March galleries

Friday 3/6 through Sunday 3/29 McGuffey Art Center presents a slate of new exhibitions of various media and interests this month. In the Sarah B. Smith Gallery, “Kinship” offers a collection of paintings that celebrate the connections between us all by Eileen French. In the First Floor North Gallery, “Holding What Time Leaves Behind” captures […]

Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival at The Paramount 3/6 – 3/8

The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival showcases exhilarating and inspiring short films centered on mountain sports and culture from around the world. If you’ve never attended a screening, imagine the X Games taking place within an episode of “Planet Earth,” but with more human interest. The films capture the true magnificence of our natural world […]

Louisiana Calling at The Jefferson 3/6

Louisiana Calling pairs Sonny Landreth Band with The Iguanas for a show fit to rock any venue in the Big Easy or bayou. Horn-laden and harmony-heavy, The Iguanas traffic a monster mashup of danceable stylings—Tejano and Conjunto sounds and fiery Caribbean influences mingle with Southern blues, jazz, and R&B. Whether sultry and smooth or wailing […]

The Eastern Boundary Quartet at Unity of Charlottesville 3/7

The Eastern Boundary Quartet returns, fusing smokin’ hot New York City jazz with infectious Hungarian folk rhythms and melodies. European master musicians Balazs Bagyi (drums) and Mihaly Borbely (sax and reeds) teamed up to tour with the Big Apple’s Joe Fonda (bass) and Michael Jefry Stevens (piano) in 2007, and the group has been bridging […]

Rory Scovel at The Jefferson 3/4

A lot of indie singer-songwriters stop in Charlottesville on their tours, and many of them are not to my taste. So when I discovered that Rory Scovel was coming to town, I was reasonably certain I was in for another acoustic guitar-picking, overly emotive turnip. To my delight, I was completely wrong. You may be […]

Painter Philip Geiger leaves a legacy of intensity and art history

Artist Philip Geiger, who taught painting at the University of Virginia for more than 30 years, depicted how things appear to the eye as opposed to reproducing how they appear physically. His perceptual approach was augmented by a deep understanding of art history, imbuing his paintings with weight and power. Geiger spent his life perfecting […]

Joe Pug hones his musical craft among peers

Joe Pug takes the craft of songwriting seriously. That’s heard in his catalog—now seven albums and two EPs deep—filled with thought-provoking lyrics but also gleaned throughout the 300-plus episodes of his podcast, “The Working Songwriter.” On the interview-based show, Pug largely avoids artistic pretense and romance—instead he dives deep into the labor of being an […]

Riverdance at John Paul Jones Arena 2/25

Celebrating three decades of fusing Irish and global dance, Grammy-winning music, and stunning stage shows, Riverdance 30: The New Generation rejuvenates the original show with innovative choreography and costumes. Act 1, “A Primitive & Powerful World,” deals with ancestral peoples coming to terms with the world and with themselves through negotiations with elemental powers. In […]

You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine at The Paramount 2/28

A star-studded tribute, You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine marries behind-the-scenes stories and interviews with performances of classic songs to honor the late legendary singer-songwriter. Filmed in 2022 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the concert event portion of the documentary features icons of the Americana scene paying their respects, including Brandi Carlile, Tyler Childers, […]

Twelfth Night, or What You Will at Blackfriars Playhouse through 5/3

Shakespeare’s most tangled love triangle comes to the stage with Twelfth Night, or What You Will. In a narrative where nothing is quite as it seems, shipwrecked noblewoman Viola dons drag and finds herself at the center of amorous shenanigans. Mistaken identities, wild parties, forged love letters, and yellow stockings feature prominently in this performance, […]