Virginia Arts Festival 15th Celebration Season: A Spectacular Array of Artists and Performances

9 Cities, 50 Days, Hundreds of
World-Class Artists: Enjoy incredible artists, commissioned works,
extraordinary collaborations, and unforgettable performances of great
music, dance, and theater as the Festival present’s dozens of
world-class artists to audiences from Williamsburg to Norfolk to
Virginia Beach.

Norfolk, VA (Vocus/PRWE February 04, 2011

From the stages of Hampton Roads to the skies above, the 15th
anniversary season of the Virginia Arts Festival will reach new heights
with a spectacular lineup of performances and special events over 50
days in nine cities including Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg,
April 12-May 30, 2011. Single tickets for Festival events go on sale
February 6, 2011. Reserve your seats now for these history-making
performances.

Among the highlights of the 2011 season is the world premiere of
Rappahannock County (April 12-17), a new music theater work about life
during the Civil War co-commissioned by the Virginia Arts Festival.
Written to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil
War, its creators, renowned composer Ricky Ian Gordon (creator of the
Obie Award-winning Orpheus & Euridice and the acclaimed opera The
Grapes of Wrath) and celebrated librettist/lyricist Mark Campbell
(Volpone, Later the Same Evening, Songs from an Unmade Bed) were
inspired by real diaries, letters, and personal accounts from the
period.

Peter Shaffer’s Tony Award-winning play Amadeus (May 20 & 22)
performed by the Chautauqua Theater Company with the Virginia Symphony
Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Vivienne Benesch and JoAnn
Falletta, is a thrilling dramatic journey into the mind and music of
Amadeus Mozart and his envious contemporary, composer Anonio Salieri.
Featuring music from The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, and
Requiem, this inspired collaboration follows two tragically flawed
characters driven by an unparalleled artistic force.

Returning to the Festival this season, the incomparable Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater (May 13-15) is celebrating both the last year of
Judith Jamison’s tenure as Artistic Director and the 50th anniversary of
Revelations, one of the most important dance works of the 20th century.
Ailey’s artistry and athleticism is matched only by a bold, celebratory
spirit that has captured the hearts of millions of enthralled audiences
in 71 countries on six continents over the last five decades.

Making their highly anticipated U.S. debut, Cuba’s Danza
Contemporánea de Cuba (May 6) is an “exotic hybrid of contemporary,
classical and ¬Caribbean styles” (The Guardian) infused with the vibrant
Cuban spirit, a culture in which dance is a way of life. Artistic
Director Miguel Iglesias leads this troupe of vibrant contemporary
dancers in a daringly eclectic program.

Also returning to the Festival and sure to be among the most
in-demand performances of the season, is violinist and one-man
phenomenon Joshua Bell (April 23). With star power and extraordinary
virtuosity to match, Bell has earned his place among the greatest
contemporary violinists. Don’t miss the chance to hear him take on
Tchaikovsky’s magnificent Violin Concerto along with the Virginia
Symphony Orchestra.

Festival Williamsburg is hot and happening this season with jazz
legends Chick Corea & Gary Burton (May 27) and super slick swing
masters Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (May 28).

The perennially popular Virginia International Tattoo (April 29-May
1) offers an all-new show, 850 international performers strong from 7
nations. Marching bands, dancers, drill teams, and more make this
larger-than-life parade of patriotism based on a centuries-old Scottish
tradition a uniquely inspiring experience. Find out why families and
die-hard fans come back to the Tattoo year after year.

And speaking of larger-than-life, a brand new event this season, the
Flying PROMS: Symphonic Airshow Spectacular (May 7), is a unique
tradition sure to become a Festival favorite. Featuring vintage aircraft
performing aerial maneuvers accompanied by live music from the Virginia
Symphony Orchestra on the grounds of the Military Aviation Museum in
Virginia Beach, this show is truly out of this world.

The 15th season celebration concludes with a bona fide American
institution, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with the Orchestra at Temple
Square (June 20), that lifts more than 300 beautiful voices to the
heavens along with its own symphony orchestra in a performance that has
dazzled presidents and audiences of all ages for 150 years and counting.

For a complete listing of events, tickets, or information, please visit http://www.vafest.org or call 757-282-2822.

Media Contact: Jennifer Chambers, 757-282-2820 or jchambers(at)vafest(dot)org.