Tickets are now on sale for the Moss Arts Center’s 2022-23 performance season, featuring artists representing 13 countries and four continents in the fields of music, dance, theatre, literary and visual arts. Choose from a dynamic lineup of jazz and global beats, classical favorites, family-friendly circus selections, transformative works of dance and theater, and spectacular Broadway productions.
“How do artists bring ideas to light? This season’s shows recontextualize experiences and stories, illuminate cultures and ideas through new perspectives, reimagine stories from the past in new ways, and reclaim traditional narratives and heritage. More than ever, Moss offers a place to see our world in new ways,” said Margaret Lawrence, director of programming for the Moss Arts Center.
Complementing the center’s performances and exhibitions is a collection of experiences that offer deeper connections to artists, ideas and community members, including pre- and post-performance conversations with artists and Virginia Tech faculty members on timely topics. Virginia Tech students will have exclusive access to master classes and other special campus engagement events with renowned artists and ensembles, and area school-aged students will be treated to special matinee performances and in-school workshops with artists.
Moss Arts Center Performances 2022-23
Cimafunk
Wednesday, September 7, 6:00 p.m
This free outdoor dance concert is headlined by one of the most exciting young performers in the Latin music space. New Cuban sensation Cimafunk – think Cuban Bruno Mars – offers a bold mix of funk, Cuban music and African rhythms.
Eileen Ivers and Universal Roots
Friday, September 16, 7:30 p.m
Nine-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion Eileen Ivers and her band open the season with an upbeat evening celebrating the influences of the Celtic tradition.
Redman · Mehldau · McBride · Blade
A MoodSwing Reunion
Tuesday, September 27, 7:30 p.m
Famed jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman introduced his first permanent band with his 1994 album, MoodSwing. The original band reunites for an unforgettable performance.
Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi
Wednesday, October 5, 7:30 p.m
Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens collaborates with Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, sharing the lullabies, ballads and folk songs of their native and adopted countries of America, Italy and Ireland.
Makuyeika Theater Collective
“floor”
Wednesday, October 12, 7:30 p.m
Thursday, October 13, 7:30 p.m
With live music and three inspired actors, this insightful play from Mexico sheds light on a range of realities—land grabs, widespread violence, community resistance—that indigenous people face. Audience members are seated on stage for this intimate performance.
Acrobuffos
“play with air”
Sunday, October 23, 2 p.m
Circus meets science – tents fly, drapes fly over the audience, balloons swallow people and the whole stage turns into a snow globe. Perfect even for young children, Air Play is part comedy, part sculpture, part circus, part theater.
Farruquito
“intimate”
Friday, October 28, 7:30 p.m
Farruquito has been hailed by The New York Times as “the greatest flamenco dancer of this new century.” With a stellar cast of dancers, musicians and vocalists, his performances are a true expression of pure flamenco.
Danish String Quartet
Friday, November 4, 7:30 p.m
The Grammy-nominated Danish string quartet makes its Moss debut in person with a performance that includes Haydn and Schubert quartets and folk music selections.
“big”
Nrityagram Dance Ensemble
Saturday, November 12, 7:30 p.m
Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and Chitrasena Dance Company collaborate on a vibrant fusion of classical Odissi dance from India and traditional Kandyan dance from Sri Lanka.
Soweto Gospel Choir
“Hope: It’s Been a Long Time”
Thursday, November 17, 7:30 p.m
The three-time Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir celebrates artists associated with social justice struggles, from Mahalia Jackson to Harry Belafonte.
Roanoke Symphony Orchestra
“Holiday Pops Spectacular”
David Stewart Wiley, conductor
Saturday, December 3, 4:00 p.m
Friends and family gather to enjoy the holiday spirit as the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra fills the theater with music and cheer with its “Holiday Pops Spectacular” program for audiences of all ages.
Concert Budapest Symphony Orchestra
András Keller, chief conductor
Zoltan Fejérvári, piano
Thursday, January 19, 7:30 p.m
Concert The Budapest Symphony Orchestra is one of Hungary’s leading orchestras. This performance showcases Hungary’s most beloved composers – Dvořák, Liszt and Bartók – and features Hungarian pianist Zoltan Fejérvári.
“An Evening with Kevin Young”
Tuesday, January 24, 7:30 p.m
Poet Kevin Young is a pioneering voice of his generation. A National Book Award finalist and recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, he also won the PEN Open Award, whose judge noted that Young shows “how indispensable black identity is to American culture.”
Circus car
“In the Gallery”
Friday, January 27, 7:30 p.m
Seven crazy acrobats and a strange musician take part in a monochrome exhibition. Dazzling feats, astonishing discoveries, poetic liberties and a serious dose of good silly fun combine to fuel this sophisticated ode to creativity.
PUBLIKquartet
Saturday, February 11, 7:30 p.m
Grammy-nominated PUBLIQuartet is changing the perception of string quartets, delving into entirely fresh music, from classical to jazz to improvisation—and creating a uniquely American style.
Akutagawa
Co-created by Koryū Nishikawa V and Tom Lee
Friday, February 17, 7:30 p.m
Saturday, February 18, 2 and 7:30 p.m
Created by Japanese puppet master Koryū Nishikawa V and American puppeteer Tom Lee, this new stage work uses bunraku puppets, video projection and live music to illuminate the wild imagination of Japan’s most famous short story writer. Audience members are seated on stage.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre
Tuesday, February 28, 7:30 p.m
Wednesday, March 1, 7:30 p.m
Celebrate over 60 years of unparalleled artistry when the premiere ensemble of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes to Southwest Virginia for the first time. Two evening performances offer different works, and each includes founder Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece, Revelations.
“An Evening with Viet Thanh Nguyen”
Thursday, March 16, 7:30 p.m
Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Sympathizer globally reimagines what people thought they knew about the Vietnam War, prompting readers to examine the legacy of that turbulent time and its aftermath from a new perspective.
“Book of Mountains and Seas”
Composer and librettist: Huang Ruo
Director and Production Design: Basil Twist
Friday, March 24, 7:30 p.m
Commissioned in part by Moss, this bold new piece of musical theater is a modern take on ancient Chinese creation myths, featuring the Ars Nova Copenhagen chorus alongside massive puppets and wondrous lanterns.
Roanoke Opera and Master Blacksburg Chorale
Benjamin Britten’s “War Requiem”.
Steven White, conductor
Sunday, April 23, 4:00 p.m
Roanoke Opera, the Blacksburg Master Chorale, the Virginia Tech Choirs and the Georgia Boys’ Chorus come together for Benjamin Britten’s monumental “War Requiem,” a timeless work that symbolizes the senselessness of war.
Cecile McLorin Saving
Saturday, April 29, 7:30 p.m
Three-time Grammy winner Cécile McLorin Salvant brings historical perspective to jazz standards and her compositions, embracing a wide repertoire with her rich and powerful voice.
Broadway in Blacksburg
Broadway returns to Southwest Virginia with the Moss Center for the Arts’ Broadway in Blacksburg series. Tickets are now available for the new romantic and adventurous musical “Anastasia” on Tuesday, November 8 at 7:30pm and the warm-hearted musical comedy “Hairspray” on Tuesday, February 14 , at 7:30 p.m
Tickets
Tickets for individual shows can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center box office, 10am to 5pm Wednesday to Friday and 10am to 4pm Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during ticket hours.
Subscriptions are also available and offer discounted prices and priority seat choices. There are three ways to subscribe: The Premier Subscription includes 18 shows with 25 per cent off adult ticket prices, the Build Your Own Gold Subscription offers a 20 per cent discount on adult ticket prices for 12 or over multiple shows and the Silver Build Your Own Subscription starts with just five shows at 15 percent off ticket prices. Student and youth tickets are always $10 per performance, including season tickets.
