Ages 18 and up
Sunday, February 22
Show: 4 pm
Commonwealth Comedy Presents:
Sunday Stage Time
It’s like an open mic…for improv!
Doors 4:00pm // Comedy 4:30pm
FREE
18+
Arts and Entertainment
LOVE GALORE
Galentine’s Comedy Show!
A special Fuzzy Wednesday for D’Angelo
Emily Ondracek-Peterson, violin
Fanny Pointet, violin
Celia Dagy, viola
Jake Fowler, cello
Debra Wendells Cross, flute
Zachary Deak, piano
Diehn Chorale
Nancy K. Klein, Director
One man’s lifelong love of music fueled a composing career and endowed programs that would nurture artists for generations to come. F. Ludwig Diehn, a successful businessman with degrees in law and chemistry, fulfilled his musical dreams by composing works for orchestra and chamber ensembles that have been performed around the world. He chose Norfolk as his home, and left a legacy to the community whose impact is vast, touching the lives of aspiring artists, students, and audiences alike. Virginia Arts Festival joins Hampton Roads Community Foundation to celebrate Diehn’s life and music in this memorable performance of his works featuring some of the region’s finest musicians.
Rob Fisher, piano and music director
Patti Murin, vocalist
Ross Lekites, vocalist
Kevin Ramessar, guitar
Mark Vanderpoel, double bass
Erik Charlston, percussion
Saturday, March 28 at 7:30 PM
Famed Broadway music director and the Festival’s Goode Family Artistic Advisor for Musical Theater and the American Songbook, Rob Fisher cut his musical teeth on Gershwin. The uniquely American music that George and Ira Gershwin created fused classical, Broadway, jazz and Tin Pan Alley to form an exhilarating new kind of music for the 20th century and beyond, conquering stage and screen with enduring classics like “Embraceable You,” “Summertime,” “Love is Here to Stay,” and “Rhapsody in Blue” a favorite for audiences and orchestras. Rob Fisher curated the Carnegie Hall Gershwin Centennial celebrations of Ira’s in 1996 and George’s in 1998. The Gershwin brothers’ timeless songs explore the joys and disappointments of love, brought vividly to life by Ross Lekites (Brigadoon, Frozen) and Patti Murin (Frozen, Wicked). In this must-hear concert, Fisher gathers Broadway singers and a swinging quartet for a trip down a memory lane of greatness, courtesy of the immortal Gershwin brothers.
Who really shapes history? While spending weekends with a historical re-enactment society, award-winning theatre maker and “Fringe legend” (Time Out), Victoria Melody uncovered the story of a bunch of 17th-century radicals called The Diggers—and began a quest to find the Diggers of today. Blending storytelling and stand-up, this wildly entertaining show celebrates the ordinary people still making history.
Making his Virginia Arts Festival debut, international country music icon Lee Greenwood brings a celebrated career marked by chart-topping hits, industry honors, and enduring patriotism. A Grammy Award winner and recipient of multiple CMA and ACM Awards, Greenwood has released twenty-two studio albums, earned seven No. 1 hits, and charted thirty-eight singles.
His signature anthem, “God Bless the U.S.A.,” reached the Top Five on the country charts three times—an unprecedented achievement—and rose to the Billboard Hot 100 following September 11, 2001. Honored with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s National Patriot’s Award, Greenwood has also entertained U.S. troops on more than 30 USO Tours.
It’s a sound like no other: born in the South, transplanted to Brooklyn, cooked in a Kentucky farmhouse and distilled in a Muscle Shoals studio—true to its roots in country, blues, gospel and indie rock. Fans flock to share this band live, craving concerts of raw, ecstatic energy, with lush harmonies driving songs that pulse with honesty and human connection.
In its 4-star review of his debut album, Jazziz raved, “Michael Mayo has developed his own lush, neo-soul sound that adroitly showcases his clear tenor, which glides over luxuriant clouds of his multi-tracked vocals.” This L.A.-based artist has captivated audiences worldwide with heavenly harmonizing, hard-hitting beatboxing, and heartfelt crooning. Sit in on an entrancing evening of jazz with this phenomenal singer!
