VIRGINIA ARTS FESTIVAL ADDS MORE PERFORMANCES TO 2024 SEASON CALENDAR! 

Additions include soul-singer Joss Stone,  2024 Grammy-winner Brandy Clark,  Ellington 125: Attucks Jazz Orchestra,  Returning Festival favorite Mipso, and more! 

Virginia Arts Festival adds more to their 2024 season this spring! Since 1997, the Festival has presented world-renowned artists right here in Coastal Virginia. Additions to the calendar include Jazz artists, Americana, Baroque, and more! Tickets will be available this week at vafest.org, 757-282-2822, and in person at the Virginia Arts Festival Box Office (440 Bank Street in Norfolk).  

JOSS STONE 
Wednesday, June 5, 7:30 PM 
Chrysler Hall, Norfolk 
When he heard Joss Stone’s voice, Motown legend Smokey Robinson dubbed her “Aretha Joplin”—for the way she fused Aretha Franklin’s gospel-tinged soul with Janis Joplin’s raw blues. Stone burst onto the music scene in 2003 at age 16; since then, she has performed alongside such legends as James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Sting and more—and on her own has sold over 15 million albums worldwide and toured the world. Prepare to be blown away by this Grammy-winning singer! 

Tickets go on sale Friday, February 16 

 
BRANDY CLARK 
Tuesday, May 7, 7:30 PM 
Perry Pavilion, Norfolk 
She’s written for the best of the best, penning hits for Brandi Carlile, Alicia Keys and Kacey Musgraves. She’s written for Broadway, where the hilariously charming musical Shucked charmed audiences. The 2024 Grammy winner for Best Americana Performance, CMA winner and 17-time Grammy® nominee has a new album she’s written for herself, and it has made the “year’s best” lists including the Los Angeles Times, The Tennessean and Variety, who raved, “one of the year’s best...further clarifies thatshe’s one of America’s treasures.” Hear this extraordinary singer-songwriter live at this intimate Perry Pavilion show, co-presented with North Shore Point Downtown.  

Tickets go on sale Thursday, February 15  

ELLINGTON 125:  The Attucks Jazz Orchestra
Celebrates Duke Ellington’s 125th Birthday 
Todd Stoll, director 
Catherine Russell, vocals 
Saturday, May 18, 7:30 PM 
Attucks Theatre, Norfolk 
A phenomenally gifted composer, band leader and pianist, Duke Ellington defined an era in jazz, shaping the sound of American music for more than 50 years. In fact, Ellington rejected being limited to jazz; he thought of his music as “beyond category.” Winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and 14 GRAMMY® Awards (including the Lifetime Achievement Award), Ellington graced the great concert stages, films, and hottest clubs around, including Norfolk’s Attucks Theatre. This concert celebrates Ellington’s career with a big band performance of some of his most beloved and influential works — a fitting celebration of the 125th anniversary of his birth.  

Tickets on sale Tuesday, February 20.  

A BAROQUE CELEBRATION 
Kevin Kwan, music director & conductor & harpsichord 
Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Players
Molly Quinn, soprano 
Tuesday, April 23, 7:30 PM 
Christ & St. Luke’s Church, Norfolk 
It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful setting for this beautiful program of Baroque music! Christ & St. Luke’s Church’s history dates back to the 1600s and provides a beautifully authentic environment for these masterworks by three titans of the Baroque: Bach, Buxtehude and Handel, and more. Christ & St. Luke’s music director Kevin Kwan conducts an ensemble of Virginia Arts Festival Chamber musicians & singers, with special guest soprano Molly Quinn, “a voice that blooms like ink in clear water” (Cleveland Classical Review). 

Tickets on sale Thursday, February 15.  
 
MIPSO 
Tuesday, May 28, 7:30 PM 
Perry Pavilion, Norfolk 
This North Carolina-based band returns to Virginia Arts Festival! Co-presented with North Shore Point Downtown, Mipso captivates audiences with their finely layered vocal harmonies and down-home sound, the product of impeccable artistry. Steeped in the traditions of mountain music, they make the old sound new, alive, and electrifying.  

Tickets on sale Thursday, February 15.  

BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN 
Tuesday, June 11, 7:30 PM 
Perry Pavilion, Norfolk 
This super group comprises three towering talents. Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell has passionate fans for her concerts as well as her Tony Award-winning musical, Hadestown. Josh Kaufman has collaborated with artists from The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir to Taylor Swift. And folk rocker Eric D. Johnson has moved audiences from his tenure with the Fruit Bats to his film scores, including the Paul Rudd film Our Idiot Brother. Together they create an irresistible sound that follows the paths of traditional tunes to new musical and lyrical frontiers. Co-presented with North Shore Point Downtown.  
Tickets on sale Thursday, February 15.  

RHYTHM PROJECT SHOWCASE 
Saturday, May 25, 7:30 PM 
Perry Pavilion, Norfolk 
Prepare to be blown away by these elementary-to-high-school-age musicians! The Virginia Arts Festival’s Rhythm Project is a world percussion program that serves young people throughout Hampton Roads, teaching them discipline, responsibility, and creativity as they learn to perform together on steel drums. Over the program’s 26-year existence, Rhythm Project performers have opened for Gladys Knight, shared the stage with international steel drum stars, and performed at the Kennedy Center as well as the Royal Nova Scotia and Virginia International Tattoos. Bring the family and enjoy music that makes you want to move!  

Tickets on sale Thursday, February 15.