Virginia Arts Festival
virginia art festival norfolkbased nonprofit art presenter serf southeastern virginia offering dozen performance spring throughout year virginia art festival performance included international ballet company along modern contemporary ethnic dance company worldrenowned soloist ensemble musical genre including classical jazz world folk rock blue bluegrass country pop opera theater cabaret collaborative production local art organization like virginia symphony orchestra city norfolk group art patron seeking increase local tourism spring shoulder season approached robert w cross create performing art festival would serve cultural destination region cross produced first virginia international waterside art festival presenting day festival featuring performer stuttgart chamber orchestra mark morris dance group contemporary composerperformer steve reich jazz legend ramsey lewis billy taylor festival also saw creation first virginia international tattoo international display military band drill team pipe drum corp four successful year name officially changed virginia art festival washington post called virginia art festival tidewater tanglewood twoweek festival first year festival tripled size attendance virginia art festival celebrated th anniversary season presenting ticketed performance throughout region midapril june patron traveling state country reaching ten thousand student every year virginia art festival offer yearround art education program presenting special student matinee performance aligning visiting performing artist area school master class inschool workshop demonstration according annual report organization education program reached area school child – season festival john duffy institute new opera seek support work opera composerlibrettist team providing professional mentorship professional process development new work intent see work full production may festival present world premiere kept ghost story world premiere performance new opera kept ghost story norfolk attucks theatre created composer kristin kuster librettist megan levad work developed threeyear process duffy institute additional new opera currently development phase receive premiere beyond addition commission duffy institute virginia art festival commissioned work music dance opera brahms variation virginia art festival commissioned new work dance theatre harlem honor festival th season choreographed robert garland set johannes brahms variation theme haydn ballet premiered chrysler hall norfolk virginia may benjamin rous conducting virginia symphony orchestra pit benhur tale christ composer percussionist stewart copeland created new score minute edited version mgm silent epic film work premiered virginia art festival orchestra conducted richard kaufman norfolk april song shulamite composer donald mccullough founder virginia symphony chorus virginia chorale decade music director master chorale washington premiered new work november george mason university fairfax va virginia art festival cocommissioned piece named beautiful young bride heroine song solomon bible dream fallen – created composer jake runestad fellow john duffy composer institute musical work combined solo piano chorus orchestra powerful text written iraq war veteran awardwinning poet brian turner chronicling soldier emotional response experience war work premiered new orleans rappahannock county american composer ricky ian gordon librettist mark campbell commissioned write staged song cycle commemoration sesquicentennial anniversary american civil war rappahannock county world premiere norfolk va april day confederate force attacked fort sumter subsequent performance richmond va austin tx romeo juliet motif shakespeare mark morris dance group – commissioning project extension many year creative collaboration festival mark morris dance group world premiere performance featured virginia symphony orchestra pit inspired recently restored manuscript soviet cultural official originally rejected suppressed mark morris set choreography prokofiev original unedited ballet score historic production part member international commissioning consortium project included first time entire fourth act never heard prokofiev forced supplant act known epilogue ending virginia symphony orchestra played score live festival septet – work commissioned festival consortium national presenter american composer ellen taaffe zwilich performed kalichsteinlaredorobinson trio klr trio miami string quartet festival piano trio – renowned composer icon contemporary american music joan tower jointly commissioned virginia art festival la jolla music society chamber music society lincoln center compose piano trio premiere performance piece featured chamber musician violinist choliang lin cellist gary hoffman pianist andrémichel schub pocahontas chamber opera – composed linda tutas haugen libretto joan vail thorne joint commission virginia opera world premiere production presented honor th anniversary jamestown virginia landing america th anniversary celebration – four new musical work commissioned commemoration event american composer john corigliano john duffy adolphus hailstork jennifer higdon midsummer night dream – fully staged world premiere production presented performed orchestra stage actor score taken mendelssohn overture incidental music lost treasure atlantis – imani wind quintet created new work virginia art festival education program chinese ancient dance suite night thought – two chamber music work commissioned chineseborn american composer chen yi gershwin world jazz master herbie hancock created orchestral version grammy awardwinning album gershwin world received world premiere virginia art festival memory possible future – composed bruce adolphe work piano string quartet cocommissioned virginia art festival chamber music society lincoln center premiered virginia art festival performance recorded naxos label including festivalcommissioned song cycle rappahannock county stravinsky le noces soldier tale schoenberg transcription mahler da lied von der erde song wayfarer additionally festival presentation peter wolf special report recorded npr classic httpswwwvafestorg httpswwwvafestorgmediaannualreportpdf