Schaefer Center

BY MOSS BRENNAN

As society and the High Country alike continue to move forward with the COVID-19 pandemic, live performance is returning in force.

On App State’s campus, the beautiful 1,600-seat Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts brings all that and more to Boone. At the theater, a wide variety of world-renowned musicians, dancers and actors come to town from around the world to fill up a bill of impressive entertainment. It’s one of the great perks of living in a college town, especially one that is somewhat isolated in these beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Coming up in Spring 2022, the Schaefer Center is hosting a wide variety of events with tickets on sale starting Monday, Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. through “The Schaefer Center Presents,” which is a series offering campus and community audiences a diverse array of music, dance and theatre programming designed to enrich the cultural landscape of the Appalachian State University campus and surrounding area.

By creating memorable performance experiences and related educational and outreach activities, the series promotes the power and excitement of the live performance experience, provides a “window on the world” through the artistry of nationally and internationally renowned artists, and showcases some of the finest artists of our nation and our region.

Musical events range from symphony orchestra and chamber music performances to jazz, folk, traditional, international, and popular artists. Theatre productions run the gamut from serious drama to musical comedy. Dance performances offer an equally wide array of styles, from ballet to modern dance to international companies representing cultural traditions from around the world.

WESTERN PIEDMONT SYMPHONY— “LINK UP: THE ORCHESTRA SINGS”

Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, at 3 p.m. (pre-show activities with the musicians in the

Schaefer Center lobby from 2-3 p.m.)

The Western Piedmont Symphony performs this family-friendly 45-minute concert, an extension of the APPlause! K-12 Performing Arts Series. Program includes “Come to Play,” Finale from The Firebird Suite, “New World Symphony,” “Ode to Joy,” “Oye,” “Simple Gifts,” “To Make Words Sing” and “Variations on a Shaker Melody” from Appalachian Spring.

Tickets: $15 Adult, $5 Student (with proof of enrollment in a K-12 school or homeschool)

BALLETX: “THE LITTLE PRINCE”

Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 7 p.m.

Philadelphia’s powerhouse contemporary-ballet company BalletX hits the stage with this full-length ballet inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s timeless novella of adventure and enlightenment. “The Little Prince” is a ballet for the whole family, sure to delight the imagination of children and adults alike.

Tickets: $25 Adult, $20 Faculty/Staff, $10 Student

This presentation is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Office of Arts and Cultural Programs at Appalachian State University.

NOBUNTU

Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at 7 p.m.

This all-female a cappella quintet

from Zimbabwe has drawn international acclaim for its inventive performances that range from traditional Zimbabwean songs to Afro Jazz to Gospel. The ensemble’s concerts are performed with pure voices, augmented by minimalistic percussion, traditional instruments such as the Mbira (thumb piano) and organic, authentic dance movements. Tickets: $25 Adult, $20 Local Resident Discount (with proof of residence in Watauga, Ashe or Avery County), $10 Student

ROSANNE CASH Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 7 p.m.

Rosanne Cash, award-winning singer/ One of the country’s preeminent songwriter, will perform at the Schae- singer-songwriters, Rosanne Cash has fer Center on Saturday, April 9, 2022, released 15 albums of extraordinary at 7 p.m. songs that have earned four Grammy Awards and 12 nominations, as well as 21 Top 40 hits. “She Remembers Everything”—her most recent release— is a poetic, lush, and soulful collection of songs that reckon with a flawed and intricate world, marking a return to more personal songwriting after a trio of albums that explored her southern roots and family heritage. Tickets: $40 Adult, $35 Faculty/Staff, $25 Student Through December, seating is capped at 800 for all events and masks are required for all patrons and staff regardless of vaccination status. All tickets are general admission. In-person and livestream tickets are available at theschaefercenter.org, at the Schaefer Center box office located at 733 Rivers Street or by calling (828) 262-4046. For more upcoming events in 2022 visit theatreanddance.appstate.edu/ performances/complete-season-listing.

Upcoming Schedule App State’s Schaefer Center PHOTO SUBMITTED The all-female a capella quintet Nobuntu comes to The Schaefer Center on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.