performing arts | november 2008

Roanoke Arts Festival
Nov 8–9, 2008
Downtown, Roanoke
The second annual Roanoke Arts Festival, re-timed this year to help celebrate the opening of the Taubman Museum of Art, will be held Saturday and Sunday, Nov 8-9, with free and ticketed events and activities to appeal to a wide range of audiences. The 2008 Roanoke Arts Festival will complement the museum’s grand opening weekend and once again pay tribute to arts of the region and beyond with a host of rich offerings capped by a performance featuring Country-music legend Crystal Gayle. The festival will include a free downtown rock ‘n’ roll concert, great Bluegrass music, a musical puppet show, an exposition of the culinary arts, theatrical performances, classical music, and more. For more information visit www.roanokeartsfest.org.

Spitfire Grill
Saturday, Nov 1, 8 pm; Sunday, Nov 2, 2 pm
Mill Mountain Theatre
A feisty parolee follows her dreams to a small town picked out of an old travel book and finds a place for herself working at Hannah’s Spitfire Grill. $15-$30 per ticket. Contact John Bryant, jbryant@millmountain.org, Daria Goode, dgoode@millmountain.org, 540.224.1219 for show times and reservations. www.millmountain.org

Opera Roanoke Presents: Song of the Earth
Sunday, Nov 2, 2:30 pm
Jefferson Center
Song of the Earth—Gustav Mahler’s great masterpiece performed in Schönberg’s ingenious transcription for chamber orchestra. Mezzo-soprano Nancy Maultsby and tenor Donald George sing this expansive song-symphony that explores life, death, and renewal in the context of nature. This concert also features the gilded splendor of George Frederick Handel’s vocal music, with soprano Elizabeth Futral singing a collection of some of the great master’s most beautiful and exciting opera arias. www.jeffcenter.org

Thursday Morning Music Club, Inc.
Susan Braden
Thursday, Nov 6, 10:30 pm
Calvary Baptist Church
The program will feature Roanoke soprano concert artist, pianist, composer, arranger, and voice teacher Susan Braden. She has served as Music Director for the Showtimers, Mill Mountain Theatre, and appeared in Soup, Soap and Salvation, The Sound of Music, and Music Man. The concert is free and non-members are welcome to attend. Please contact President Judy Barger Edgell at 540.563.4782 for more information.

The Music of Gabriel Fauré
Thursday, Nov 6, 7:30 pm
St. John’s Episcopal Church
St. John’s Episcopal Church presents the Garth Newel Piano Quartet and chamber orchestra performing Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 2 in G Minor, Opus 45, and “Cantique de Jean Racine” Requiem, Opus 48.

Little Town Players presents The Foreigner
Friday, Nov 7, 7 pm
Elks Home Theatre
Little Town Players presents The Foreigner. What exactly is a “foreigner”? In a back-woods fishing lodge in Georgia, just about all visitors are strange. The owner, a sweet, southern lady really wants to see a foreigner, however. So, in an effort to help his boring English friend Charlie get away from his dull life, fellow Brit Froggy LeSeure tells the lodge occupants that Charlie can’t understand English–he’s the foreigner! Secrets, gossip, and old-school scandal all play into this southern comedy. Dates of performances are Nov 7, 8, & 14-16. - Little Town Players, Elks Home Theatre, 931 Ashland Avenue, Bedford – 540.586.5881 - www.littletownplayers.com

Marian and Dan McConnell
Friday, Nov 7, 7:30 pm
Whole Note Performance Club
Enjoy the contemporary/folk music of Marian and Dan McConnell at the Whole Note Performance Club in Bedford. $5 admission. Refreshments will be on sale. 570 Blue Ridge Ave, (Westgate Shopping Center), Bedford. For more information call 540.947.0208 or visit www.bedfordcommorch.org. Sponsored by the Bedford Community Orchestra

Indian Classical Music Concert
Saturday, Nov 8, 7:00 pm
Jefferson Center
Classical Music Concert 7:00 pm at the Jefferson Center. Artists: Shubha Sankaran, Brian Silver. www.jeffcenter.org.

Roanoke Arts Festival presents FiddleFest Lite
Sunday, Nov 9, 1:00 pm–6:30 pm
Taubman Museum of Art
Part of the Roanoke Arts Festival, FiddleFest Lite, is a day of Bluegrass: Jam sessions, teaching workshops (instrumental, vocal, and songwriting), and a concert with name performers. Co-production with - and at - the Taubman Museum of Art. Guest acts include Herschel Sizemore & Sandy Ridge and surprise guests. Cost: $40. Call 540.853.5483 for more information.

Roanoke Symphony Orchestra Masterworks 2: Spirit Over Oppression
Sunday, Nov 9, 3:00 pm
Jefferson Center
Roanoke Symphony Orchestra Masterworks 2: Spirit Over Oppression 3:00 pm at the Jefferson Center. David Wiley, Music Director & Conductor. Akemi Takayama, Violin. Bernard DiGregorio, Viola. Mozart Sinfonia Concertante, K.364, E-flat Major. Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, Op. 47, D minor. www.jeffcenter.org

Crystal Gayle, with Sam & Ruby: Roanoke Arts Festival
Sunday, Nov 9, 7 pm
Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre
Crystal Gayle, with Sam & Ruby: Roanoke Arts Festival 7 pm. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. Roanoke Civic Center. www.crystalgayle.com and www.roanokeartsfest.org

Come Back Little Sheba
Nov. 12th - Nov. 23rd
Showtimers Theatre
For two decades Doc and Lola Delaney avoided coming to terms with what Doc considered a “shot gun” marriage. Lola lost the baby and gives a lot of her affection to Sheba, a dog that disappeared a few months before the film opens. Doc blames Lola for having to drop out of medical school and not becoming a “real” doctor. Until joining AA a year ago, his escape was alcohol. Then college student Marie rents a room in their home. Doc feels passion for the first time in 20 years. But Marie has two suitors her age. Lola — unaware of Doc’s emotions –becomes as interested in Marie’s future as if Marie were her daughter. Email: boxoffice@showtimers.org
Phone: 540-774-2660 or 1-877-336-9294

Theatre Roanoke College Fall Production Eurydice
Friday, Nov 14, Saturday, Nov 15, 7:30 pm
Friday, Nov 21, Saturday, Nov 22, 7:30 pm

Roanoke College
Theatre Roanoke College Fall Production, Fridays and Saturdays, Nov 14-15 and 21-22, 7:30 pm and Sunday, Nov 16, 3 pm.,Olin Theater. $7/$5. For tickets and more information, please call the Olin Hall Box Office at 540.375.2333. (Tickets are available at the box office one hour prior to show time.) TRC presents Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, a touching, “deliriously imaginative,” and whimsical reframing of the ancient myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Allen Toussaint
Friday, Nov 14, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Salem Civic Center
Big Easy vibe. R&B standards. Funky instrumentals.
Musical Renaissance man Allen Toussaint is one of the most influential figures in New Orleans music. With songs that have been performed by the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat, and Glen Campbell, Toussaint takes the stage to perform his signature songbook, including treasures such as “Working in the Coalmine,” “Yes, We Can, Can,” and “Get Out My Life, Woman.”

“Like a rhythm and blues rumba crossed with the second-line rhythms of Professor Longhair.” —Ed Ward, “rock-and-roll historian” for NPR’s program Fresh Air

“Toussaint brought the New Orleans sound to the national stage, and it remains a vital and ongoing part of our musical heritage to this day.” –Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame

Robert Jospe & Inner Rhythm w/ Royce Campbell
Sunday, Nov 16, 7:30 pm
Jefferson Center
Kinetic beats. Sizzling sounds. Percolating polyrhythms.
Featuring some of Virginia’s finest musicians, Jospé’s band Inner Rhythm is a high-energy jazz and world-beat ensemble, performing original compositions rooted in jazz, Latin, Afro-Cuban, and contemporary fusion styles, as well as jazz classics. From beginning to end, the band presents a performance full of passionate playing and tight, skillful arrangements. Call 540.345.2550. www.jeffcenter.org.

“The mixture of jazz, R&B, and island influences is delightful and Jospé’s grooving, tasteful drumming complements the emphasis on ensemble work.” –Modern Drummer

DLP Concerts Presents: Darrell Scott
Wednesday, Nov 19, 7:30 pm
Jefferson Center (map)
Darrell Scott is a songwriter, an in-demand instrumentalist, and an acclaimed performer and recording artist - all achievements earned while burning his own path instead of playing by the accepted rules of the music industry. 540.345.2550. www.jeffcenter.org.

The Dinner Party at William Fleming High School
Thursday, Nov 20, 7:30 pm
William Fleming High School
William Fleming High School’s Colonel’s Theatre Company presents Neil Simon’s comedy hit, The Dinner Party. The production consists of a decidedly crazy dinner party served up in a chaotic mode. The evening is filled with playful antics, sudden zaniness, and masterful comic dialogue as the mystery unfolds. The Dinner Party opens Nov 13, 14, 15, and 20, 21, and 22, Thursday - Saturday evenings at 7:30 in William Fleming High School’s Dickinson Auditorium. Tickets are available at the box office each performance night for $8 (suggested donation). For ticket information, please call 540.362.0139.

A Special Evening with Vince Gill
Friday, Nov 21, 8:00 pm
Salem Civic Center
A SPECIAL EVENING WITH VINCE GILL Salem Civic Center. Presented by the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. Friday, Nov 21, 8:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Reserved Seat Tickets $39, $34 & $14. The symphony will not be performing with Vince Gill.

Third Annual Caribbean Music Fest
Saturday, Nov 22, 7:00 pm
Jefferson Center
An evening of fantastic music and dance from the Caribbean for the entire family! Presented by Quest Academy to benefit Community School! Why not go for an evening on the islands from the comfort of the Jefferson Center? This event has drawn rave reviews in the past and has been called one of the most enjoyable evenings of music that families can experience. Plan now to attend and enjoy an evening unlike any other! Tickets: $15, Children $4, Students $8. www.jeffcenter.org.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Tuesday, Nov 25, 7:30 pm
Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre
Nothing is exactly what it seems in this hilarious musical comedy hit. Based on the popular 1988 MGM film, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS centers on two con men living on the French Riviera who make a bet: the first one to swindle $50,000 from a young heiress triumphs, and the other must leave town. What follows are a series of schemes, masquerades, and double-crosses that leave you guessing all night! For information about subscription renewals or becoming a new subscriber of the Broadway in Roanoke 2008-2009 Season, please visit the Roanoke Civic Center Ticket Office or call the Subscription Hotline at 540.853.LIVE. The Broadway in Roanoke 2008-2009 Season is proudly presented by Jam Theatricals (www.jamtheatricals.com) and the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre and sponsored by WDBJ-7.

The Original Royal Kings & Bill Deal’s Original Rhondels
Friday, Nov 28, 6:30 pm
Hotel Roanoke
Two of the best known bands on the East Coast Roanoke’s own, The Original Royal Kings and Virginia Beach’s Bill Deal’s Original Rhondels, will perform during this year’s Holiday Reunion Show and Dance at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center’s Roanoke Ballroom. The event set for Friday, Nov 28 at 6:30 pm will also feature The Original Rhythm Doctors, Crawford, Reed, Burton & Ball and The Breeze Brothers. There will be limited seating. You must be 21 years or older for admission, Tickets ($25 per person) may be purchased at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, The Longbranch Restaurant in Salem, and Glassner Jewelers at Oak Grove Plaza.

RSO Presents: The Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, Nov 30, 3:00 pm
Jefferson Center
The Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra (RYSO) and the Roanoke Youth Symphony Junior Strings present their annual fall concert. The concert opens with the Junior Strings, under the direction of Joanne Steele. The concert concludes with the RYSO, under the direction of James Glazebrook. www.jeffcenter.org.

Posted: November 10th, 2008 under Performing Arts.
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