Virginia Arts Fest-Festival Williamsburg- Memorial Day Weekend of Performances May 23‐26, 2013
For the 11th spectacular year, the Virginia Arts Festival brings a whirlwind weekend of great performances to the historic city of Williamsburg. Co‐presented with the City of Williamsburg and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Festival Williamsburg offers residents and visitors the best of Broadway, jazz, classical music, and more, Memorial Day Weekend, May 23 through 26.2013
This Memorial Day Weekend begins on Thursday, May 23, with the first of a unique new series: the Williamsburg Winery Concerts. There’s a delicious repast for the body and soul in each of these concerts! On Thursday evening, enjoy fine dining and selections from the Williamsburg Winery’s award‐winning wine collection; then savor the superb artistry of the Miami String Quartet, praised in The New York Times for its “rich, precisely balanced sound and broad coloristic palette.” Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Music Director and renowned pianist André‐Michel Schub, along with Virginia Symphony violist Beverly Kane Baker, join the Quartet for an all‐Brahms program, music as rich and beautiful as the offerings on the menu. And if you prefer a brunch, enjoy the Friday, May 24 performance, with wine and menu tastings from Williamsburg’s finest restaurants, followed by a performance of Shostakovich and Mozart classics by pianist Schub and the Miami String Quartet. After each performance, concertgoers are invited to linger and meet the artists in this intimate setting.
Friday night, May 24, brings eight‐time Grammy Award winner Arturo Sandoval to the Williamsburg Lodge for a show that dazzles. The versatile, virtuosic performer and composer is an audience favorite across continents, at home in every style of music from his beloved jazz to classical, and master of many instruments, from his phenomenal trumpet to piano, percussion and more. Prepare to be amazed by Sandoval’s musicianship and charmed by his stage presence.
Saturday, it’s Bravo Broadway at the Williamsburg Lodge, when a trio of stars gathers for an evening of favorite show tunes. Debbie Gravitte has charmed audiences from Broadway (Les Miserables) to the movies (The Little Mermaid); Christiane Noll received both Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for her performance in Ragtime; and Doug LaBrecque has thrilled theater audiences in The Phantom of the Opera and Showboat. Choose from two performances, 5:30 and 8pm and enjoy a cabaret experience with reserved table seating.
Sunday sizzles when the legendary Hot Sardines mix le jazz hot of Paris with the salty stride piano of N’Awlins. This is the kind of music Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller used to make: straight‐up, foot‐stomping fun—and with this band that’s a literal description: a tap dancer’s feet count as two members of the rhythm section. Put on your dancing shoes and enjoy an evening of sheer entertainment with this beguiling band.
Festival Williamsburg Performance Schedule
Festival events may be purchased at www.vafest.org or (757) 282‐2822. Tickets for Festival Williamsburg events may also be purchased at Williamsburg Municipal Building, 410 Lafayette Street, M‐F 8am to 4:30 pm or at the Williamsburg Lodge, May 23‐26, with no service fee.
Williamsburg Lodge hotel packages are available at 1‐800‐447‐8679.