Sponsored by Chip Wyatt-State Farm, Press Glass, Carter Bank
Piedmont Arts will kick off the holiday season with the annual lighting of the Art Garden Christmas tree from 4 – 6 pm. Enjoy holiday music by the Martinsville High School Jazz Band and the First Baptist Church Choir, Gale Buck: Storytelling Santa, snacks and crafts. This event is free and open to the public.
Just like the sculptures in the Art Garden, the Christmas tree will be a work of art. Created by Ian Hogg using more than 3,000 lights, the tree will be lit at sunset and brighten the Art Garden through New Year’s Day.
Sponsored by Stifel and Stateline Aesthetics. This performance is partially supported by funding from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Online ticket sales end Saturday, Dec. 7 at 11 p.m. Tickets will be available at the box office.
There’s no better way to lift your spirits than with the music of the season delivered in full sound and spectacle by the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. David Stewart Wiley conducts the Holiday Pops with all the magical elements you have come to expect — high energy, familiar carols and lots of holiday warmth. Guest soloist Michael Lynche from American Idol will join the symphony for this special performance.
Featuring guest soloist Michael Lynche. Lynche is a new breed of soul singer with completely classic influences. Traces of Donny Hathaway, Al Green, Luther Vandross, Sam Cooke and James Brown all seem to flash in this uniquely talented performer. Undeniable charisma, well-crafted song arrangements and a voice soaked in soul give the big man class all his own. “Big Mike” — as he was known while winning over the hearts of a nation during his stint on American Idol — has talent so versatile, he’s played intimate jazz & blues clubs, 20,000 seat arenas and opera halls with 100 piece orchestras backing him. Through it all “Big Mike” has always had one singular goal: to spread a message of love wherever he goes.
Event Schedule
| 1:30 p.m. | Lobby and box office open |
| 2 p.m. | Auditorium opens |
| 3 p.m. | Concert begins |
Family or individual adult WIC cardholders with ID receive free general admission. Tickets can be picked up at Piedmont Arts or at the door on the night of the event.
Altrusa will collect non-perishable food items for Grace Network in the lobby during the symphony's performance.
Join Piedmont Arts for an opening reception in honor of its new exhibits. Free and open to the public. Complimentary wine and light refreshments.
RSVP attendance by Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2024.
Poet and scholar TJ Anderson III will discuss his journey as a writer and share readings from his award-winning poetry.
Anderson is professor of English at Hollins University. His research focuses on jazz poetry, African American literature, and the work of Aimé Césare. A former Fulbright Scholar, he lived in Cairo, Egypt, where he taught at Cairo University and conducted research on the influence of jazz on contemporary Egyptian music. He is the author of Devonte Travels the Sorry Route, At Last Round Up, River to Cross, and Notes to Make the Sound Come Right: Four Innovators of Jazz Poetry. He has produced two poetry and music collaborations, The Mask with William Bolcom and Songs of Illumination with T.J. Anderson Jr., and the highly-acclaimed spoken word album Blood Octave.
This event is free and open to the public. Donations are encouraged. RSVP attendance here.
Admission Free
Sponsored by Carter Bank
Enjoy music, storytelling, crafts, music, food, and face painting at the annual African American Read-In + Family Day!
Lyrical artist Taye the Truth will perform. He combines powerful words with relatable music to enlighten and empower his community. A native of Roanoke, Va. he was featured in The Roanoker’s 40 Under 40 list in 2023.
Storyteller Fred Motley will perform classic folktales, songs, and stories from around the world. A modern-day griot, Motley has traveled to festivals and other venues to teach African-American history, music, and dance for more than 30 years.
Face painting and crafts hosted by Teen Arts Council.
Piedmont Arts' African American Read-In + Family Day is held in conjunction with the National African American Read-In. Established in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month, this initiative has reached more than six million participants around the world.
Grab the mic and express yourself through music, poetry, comedy or spoken word. Performers should sign up for a five-minute (max) spot upon arrival. Free to performers and audience. Cash bar.
Upcoming events:
| Aug. 15 | Natalie Hodge | 7 pm |
| Oct. 10 | Jake Earles | 7 pm |
| Jan. 9 | Taye the Truth | 7 pm |
| April 10 | Anna Wheeler | 7 pm |
Admission Free
Sponsored by Carter Bank & Trust
Join Piedmont Arts for its second annual Arts Festival in the Gravely-Lester Art Garden.
This fun festival celebrates local artists, artisans, performing artists, and creators of all kinds. This event will feature food trucks, artists, performers, crafts, and face painting.
Paperhand Puppet Intervention will bring a giant puppet parade to the festival. A puppet theater company based out of Saxapahaw, N.C., the group creates a gigantic papier-mâché puppet extravaganza complete with live music and much more. The group has been using papier-mâché, cardboard, bamboo, old house paint, cloth, and other assorted junk to create incredible giant puppets, masks, shadow plays, and spectacle performances since 1997. They tell stories, beat drums, sew cloth, get sweaty, push boundaries, and carry heavy things to help make the world a better place. Their parades, pageants, and award-winning performances aim to be an inspiration, a call to action, and a celebration for everyone to enjoy.
More information on vendor and musician sign-up and a schedule of events are coming soon.
This event is free and open to the public.
Take the Bus to Broadway to a matinee production of Kimberly Akimbo at Durham Performing Arts Center.
The winner of five Tony Awards including Best Musical, Kimberly Akimbo is a story about growing up and growing old (in no particular order). Kimberly is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. In this “howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show” (The New Yorker), Kim is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush… and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure. is the winner of five Tony Awards including Best Musical.
The van will depart from Piedmont Arts at 11:30 a.m. for a 2 p.m. performance. The van will return to Piedmont Arts immediately following the performance. A boxed lunch option will be available.
Tickets on sale soon. Contact Executive Director Heidi Pinkston at hpinkston@piedmontarts.org for more details.
This performance is partially supported by funding from Mid-Atlantic Arts.
From her ancestral lineage to her arrival at a metaphorical crossroad, Debra Ann Byrd presents a tour-de-force journey of living memoir in Becoming Othello: A Black Girl’s Journey. This autobiographical solo show chronicles the trials and triumphs of Byrd’s life: her joy-filled and tumultuous youth growing up in Harlem; Her experiences in foster care; Her growth as a pregnant teen and single parent; Her fateful encounter with a troupe of Shakespearean actors, navigating race and the classics; and ultimately her gender-flipped journey to playing Othello.
Interspersed with verses from Othello and dynamic multimedia elements, Byrd bares her soul in this vulnerable, personal, and resonant story of perseverance, discovery, and unconditional love. Directed by Shakespeare & Company founder Tina Packer and written by and starring Founding Artistic Director of the Harlem Shakespeare Festival and Artistic Director at Southwest Shakespeare Company Debra Ann Byrd, Becoming Othello is "gripping, realistic, theatrical, and dynamic” (The Berkshire Edge).
The run time for this performance is 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.
Content Warning: This show is based on Byrd’s real-life experiences, and includes content that may be distressing. Contact Executive Director Heidi Pinkston at hpinkston@piedmontarts.org for content-related questions.
Co-hosted with Starling Avenue Cards and Comics in partnership with VMFA Statewide Programs.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts educator Christopher Irving will perform a reading from his book Leaping Tall Buildings and present a slideshow of comic book creator portraits ranging from Joe Simon, the co-creator of Captain America, to emerging talent in the comic book field. Learn about the history of American Comics through quotes by famous creators such as Stan Lee (Marvel Comics, Spider-Man), Frank Miller (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns), Art Spiegelman (Maus), Chris Ware (Building Stories), Harvey Pekar (American Splendor), and Dennis O’Neil (Batman).
Irving is a comic book and popular culture historian. He received a BFA in arts education from Virginia Commonwealth University and a MA in literary criticism from Brooklyn College. He currently serves as consulting editor of the magazine, Comic Book Creator.
This event is free and open to the public. Donations are encouraged. RSVP attendance here.
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