By Ella Powell Pianist/composer Dan Tepfer says his earliest memories on the keys are of improvising as a toddler. “It seemed like a very natural thing for me to do, to just make up music,” he says. “My classical piano teachers would say, ‘don’t do that,’ but I knew it was okay because granddad did.” […]
By Ella Powell Pianist/composer Dan Tepfer says his earliest memories on the keys are of improvising as a toddler. “It seemed like a very natural thing for me to do, to just make up music,” he says. “My classical piano teachers would say, ‘don’t do that,’ but I knew it was okay because granddad did.” […]
Through nearly 30 songs composed by Stephen Sondheim, Putting It Together details an overnight party in a swanky upper-Manhattan penthouse. With dynamic orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, a longtime Sondheim collaborator, and the creative direction of Robert Chapel, the production features five characters, including a wealthy retired married couple, a younger man and woman, and a […]
Fans of acts like Alison Krauss and Indigo Girls will find kinship in the songs of Clymer & Kurtz. The folk-rock singer-songwriter duo has been collaborating for decades, honing ethereal harmonies that drive their emotion-stirring songs. Relying on guitars and keys (with the occasional inclusion of percussion) for accompaniment, Maria Clymer and Christopher Kurtz’ intense […]
David Byrne’s musical comedy True Stories takes a fond look at wackiness in the American heartland. Set in the fictional town of Virgil, Texas, during a prideful “Celebration of Specialness” for the 150th anniversary of the state, Talking Heads singer Byrne directs and stars as the narrator in a project that adopts the energy of […]
A few years ago, Abhishek Kulkarni was just a guy getting a business degree who dabbled in comedy. Now, he’s a local open mic mainstay who’s learned to work a crowd. “Initially, I was writing a lot of new content for the U.S. audience, so I would go like three weeks of telling the same […]
By Tami Keaveny, CM Turner, and Ella Powell Charlottesville is a city of music fans and aficionados. We have an abundance of sonic riches in the national tours that touch down at our venues, and we’ve built a few careers here as well (looking at you, jam daddy DMB). There’s a lot of talk about […]
The fourth annual Soul of Cville Festival is a celebration of Black excellence across disciplines. Dance? You know it. Fashion show? For sure. DJ sets? Yup. Live music? Hell yeah. Beyond the performances, dozens of vendors and community partners will be on site. There’s awesome apparel, creative arts and crafts, meaningful mentorship, and a wide […]
Whether you love it, hate it, or have never heard of it, here’s your chance to see it on the big screen. It’s Pink Floyd—The Wall. Watch a whacked-out superstar musician spiral into an isolated state of paranoia as he relives his childhood traumas. Watch him lapse into episodes of anxious and fantastical thinking as […]
DMR Adventures, a performing arts center for kids, has been making magic since 2009. This summer’s production of Beauty and the Beast JR. features 80 children performing in a downsized adaptation of the fan favorite Disney Princess movie. Join the French soirée to sing “Be Our Guest” along with lively Lumiere and timely Cogsworth, and […]
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 thriller The 39 Steps, based on John Buchan’s 1915 novel, brought the director international recognition and launched his Hollywood career with its themes of love, death, and crime intertwining in a frenzied plot that moves at the speed of a bullet train. Heritage Theatre’s production of the hilariously suspenseful whodunit will leave […]