Top Gun: Maverick in Concert will feature the Virginia Symphony Orchestra performing the original score by Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer, produced by Lorne Balfe.
A Royal Albert Hall production. With thanks to esk film.
Top Gun: Maverick in Concert will feature the Virginia Symphony Orchestra performing the original score by Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer, produced by Lorne Balfe.
A Royal Albert Hall production. With thanks to esk film.
Comfy and inviting as an old friend (if your old friend happens to be a musical genius), A Solo Evening of Music with Chris Thile brings the Grammy Award-winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer, and MacArthur Fellow recipient of the prestigious “Genius Grant” to the Festival’s Perry Pavilion. Described by The Guardian as “that rare being: an all-round musician,” and hailed by NPR as a “genre-defying musical genius,” Thile is a founding member of the influential string bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek and has collaborated with countless luminaries from Yo-Yo Ma to Fiona Apple to Brad Mehldau. In this intimate program, Thile will perform selections from his acclaimed solo recordings of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas – including the upcoming second volume out this autumn – alongside his signature improvisational brilliance.
“When I play, my instrument becomes the extension of my soul.” So says famed Canadian artist Alexandre Da Costa, renowned for his passionate violin as well as his roles as Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Orchestre Philharmonique du Québec and Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Sinaloa de las Artes. He performs here with Cuban-American cellist Thomas “Tommy” Mesa, whose dazzling performance style is “a masterclass in virtuosic playing” (Tucson.com). Passion and fire—the perfect complement to the thrilling performance style of pianist Olga Kern.
Born in Oujda in the East of Morocco, this astonishing singer grew up in an environment at once culturally rich and repressive for women. Her fierce spirit shines through in her passionate performances of music inspired by the many musical styles of Morocco; she recorded her first single at the age of 15. Prepare to be swept away by this extraordinary artist!
This electrifying Australian group, founded in 2007 by brothers Daniel Kowalik (violin) and Karol Kowalik (cello), and friends Thomas Chawner (viola) and David Dalseno (violin), is one of the most exciting string quartets of its generation. Known for their engaging performances, they inspire reviews like this one from the Canberra CityNews: “incredible passion, fire and intensity. The audience erupted in thunderous applause and cheers. It was an electric and enthralling evening of the finest music making.” They are joined by award-winning pianist Olga Kern in what promises to be an evening you won’t want to miss!
This is chamber music as it was meant to be heard: the communion of gifted artists in an intimate, beautiful setting, among music lovers and friends. After the performance, patrons can mingle with the performers, a lovely postscript to a perfect concert experience.
Olga Kern, piano
Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Players
Brendon Elliott, violin
Elizabeth Vonderheide, violin
Beverly Kane Baker, viola
Michael Daniels, cello
Debra Wendells Cross, flute
Alexander Mayer, oboe
Chris Creviston, saxophone
Barbara Chapman, harp
“Perfection! Warren is the real deal and no imitation; she’s smoke on wheels, luminous, unbridled, and her performance gives goosebumps” (Manhattan Digest). The Tony Award-winning star singer/actress comes home to Hampton Roads! A two-time Tony Award winner (Shuffle Along, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical) grew up right here, wowing teachers and audiences with her extraordinary in-born panache and musical ability. Her television (Orange is the New Black, Black Cake, and Women of the Movement) and film roles (The Woman King) have won high ratings. Catch a hometown superstar in this great evening of song from Broadway, pop and beyond!
First Prize and Audience Prize winner of the 2022 American Guild of Organists National Young Artist Competition in Organ Performance, James Kealey is a young lion of the organ. A recent recital was hailed by The American Organist: “A deeply satisfying performance. Kealey used the organ beautifully, finding its color. The audience rose to its feet…giving well-deserved praise.”
Celebrate the centennial of two towering figures who changed music forever. A virtuoso gathering of some of the best jazz players you’ve ever heard join to form the Attucks Jazz Orchestra, bringing the fire and beauty of Miles Davis and John Coltrane to life in a night of swing, innovation, and fearless creativity. From cool elegance to spiritual intensity, this concert honors the sound that defined modern jazz — and still shapes it today.