By Susan Sanders
After a year of virtual performances, the Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts plans to hold in-person events for its upcoming season. Performances by students, faculty members, and guest artists, as well as cinema screenings, begin on Sept. 18. Many of the events are free.
Music
The Virginia Tech Trumpet Festival kicks off the season on Sept. 18 with guest trumpeter Ryan Gardner, who will conduct masterclasses and perform, along with others, in an evening benefit concert.
Music on Mondays and Faculty/Guest Artist Series recitals, which allow audiences an intimate music experience in the Squires Recital Salon, are scheduled throughout the semester. This fall’s lineup includes:
Sept. 20 — “In the company of Benny Goodman — The King of Swing” with Hsiang Tu and Yevgeny Dokshansky
Sept. 27 — “All about Maurice: Complete Piano Solo Works by Maurice Ravel Recital I” with Hsiang Tu
Oct. 7 — Dino Mulic, piano
Oct. 11 — Music of Hilary Tann and Edgar Girtain
Oct. 13 — Music of Hilary Tann
Oct. 25 — Guy Yehuda, clarinet
Nov. 4 — Esther Park, piano
Nov. 8 — Gaelynn Lea Tressler, violinist/singer-songwriter
Nov. 14 — String Faculty Chamber Music
Nov. 15 — Katherine Whyte, soprano with pianist Richard Masters
Ensemble concerts and music lab recitals showcase the wide variety of student talent. A first-time addition to the season, the New Music + Technology Festival, will feature performances of new works by faculty and students, the L2Ork Linux Laptop Orchestra, Creativity + Innovation, the Virginia Tech New Music Ensemble, and guest artists.
Fall music ensemble concerts include:
Sept. 24 — VT Jazz Ensembles featuring trumpeter Brandon Lee
Oct. 15 — VT Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band
Oct. 19 – VT Philharmonic
Nov. 7 — VT Choirs Fall Concert
Nov. 9 — VT Percussion Ensemble
Nov. 16 — VT Jazz Ensembles
Nov. 17 — VT Wind Ensembles and Symphony Band present “Visible Nature”
Dec. 1 — Piano Studio Recital
Dec. 2 — VT Philharmonic
Dec. 5 — Opera Workshop
Dec. 6-8 — New Music + Technology Festival
Dec. 6 — Music Lab Recital
Dec. 7 — Virginia Tech String Project recital
Dec. 7 — Low Brass Ensemble
Theatre
Four performances of “Wondrous Strange,” a collection of short plays by four female playwrights — Martyna Majok, Meg Miroshnik, Jiehae Park, and Jen Silverman — will be presented in the Squires Studio Theatre on Sept. 27 through Sept. 30. Set in Kentucky, each story is written with a supernatural edge and revolves around ghosts, loss, and memory.
Lynn Nottage’s “SWEAT” will be presented Nov. 9–12 and 14–16 in the Squires Studio Theatre. Filled with warm humor and heart, “SWEAT” tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs while working together on the factory floor. When layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in a heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat in this Pulitzer Prize-winner for drama.
Cinema
Each year, audiences look forward to the student-led Progeny Short Film Festival, which showcases local and regional talent. Held at the Moss Arts Center on Oct. 2, this year’s film categories include animation, documentary, experimental, Hokie Short, international, narrative, and pandemic/home video.
