Guys and Dolls

Charlottesville Opera kicks off its summer season with four performances of Frank Loesser’s classic Broadway hit Guys and Dolls. The Tony Award-winning musical follows a pair of New York City gamblers, a missionary, and a showgirl on a high-stakes game of love. Keith Phares, Elise Quagliata, Chauncey Packer, and Cree Carrico perform beloved songs like […]

Nickel Creek

American bluegrass band Nickel Creek first performed together as children at a pizza parlor in San Diego in 1989. The trio of mandolinist Chris Thile, violinist Sara Watkins, and guitarist Sean Watkins has since released seven albums, won a Grammy, and been credited with helping revolutionize folk and roots music. The Celebrants is the band’s […]

In brief

Champion defeated Charlottesville staple Champion Brewing Company will close its doors on June 30. In an Instagram post announcing the closure, @championbeer wrote, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Friday, 6/30/23 will be our last day of operations. … It’s always an emotional journey to start, operate, and wind down a […]

L’Rain

Under the mononym L’Rain, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Taja Cheek performs music rooted in R&B, jazz, noise, and pop. Her sophomore album, Fatigue, blends hauntingly delicate vocals with an array of keyboard and synth, and incorporates manipulated samples and voice memos in the production. The record “is an exploration of the simultaneity of human emotions … […]

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Tensions rise between members of a blues band and the owners of a recording studio in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Ti Ames directs the drama as part of Charlottesville Players Guild’s production of playwright August Wilson’s American Century Cycle. If you miss the sign up for Rock & Reel, you’ll be able to catch some […]

Rock & Reel: Monticello’s Folk Traditions

In celebration of Juneteenth, Early Music Access Project presents Rock & Reel: Monticello’s Folk Traditions, a concert that explores the unique repertoire of accomplished Black fiddlers, including Sally Hemings’ three sons and the Scott family, who lived on Main Street and played for multiple presidents. Raucous reels, stately minuets, and a new composition by Jonathan […]

Muddled monikers

By Sofia Heartney Ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony at Buford Middle School, marking the start of a multi-million-dollar renovation, Charlottesville City Schools Superintendent Royal A. Gurley Jr. recommended changing Buford’s name to Charlottesville Middle School. According to a press release, school board members discussed a name change during a recent meeting. After gathering community feedback, […]

In brief

Celebrating Juneteenth The Charlottesville community is again coming together to celebrate Juneteenth, which commemorates the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865, when General Gordon Granger read the declaration to enslaved people in Texas, announcing their freedom and ending the practice of slavery in the southern United States. While Juneteenth has been celebrated […]

Cold cones, warm hearts

We know, we know: Ice cream? For summer? Groundbreaking. But there’s literally no better time to write about one of our favorite treats than the hottest season of the year, cliché or not. It’s practically a requirement: Before the summer’s over, you must try one of these hot (cold?) spots. And for those of you […]

In brief

Truth be told Candidate Kellen Squire has responded to allegations by his primary opponent Amy Laufer that he is anti-choice. The two are facing off on June 20 for the Democratic nomination for Virginia’s 55th House of Delegates seat. Over Memorial Day weekend, Laufer released mailers that said, “Squire’s own words show you can’t trust […]