The Moss Arts Center’s 2022-23 season features vibrant sights and sounds from around the world — jazz and global beats, classical music favorites, family-friendly cirque selections, vibrant dance and theatre works, and engaging new perspectives. Subscriptions are now available for the upcoming season.

“Art has the power to reshape — and reframe — our understanding,” said Ruth Waalkes, executive director of the Moss Arts Center and associate provost for the arts at Virginia Tech. “Onstage, in our galleries, and in the community this season, artists will bring new context to experiences and histories. They will illuminate cultures from around the world, reimagine old stories in new ways, and reclaim traditional narratives and heritage.”

“This season is brimming with inspiring artists who give voice to underrepresented people and their experiences as well as critical social and environmental issues,” said Margaret Lawrence, Moss Arts Center director of programming. “Rhiannon Giddens lifts up people whose contributions to musical history have been erased, while Makuyeika Colectivo Teatral’s ‘Andares’ shines a light on a range of realities Indigenous people face at the crossroads of modern life and tradition. We’re also thrilled to be presenting Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s premiere ensemble for this first time ever in Southwest Virginia. Ailey is truly one of this country’s most popular and indomitable modern-dance companies.”

Subscriptions are now available for the full season.

Moss Arts Center 2022-23 performances

Cimafunk

Wednesday, Sept. 7, 6 p.m.

This free outdoor dance concert is led by one of the most exciting new performers in the Latin music space. With a joyous rhythm section, back-up singers, and a horn line, young Cuban sensation Cimafunk offers a bold mix of funk, Cuban music, and African rhythms that is revolutionizing the island’s music scene.

Eileen Ivers and Universal Roots

Friday, Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m.

In the hands of celebrated nine-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion Eileen Ivers, the violin pushes fiddling tradition boundaries from a folk music staple to an intensely driving world stage experience. Ivers and her band open the season with an upbeat evening celebrating the influences of Celtic tradition.

Redman · Mehldau · McBride · Blade

A MoodSwing Reunion

Tuesday, Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m.

Celebrated jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman introduced his first permanent band with his 1994 album, “MoodSwing.” The original group reunites — with Redman, pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Brian Blade — for an unforgettable performance.

Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi

Wednesday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m.

Grammy-winning singer and instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens excavates the past and reveals bold truths about the present. She collaborates with Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi to forge exultant sounds from the lullabies, ballads, and folk songs of their native and adoptive countries of America, Italy, and Ireland.

Makuyeika Colectivo Teatral

“Andares”

Wednesday, Oct. 12, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 13, 7:30 p.m.

“Andares” reveals the extraordinary spirit of Mexico’s remote corners and the pathways of its humblest of inhabitants. With live music and three inspired actors, this profound play shines a light on a range of realities — land usurpation, widespread violence, community resistance — that Indigenous people face.

Acrobuffos

“Air Play”

Sunday, Oct. 23, 2 p.m.

Circus meets science — umbrellas fly, fabrics soar over the audience, balloons swallow people, and the whole stage turns into a snow globe. “Air Play” is part comedy, part sculpture, part circus, part theatre. Great for all ages, “Air Play” creates beauty and inspires laughter across cultures and continents.

Farruquito

“Intimo”

Friday, Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.

Heir to the most renowned self-proclaimed Gypsy flamenco dynasty, Farruquito is hailed by The New York Times as “the greatest flamenco dancer of this new century.” With a stellar cast of dancers, musicians, and vocalists, Farruquito’s performances are true expressions of pure flamenco.

Danish String Quartet

Friday, Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m.

The Grammy-nominated Danish String Quartet is known for impeccable musicianship, sophisticated artistry, exquisite clarity of ensemble, and an expressivity inextricably bound to the music. The ensemble’s in-person Moss debut includes Haydn and Schubert quartets and folk music selections.

“Āhuti”

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble

Saturday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m.

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and Chitrasena Dance Company collaborate in a contemporary fusion of Odissi classical dance from India and traditional Kandyan dance from Sri Lanka. “Āhuti” explores the differences and similarities that bring the two companies together in rhythm, lyrical interludes, physical expression, vibrant colors, and live music.

Soweto Gospel Choir

“Hope”

Thursday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.

Three-time Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir brings “Hope,” a program celebrating artists associated with struggles for social justice. From South African freedom songs to the music of Aretha Franklin, Harry Belafonte, and Mahlia Jackson, to traditional African gospel and spirituals, Soweto brings audiences to their feet.

Roanoke Symphony Orchestra

“Holiday Pops Spectacular”

David Stewart Wiley, conductor

Saturday, Dec. 3, 4 p.m.

This much-anticipated holiday music tradition and audience favorite returns to the Moss. Friends and family gather to savor the spirit of the holidays as the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra fills the theatre with music and cheer with its “Holiday Pops Spectacular” program for audiences of all ages.

Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra

András Keller, chief conductor 

Zoltan Fejérvári, piano

Thursday, Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m.

With a rich history and dynamic musicians, Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra is one of Hungary’s leading orchestras. This performance showcases Hungary’s most beloved composers — Dvořák, Liszt, and Bartók — and features Hungarian pianist Zoltan Fejérvári.

“An Evening with Kevin Young”

Tuesday, Jan. 24, 7:30 p.m.

A groundbreaking voice of his generation, poet Kevin Young is the director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and poetry editor of The New Yorker. A National Book Award finalist and Guggenheim fellowship recipient, he also won the PEN Open Award, and the judge remarked that Young shows “how Black identity is indispensable to American culture.”

Machine de Cirque

“La Galerie”

Friday, Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m.

Seven zany acrobats and an eccentric musician take in a monochrome exhibit. With a creative spark, they set off an explosion of color. Dizzying feats, astonishing discoveries, poetic liberties, and a serious dose of some silly good fun come together to fuel this ode to creativity.

PUBLIQuartet

Saturday, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m.

Bursting with rock-star energy, the Grammy-nominated PUBLIQuartet is changing the perception of string quartets, digging into utterly fresh music, from classical to jazz to improvisation — and creating an American original style all its own.  

“Akutagawa”

Co-created by Koryū Nishikawa V and Tom Lee

Friday, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 18, 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Tales of the supernatural are presented with beautifully detailed miniature sets and extraordinary effects. Created by Japanese master puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V and American puppet artist Tom Lee, the new stage work uses bunraku puppets, video projection, and live music to explore the creative process of Japanese writer Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.

Celebrate over 60 years of unparalleled artistry when the groundbreaking Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s premiere ensemble comes to Southwest Virginia for the first time. Two evening performances offer different works, and each includes founder Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece, “Revelations.”

“An Evening with Viet Thanh Nguyen”

Thursday, March 16, 7:30 p.m.

Globally reimagining what we thought we knew about the Vietnam War, Viet Thanh Nguyen’s debut novel, “The Sympathizer,” is a New York Times best seller and Pulitzer Prize winner. Nguyen’s voice is refreshing and powerful as he urges readers to examine the legacy of that tumultuous time and its aftermath from a new perspective.

“Book of Mountains and Seas”

Huang Ruo, composer and librettist

Basil Twist, director and production design

Friday, March 24, 7:30 p.m.

Commissioned in part by the Moss, this daring new music theatre work by composer Huang Ruo and puppeteer, designer, and director Basil Twist is a modern take on ancient Chinese creation myths that are relevant to our current climate change struggle, featuring the chorus of Ars Nova Copenhagen alongside massive puppets and striking lanterns.

Opera Roanoke and Blacksburg Master Chorale

Benjamin Britten’s “War Requiem”

Steven White, conductor

Sunday, April 23, 4 p.m.

Opera Roanoke, Blacksburg Master Chorale, and a local children’s chorus come together for a production of Benjamin Britten’s “War Requiem,” a harrowing and timeless work symbolizing the senselessness of war and the importance of reconciliation.

Cécile McLorin Salvant

Saturday, April 29, 7:30 p.m.

MacArthur Fellow and three-time Grammy Award winner and singer Cécile McLorin Salvant brings historical perspective on jazz standards and her own compositions. Classically trained and steeped in jazz, blues, and folk, Salvant embraces a wide-ranging repertoire with her rich, powerful voice.

Purchase subscriptions

Subscriptions for the 2022-23 season are now available and offer discounted prices and priority seat selection. There are three ways to subscribe: the Premier Subscription includes 18 performances at a 25 percent discount off adult ticket prices, the Gold Build Your Own Subscription allows for a 20 percent discount off the price of adult tickets for 12 or more performances, and the Silver Build Your Own Subscription starts at just five performances at a 15 percent discount off ticket prices. Student and youth tickets are always $10 per performance, including in subscriptions.

Subscriptions can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300. Currently, only subscription packages are available for purchase for the 2022-23 season. Tickets for individual performances will be available beginning Aug. 4.

Note that one performance of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is included in the Premier Subscription, and the second performance is available as an add-on with a subscriber discount. Performances of “Andares” and “Akutagawa” are available as package add-ons with a discount.

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