Andrew Bird and Nickel Creek with Mike Viola 

Ting Pavilion, July 17 Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird has been in a few noteworthy bands and has released or joined in on more records than we have space to discuss here. The singer and songwriter first came to fame collaborating with swing band Squirrel Nut Zippers in the late 1990s and went on to put […]

Life, liberty, and the Women at Monticello Tour

Straight out of the gate, I must acknowledge this wasn’t a fair test. Almost a decade ago (where has the time gone?), I worked at Monticello for roughly seven years. My last few roles were Martha-of-many-trades jobs, doing everything from loading buses and giving tours to helping with events and addressing guest feedback. Not surprisingly, […]

Discovering place, family, and memory in Annie Woodford’s poetry

“Poetry allows you to preserve a certain moment, a certain place. It’s giving voice to something that otherwise I would just carry around mutely,” says poet Annie Woodford, author of Where You Come From Is Gone and winner of the Weatherford Award for Best Books about Appalachia. “Then, when you think about economic systems or […]

Chandler Jennings in the HotSeat

On view through July 25, New City Arts presents “Around the Table: Political play, agency, gamification, and other things we can learn from board games,” an exhibition curated by Chandler Jennings. A Spring 2024 New City Arts Research Residency recipient, Jennings used his residency to continue developing a prototype of his own tabletop game, Conxensus: […]

The Elixir of Love

Inspired by Le Philtre, premiered at the Paris Opera in 1831, The Elixir of Love uncorks a romantic drama in the Italian countryside. The contemporary libretto is written by Felice Romani and stars a cheap bottle of red wine as the agent to activate affection. Nemorino, roused by the wine and blinded by love, boldly […]

Shakespeare at the Ruins

Experience the magic of Shakespeare at the Ruins, set among the historic remains of Governor James Barbour’s mansion, designed by Thomas Jefferson and destroyed by fire in 1884. Following a short hiatus due to wear and tear, the summer tradition (launched in 1990) returns with a performance of The Comedy of Errors, a collaboration between […]

Lust for Lana dance party

Get your dreamy, vintage groove on in tribute to pop queen Lana Del Rey at the Lust for Lana Dance Party, a rave-inspired evening for the coquette set. The soiree revolves around Del Rey’s Lust For Life album, released in 2017, and the promotional tour that followed. Baltimore sound and visual artist Amy Reid provides […]

Michael Franti & Spearhead brings sunny vibes to the Pavilion

By Thomas Crone arts@c-ville.com For Michael Franti and his band Spearhead, summers are about touring across America. Churning out smiley hits like “Say Hey (I Love You)” and “The Sound of Sunshine Going Down,” the singer, musician, and documentarian says he typically performs about 60 shows timed to coincide with outdoor amphitheater opportunities, mixed with […]

Infinite Repeats studio in Belmont is equipped with creativity

Printmaking is a messy art requiring space that isn’t always available at home. Artists Thomas Dean and Jeremy Taylor are hoping to help solve this problem at Infinite Repeats, a gallery and studio that offers creatives the space and equipment to work on their projects, including screen printing, etching, and risograph printing. “It’s a great […]

An ode to the hotel bar

“What is it,” Luke Barr wonders, “about the hotel bar?” I’m wondering, too, and that’s why I’ve asked Barr, a pro, to vamp about the romance and allure of hotel bars. He’s a former editor at Travel + Leisure magazine and the author of 2018’s Ritz and Escoffier: The Hotelier, The Chef, and the Rise […]