Virginia Tech students and faculty in the School of Performing Arts present this favorite Oscar Wilde satire. 1890s London sets the stage for two fun-loving bachelor friends that have both taken the pseudonym Ernest to escape from their social responsibilities. When they both fall in love with two women using the same name, hilarity ensues.

Wednesday-Saturday, April 18-21, 2018, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre $12, $10 seniors/students

Moss Arts Center | artscenter.vt.edu

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© Christopher Duggan, courtesy Jacobs Pillow Dance

URBAN BUSH WOMEN

Hair and Other Stories

Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, artistic director For more than 30 years, choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s company has given expression to the vitality and boldness of African American women. Hair and Other Stories is a multidisciplinary work addressing matters of race, gender identity, and economic inequality in the lives of African American women. The company has made an indelible mark on the field with bold, innovative, demanding, and exciting works that challenge long-held assumptions about women, people of color, body types, movement styles, society, and history. The company weaves contemporary dance, music, and text with the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of African Americans and the African diaspora.

This program was made possible in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Saturday, April 28, 2018, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre DEEPER Dance + Motion Category A $45 | Category B $35 | Category C $20 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

dance + motion | artscenter.vt.edu

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FESTIVAL OF

BANDS

Join the Virginia Tech Campus Band, Symphony Band, Wind Ensemble, and Highty-Tighties, as well as the Blacksburg Community Band, for an afternoon of band music in this School of Performing Arts performance. Come enjoy part or all of this music-filled afternoon!

Sunday, April 29, 2018, 3 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre $10 general, $7 students

Moss Arts Center | artscenter.vt.edu

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ICAT

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION DAY

Learn more about the research happening at the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT). Meet the faculty and students who are crossing the boundaries of science, engineering, arts, and design to develop new possibilities for exploration, expression, and creativity.

Monday, April 30, 2018, 10 AM-4 PM Throughout the Moss Arts Center Free

Moss Arts Center | artscenter.vt.edu

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NEW RIVER VALLEY

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA + COMBINED CHOIRS The New River Valley Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Tech Combined Choirs, and the Blacksburg Master Chorale join forces to present Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana in this School of Performing Arts performance.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre $10 general, $7 students

VIRGINIA TECH

STRING PROJECT

Students from the Virginia Tech String Project perform their annual spring concert in this School of Performing Arts performance. The Virginia Tech String Project is a non-profit instructional program dedicated to offering affordable string instrument instruction to elementary students while training future string music educators.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018, 7 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre Free

Moss Arts Center | artscenter.vt.edu

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MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA “Maria Schneider is a national treasure.”

—National Public Radio

The music of Maria Schneider blurs the lines between genres and is described as evocative, majestic, and magical. The recipient of two Grammy Awards in 2016 and one of very few artists to have received the award in both jazz and classical categories, Schneider’s commissioners are quite varied, stretching from Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, Monterey Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra to her Grammy-winning collaboration with David Bowie. In 1994 she founded the 17-member Maria Schneider Orchestra, which features some of the finest jazz musicians today.

This performance is supported in part by gifts received in memory of Michael Hyer.

Friday, May 4, 2018, 7:30 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre TIMELESS World Beats Category A $55 | Category B $40 | Category C $25 $10 students with ID and youth 18 and under 20%-30% subscription discounts available

world beats | artscenter.vt.edu

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COMMENCEMENT

CONCERT

With music from the 2017-2018 school year, as well as some Virginia Tech classics, the Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble performs a free Commencement Concert sponsored by the Office of the President and the School of Performing Arts; open to all.

Wednesday, May 9, 2018, 6 PM Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre Free

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Seating chart Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre These seating charts show the three levels and ticket pricing structure for most of our performances.

Please contact the Moss Arts Center box office at 540-231-5300 with any questions.

STAGE STAGE

STAGE

AA29

AA1 10

BB29

BB1

CC30

CC1

DD26

DD1

A28

A1

10

B29

B1 15

C30

C1

D26

D1

EVEN

E14 E2

G14

F2

H14 R26

G2 H2

J12 K12

S24

L10

EVEN T22

M6

L2

H1 J1

K101

K1

L116

L101 M101

P112

S2

T125 V2

J11

A1B1

B1C1

C48 B49

U17

C1D1

D49 C48

S1 R101 S101

25 E1

E48

T101 U101 V101

D1E1

E48 D49

V7 T1 U1

25

V1

V106

111

25 25

STAGE STAGE

ORCHESTRA

MEZZANINE MEZZANINE

BX 326332 BX 326332

EVEN

ORCHESTRA

BX 331325 BX 331325 BX 323317 BX 323317

BX 318324 BX 318324

EVEN

ODD ODD

BX 205201 BX 205201

A1

A48 B49

T21

R1

111

A48

ODD

L1 M1 M5

U128 V129 V124

S23

L9

N101 108

BX 206202 BX 206202

R25

K11

P101

R122 S125

T2 U2

H13

G1

J101

M115

G13

F1

F101

H101

N114 R2

E101

G101

H115

K115

M2

108

G116

K2

U18

V8

E116 F115

J116

J2

BX 107101

F13

E1

BX 207213 BX 207213

BX 214208 BX 214208

E13

F14

BX 221215 BX 221215

EVEN

15 BX 108102

BX 229223 BX 229223

BX 230224 BX 230224 BX 222216 BX 222216

ODD ODD

BX 315309 BX 315309

BX 310316 BX 310316

BX 307301 BX 307301

BX 302308 BX 302308 A52

A1

A52

A1

B1

B51

B1 C1

B51 C50

C1

C50

D1

D49 D49 E48 E48 F45

MEZZANINE MEZZANINE

26 26

D1E1 E1 F1 F1

F45

26 26

BALCONY BALCONY

Directions from 1-81 (Northbound and southbound) Take exit 118B onto 460 West towards Virginia Tech. Continue for 8.5 miles to the Prices Fork Road exit BALCONY for “Downtown.” The exit ramp will veer right. Continue BALCONY on Prices Fork Road for 1.2 miles, and take a right onto Turner Street. This street leads you to the parking deck and the center. Parking will be on your left at North End Parking Garage. The Moss Arts Center will be ahead on the right.

Directions from 1-77 (Northbound) Take exit 32 onto 1-81 North. Continue for about 29 miles, then follow the directions above for 1-81 northbound.

Directions from 1-77 West Virginia Turnpike (Southbound) / 460 West (Eastbound) In West Virginia, take Exit 9, “U.S. 460-Princeton/Pearisburg, VA.” Turn left at the stoplight at the end of the ramp onto U.S. 460 East. Continue on U.S. 460 East for about 44.9 miles (11.6 in West Virginia, 33.3 in Virginia). Travel east for approximately 47 miles, then take the Prices Fork Road exit. At the top of the exit ramp, take a left. Continue on Prices Fork Road for 1.2 miles, and take a right onto Turner Street. This street leads you to the parking deck and the center. Parking will be on your left at North End Parking Garage. The Moss Arts Center will be ahead on the right.

540-231-5300 | artscenter.vt.edu

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Gallery hours

The galleries in the Moss Arts Center are open Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Box office hours

The box office in the Moss Arts Center is open for in person and phone ticket sales at 540-231-5300 on Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; and an hour and a half before performances. Tickets may also be purchased anytime online at artscenter.vt.edu.

Individual ticket sales

Individual tickets for all 2017-2018 season performances are available for purchase on August 8, 2017.

Group ticket sales

Groups of 10 or more may receive a 10 percent discount; for more information, contact the box office at 540-231-5300.

Concessions

Beverages and snacks will be available for purchase before performances and during intermissions at most performances. Food and drinks are not permitted inside the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre.

Support

Every gift to the Moss Arts Center helps us raise the curtain on exciting new experiences in visual and performing arts and supports learning opportunities that encourage creativity, exploration, and expression. For information about ways to support the Moss Arts Center, please email givetoarts@vt.edu or call 540-231-0616. To give online, please visit http://bit.ly/givetoMAC, our secure giving page.

Parking

Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Event parking for visitors is $5 and may be purchased when entering the garage (cash only, free for Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit). Visitors can park in the Virginia Tech faculty/staff street parking spaces and lots after 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and at any time on weekends. A limited number of accessible parking spaces are available in front of the Moss Arts Center at both the Alumni Mall and Turner Street entrances.

Accessibility

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Kacy McAllister at 540-231-5300 or email kacy@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.

Inclement weather

Moss Arts Center performances and events will be canceled for inclement weather only in extreme cases.

If a performance must be canceled due to inclement weather, we will send an email to all ticket holders and call patrons for whom we have no email address. Please check our website and call the box office at 540-231-5300 for timely information about closures. Programs are subject to change. /artscenteratvt

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@artscenteratvt use #attheMAC

artscenter.vt.edu | 540-231-5300

@artscenteratvt use #attheMAC

$5,000+

LEADERSHIP PATRONS AND FRIENDS • Recognition in Moss Arts Center performance programs • Access to season preview and advance ticket sales • Special invitations to preand post-event activities, exhibition previews, and artist meet-and-greets, as available • Recognition in Virginia Tech’s 1872 Society* • Personal behind-thescenes tour of the Moss Arts Center** • Gift support acknowledged at one Moss Arts Center performance or one exhibition (varies)***

$1,000-$4,999 SUSTAINING PATRONS AND FRIENDS

• Recognition in Moss Arts Center performance programs • Access to season preview and advance ticket sales • Special invitations to pre- and post-event activities, exhibition previews, and artist meet-and-greets, as available

up to $999

CONTRIBUTING PATRONS AND FRIENDS • Recognition in Moss Arts Center performance programs * Virginia Tech’s 1872 Society recognizes gifts for current use or operational support at the following levels. The Grove Circle recognizes supporters who provide annual gifts of $25,000 or more. Burruss Hall Circle honors those who make annual gifts of $10,000 to $24,999. Drillfield Circle recognizes members who provide annual gifts of $5,000 to $9,999. ** Dates for personal and group tours (up to 10 people maximum) are subject to availability. *** Recognition at performances and exhibitions varies and is commensurate with giving levels.

For more information on giving, please email givetoarts@vt.edu or call 540-231-0616. To give online, please visit: http://bit.ly/givetoMAC.

MOSS ARTS CENTER (0916) 190 Alumni Mall, Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 24061

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID BLACKSBURG, VA 24060 PERMIT NO. 28