performing arts | october 2008

Cyrano
Wednesday, October 1, 7:30 pm
Mill Mountain Theater
An imaginative, fast-paced, one act play using only three actors. At Mill Mountain Theater. Price: $15-$30 per ticket. Email John Bryant at jbryant@millmountain.org, Daria Goode at dgoode@millmountain.org, or call 540.224.1219 for show times and to reserve tickets. www.millmountain.org

Rayanne Gonzales
Thursday, October 2, 2008, 10:30 am
Calvary Baptist Church
608 Campbell Ave SW
Roanoke, VA 24016-3532
Now performing on Broadway in Phantom of the Opera, Rayanne Gonzales, a Virginia-born soprano, possesses “a big accurate voice that she uses sensibly but fearlessly.” She has delighted audiences in varied genres from opera to musical theatre to zarzuela. An alumna of Boston University and the Longy School of Music, Ms. Gonzales also trained at Crittenden Opera Studio in Boston, MA and OperaWorks of Los Angeles, CA. She participated in the inaugural Opera as Theatre dramatic training program at The Banff Centre, which culminated in her widely acclaimed portrayal of Lady Macbeth in excerpts of Ernst Bloch’s Macbeth. Rayanne Gonzales has received awards and won vocal competitions too numerous to mention.
Contact Judy Barger at jbarger123@verizon.net or 540.563.4782

Southwest Virginia Ballet
Swan Lake and 4 New Premiers
Friday, October 3, 7pm
Saturday, October 4, 3pm & 7pm
Patrick Henry High School
We are really excited about our opening night program this year, and I want to personally invite you to join the Roanoke Symphony this season. International cello star (and our good friend) Zuill Bailey will make his triumphant return to perform one of the most beautiful, powerful, and heartfelt pieces ever written for solo cello and orchestra—“Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor.” Plus, Zuill will stick around after the concert and sign CDs for you, including our 2005 live recording with Zuill and the RSO on the Delos International label. Gentle Reader, please don’t miss the opportunity to hear and see our buddy Zuill and your professional orchestralive, up close, and personal. All ticket holders can come to the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre (RPAT) at the Roanoke Civic Center one hour before the concert and hear us talk about the program and take questions (“Zuill, what was it like being featured as a homicidal cellist in the HBO series Oz?”—it’s true!). In addition, we have a surprise or two up our sleeves for special encore(s), but you have to be there to be part of it. Hey, and we also do “Beethoven’s Heroic Symphony No. 3,” a real showpiece for our symphony. This is a time of great success, stability, and excitement at the RSO, and we want you to be a part of it! Score a ticket or two today, before we sell out.

Opera Roanoke Presents: Falstaff
Friday, October 3 & Sunday October 5, 8pm
Jefferson Center
Opera Roanoke presents: Falstaff. 8:00 pm at the Jefferson Center. Comedy first! Watch the circumferentially-challenged knight who can’t resist food (and doesn’t try to resist wine) try to solve his money worries by landing a rich wife. Never mind the fact that his target(s) are both very married and capable of making a fool of anyone who tries to disrupt their lives. How to avenge an assault on their collective dignity? Watch these “Merry Wives of Windsor” devise a unique and hilarious solution! www.jeffcenter.org

Wynton Marsalis & The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Tuesday, October 7, 7:30 pm
Jefferson Center
Big-Band Flair. Stellar Swing. Unparalleled musicianship. Great music becomes legendary when it’s played by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by the incomparable Wynton Marsalis. Their vast repertoire—ranging from rare historic compositions to newly commissioned works to new takes on old classics—makes them a veritable repository of jazz history. Swinging and supple, sophisticated and spirited, this is the jazz event of the year! www.jeffcenter.org

Upstairs Studio Theatre
Wednesday, October 8, 7:30 pm
Hollins University
Studio Theatre Hollins University. Savage in Limbo-Only 60 minutes, this arresting and brilliantly inventive play moves from comedy to near tragedy as it explores the hopes and dreams of a group of rootless young “losers” who congregate in an anonymous Bronx bar, hoping to find respite from the drabness of their lives. Joined by three former schoolmates, Denise Savage hovers in the limbo of her loneliness from which she so desperately wants to escape. Tickets are $7, free to the Hollins community. Call the Theatre Box Office at 540.362.6517

Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman United Tour
Saturday, October 11, 7:30 pm
Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre
Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman United Tour, 7:30 pm. Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre. Tickets available at the Roanoke Civic Center Ticket Office, tickets.com, or charge at 888.397.3100.

Masked Marvels and Wondertales at the Jefferson Center
Sunday, October 12, 2 pm
Jefferson Center
Michael Cooper’s Masked Marvels and Wondertales at the Jefferson Center 2 pm. This one-man extravaganza combines breathtaking, handcrafted masks, original stories of courage and wonder, outlandish stilt dancing, and a physical repertoire that ranges from the madcap to the sublime. www.jeffcenter.org

Mitchell Crawford
Sunday, October 12, 4pm
Greene Memorial Church
Greene Memorial Church presents Mitchell Crawford, Assistant Organist of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church of New York. www.gmumc.org, 540.344.6225

Roanoke Symphony Masterworks 1
Monday, October 13, 8 pm
Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre
A creative 2008-2009 Season for the Southwest Virginia Ballet starts with four dynamic and inventive New Pieces choreographed by Yolanda Gibbs, Bryan Skates and Artistic Director Pedro Szalay. This exciting program will include the second act of the classical treasure Swan Lake with the beautiful score of Tchaikosvsky. The second act is the unveiling of Princess Odette who was turned into a swan by a spell cast by Von Rothbart. Prince Siegfried aims his crossbow at the flock of swans and readies himself for their landing on the lake. Siegfried senses the true woman under the swan spell and falls in love. Von Rothbart attempts to confuse the prince by bringing his daughter Odile as the black swan. Prince winds into the spell before realizing what Von Rothbart has done. Siegfried tries to break the spell and rescue Odette and her court.

Spitfire Grill
Wednesday, October 15–November 2, 7:30pm
Mill Mountain Theatre
Spitfire Grill at Mill Mountain Theatre. Oct 15-Nov 2. 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

Kathy Mattea at the Jefferson Center
Thursday, October 16, 7:30 pm
Jefferson Center
Kathy Mattea at the Jefferson Center. Paying homage to her Appalachian roots, country music superstar and ecological activist Kathy Mattea performs classic hits and new tunes from her #1 hit CD, Coal. www.jeffcenter.org

Northwest Jazz Band
Monday, October 20, 7 pm
Dumas Center
Northwest Jazz Band Dumas Center. The Northwest Jazz Band was organized six years ago. It is a 20-member group; its mission is to provide entertainment support for fundraising events for non-profit organizations at low or no cost, and provide opportunities for student musicians to perform with local, experienced musicians who are featured soloists. Students are also given an opportunity to play solos. For more information about this event and to RSVP, please contact: Eddie Wiggins-540.774.2704. William Penn-540.777.1896.

The Derek Trucks Band
Friday, October 24, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Jefferson Center
The Derek Trucks Band takes a progressive approach to roots music–blending rock, blues, jazz, and world music into the sound that now defines the DTB.

The chemistry between the band members in this ensemble is undeniable, a result of heavy touring and fearless improvisation. The Derek Trucks Band is known for their amazing live performances, led by Trucks’ soaring guitar work, and backed by the impressive individual talents of this band. The Derek Trucks Band is supporting their 2006 release Songlines,, as well as their DVD release Songlines Live, providing further proof of the explosive power of this live juggernaut. Just 28 years old, Trucks has forged a name for himself over the years as an innovative guitar virtuoso, fronting his namesake group since he was 11 years old. He is the youngest musician named in Rolling Stone’s List of “The Top 100 Guitarists of All Time,” as well as the cover of Rolling Stone’s 2007 “New Guitar Gods” issue.

Trucks has continued to develop The Derek Trucks Band as his primary focus while taking on a number of other roles–including being a full-time member of The Allman Brothers Band since 1999. His most recent gig was sharing the stage with Eric Clapton as a featured soloist in his band for Clapton’s 2006-2007 world tour.
This is a RESERVED SEATING - listening room show.
www.jeffcenter.org

Jefferson Center’s INSPIRE Artist Showcase
Tuesday, October 28, 5 pm
Jefferson Center
Jefferson Center’s INSPIRE Artist Showcase, 5:00 pm. INSPIRE Artist Showcase, a free event at Jefferson Center for educators, families, and the community. Jefferson Center’s INSPIRE Artists-in-Schools program features a dynamic roster of talented artists representing different cultures and traditions, including Latin jazz, West African music and dance, Appalachian clogging, and other styles of music, dance, theater, and visual arts. (See the full roster of INSPIRE artists at www.jeffcenter.org/inspire).

Posted: October 1st, 2008 under Performing Arts.
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