The Moss Arts Center’s 2022-23 season includes artists representing 13 countries and four continents across the fields of music, dance, theatre, literary arts and visual arts.
The dynamic lineup includes jazz and global beats, classical music favorites, family-friendly cirque selections, transformative dance and theatre works, and spectacular Broadway productions.
“This season’s performances recontextualize experiences and histories, illuminate cultures and ideas through new perspectives, reimagine stories from the past in new ways, and reclaim traditional narratives and heritage. More than ever, the Moss offers a place to see our world in new ways,” said Margaret Lawrence, Moss Arts Center director of programming.
Complementing the center’s performances and exhibitions are a collection of experiences offering deeper connections with artists, ideas, and community members, including pre- and post-performance talks with artists and Virginia Tech faculty members on timely topics.
Virginia Tech students will have exclusive access to master classes and other special on-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.
Cimafunk
Wednesday, Sept. 7, 6 p.m.
This free outdoor dance concert is led by one of the most exciting new performers in the Latin music space. Young Cuban sensation Cimafunk — think Cuban Bruno Mars — offers a bold mix of funk, Cuban music, and African rhythms.
Eileen Ivers and Universal Roots
Friday, Sept. 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 Celtic tradition.
Redman · Mehldau · McBride · Blade
Tuesday, Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Celebrated jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman introduced his first permanent band with his 1994 album, “MoodSwing.” The original group reunites for an unforgettable performance.
Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m.
Grammy-winner Rhiannon Giddens collaborates with Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, sharing lullabies, ballads, and folk songs of their native and adoptive countries of America, Italy, and Ireland.
Makuyeika Colectivo Teatral
Wednesday, Oct. 12, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m.
With live music and three inspired actors, this profound play from Mexico shines a light on a range of realities — land usurpation, widespread violence, community resistance — that Indigenous people face. Audience members are seated onstage for this intimate performance.
Acrobuffos
Sunday, Oct. 23, 2 p.m.
Circus meets science — umbrellas fly, fabrics soar over the audience, balloons swallow people, and the whole stage turns into a snow globe. Perfect for even young children, “Air Play” is part comedy, part sculpture, part circus, part theatre.
Farruquito
Friday, Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.
Farruquito is hailed by The New York Times as “the greatest flamenco dancer of this new century.” With a stellar cadre of dancers, musicians, and vocalists, his performances are true expressions of pure flamenco.
Danish String Quartet
Friday, Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m.
The Grammy-nominated Danish String Quartet makes its in-person Moss debut with a performance that includes Haydn and Schubert quartets and folk music selections.
“Āhuti”
Saturday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m.
Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and Chitrasena Dance Company collaborate in a vibrant fusion of Odissi classical dance from India and traditional Kandyan dance from Sri Lanka.
Soweto Gospel Choir
Thursday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.
Three-time Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir celebrates artists associated with struggles for social justice, from Mahalia Jackson to Harry Belafonte.
Roanoke Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, Dec. 3, 4 p.m.
Friends and family gather to savor the spirit of the holidays as the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra fills the theatre with music and cheer with its “Holiday Pops Spectacular” program for audiences of all ages.
Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra
Thursday, Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Concerto 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, Jan. 24, 7:30 p.m.
Poet Kevin Young is a groundbreaking voice of his generation. A National Book Award finalist and Guggenheim fellowship recipient, he also won the PEN Open Award, whose judge remarked that Young shows “how Black identity is indispensable to American culture.”
Machine de Cirque
Friday, Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Seven zany acrobats and an eccentric musician take in a monochrome exhibit. Dizzying feats, astonishing discoveries, poetic liberties, and a serious dose of some silly good fun come together to fuel this sophisticated ode to creativity.
PUBLIQuartet
Saturday, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m.
Grammy-nominated PUBLIQuartet is changing the perception of string quartets, digging into utterly fresh music, from classical to jazz to improvisation — and creating an American original style all its own.
“Akutagawa”
Friday, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 18, 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Created by Japanese master puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V and American puppet artist Tom Lee, this new stage work uses bunraku puppets, video projection, and live music to illuminate the wild imagination of Japanese’s most famed short story writer. Audience members are seated onstage.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Tuesday, Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.
Celebrate over 60 years of unparalleled artistry when the groundbreaking Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s premiere ensemble 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-winning novel “The Sympathizer” globally reimagines what people thought they knew about the Vietnam War, urging readers to examine the legacy of that tumultuous time and its aftermath from a new perspective.
“Book of Mountains and Seas”
Friday, March 24, 7:30 p.m.
Commissioned in part by the Moss, this daring new music theatre work is a modern take on ancient Chinese creation myths, featuring the chorus of Ars Nova Copenhagen alongside massive puppets and striking lanterns.
Opera Roanoke and Blacksburg Master Chorale
Sunday, April 23, 4 p.m.
Opera Roanoke, Blacksburg Master Chorale, Virginia Tech Choirs, and the Georgia Boy Choir come together for Benjamin Britten’s monumental “War Requiem,” a timeless work symbolizing the senselessness of war.
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Saturday, April 29, 7:30 p.m.
Three-time Grammy winner Cécile McLorin Salvant brings historical perspective on jazz standards and her own compositions, embracing wide-ranging repertoire with her rich, powerful voice.
Broadway in Blacksburg
Broadway returns to Southwest Virginia with the Moss Arts Center’s “Broadway in Blacksburg” series. Tickets are now available for the romantic and adventure-filled new musical “Anastasia” on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m. and the warm-hearted Tony Award-winning musical comedy “Hairspray” on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets for individual performances can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday; or by calling (540) 231-5300 during box office hours.
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Crystal Graham
