The journey forward: One-person show Holly’s Ivy heals with reverence

Shelby Marie Edwards still switches between “is” and “was” when talking about her mother. After all, it’s not yet two years since Holly Edwards passed away in early January 2017. And in many ways, she remains present, not just in her daughter’s heart and mind, but in Charlottesville. Shelby, a theater artist and performance artist […]

ARTS Pick: Lone Rangers ’80s Rewind

Hot stuff: It’s a great time of year to ward off chilly winter nights with a cozy fire at home—or how about a sizzling evening of ’80s cover tunes by party band the Lone Rangers. The evening’s proceeds will benefit Market Central, an organization that connects local food to local people. Saturday 12/15 $5, 8pm. IX Art […]

ARTS Pick: Ryley Walker

Pity party playlist: Chicago indie musician Ryley Walker (right) brings sand to the beach when he arrives to play from his latest release—a full cover of the unreleased Dave Matthews Band album The Lillywhite Sessions. The recordings gained cult status after getting shelved by the band in 2001 for being full of “sad bastard songs” (according […]

ARTS Pick: Christmas at the Paramount

With joyful ring: Michael Slon conducts a 90-person chorus for Christmas at the Paramount, which features traditional holiday music and selections from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat. One of Bach’s most popular works, it celebrates the season through an uplifting expression of joy and humility. Children’s Choir of Central Virginia and the First Presbyterian Church Handbell Ensemble […]

ARTS Pick: Dave Matthews Band

Home stretch: Charlottesville’s history is built on many difficult stories, but the formation of the Dave Matthews Band is one of our city’s happy tropes. Formed in 1991 by the band’s namesake, the group quickly emerged from gigs on the jazz bar scene to weekly sell-outs at Trax nightclub. The band’s national fame escalated quickly, with […]

Palace intrigue: Sex, humor, and elaborate costumes define The Favourite

The romantic costume drama gets an injection of style and attitude in Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite. By its description—period piece from the director of Dogtooth, wartime power struggles, a love triangle, cousins jockeying for the Queen’s good graces—you’d have no way of knowing that The Favourite is one of the most ferociously funny films of […]

Playing it out: Stray Fossa is a new band with a long history

Nick Evans sometimes wakes at “god-awful hours of the night” to find his brother, Will, in the living room, sitting quietly amid microphones, coiled cables, amps, guitars, and drums, his shoulders hunched toward his computer, the blue-white glow of the screen illuminating his face, laser-focused, with headphones covering his ears. Nick laughs as he describes […]

Listen Up: Classical music is alive and well in Charlottesville

As Charlottesville’s character has broadened, so has its classical music scene, which is now largely driven by community efforts to build the culture. When Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach began transforming the sounds we were used to hearing, 250 years ago, people said it was the death of classical music,” says Benjamin Rous, music director of […]

ARTS Pick: Let There Be Light

In the shorter days leading to the solstice, things can get gloomy, but for the group of artists featured in Let There Be Light, the darkness offers inspiration. From glowing jellyfish constellations to the hidden world of woodland creatures, the art installations and performances at the annual event are a testament to the bright artistic […]