Welcome to the
Rebecca J. Graves Center for the Performing Arts

May 11, 2024: 7:30pm

Lew Tabackin, a distinguished flutist and tenor saxophonist, is a frequent performer at prestigious venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Monterey and Newport Jazz festivals. Renowned for his astonishing vision, Tabackin’s flute playing is electrifying, displaying virtuosity, cross-cultural influences, and passionate expression. His distinctive tenor sax style features wide intervals, abrupt mood and tempo changes, and purposeful fervor, showcasing the full range of his instrument melodically, rhythmically, and dynamically.

In 1968, Tabackin crossed paths with Toshiko Akiyoshi, and their collaboration led to marriage. They relocated to Los Angeles, forming the award-winning Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. While in LA, Tabackin played with Shelley Manne and led various trios with Billy Higgins, John Heard, and Charlie Haden. Regular tours in Japan with Akiyoshi’s orchestra and his own trio solidified his international presence.

In the 1980s, Tabackin gained overdue recognition as a flutist, winning DownBeat critic’s and reader’s polls. Moving to New York in 1982, he reentered the Manhattan jazz scene, establishing himself as a major tenor saxophone and flute artist in concerts and recordings. His Concord debut, “Desert Lady” (1990), featured esteemed musicians like Hank Jones and Dave Holland, followed by acclaimed albums like “I’ll Be Seeing You” (1990) and “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” (1994).

Tabackin’s association with all-star bands, including George Wein’s Newport All-Star Band and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, further highlighted his musical prowess. Concord released “Tenority” in 1996, marking Tabackin’s focus on tenor sax. Subsequent albums like “Tanuki’s Night Out,” “Live In Paris,” and “Quartet” showcase his continued artistic evolution.

June 15 – 7:30 PM – Workshop: 5:30 PM

The Puppet Show Workshop
Presented by Barefoot Puppet Theater

5:30 – 6:30 PM – Workshop
6:30 PM – Pizza Party for Workshop Participants
7:30 PM Performance

Barefoot Puppet Theater based in Richmond, VA tours award-winning programs to theatres, schools, libraries, children’s museums and more.

Mission
We activate imaginations through the power of puppetry!

Vision
Our touring company shares performances, workshops, and residencies with youth and families; we provide masterclasses for puppetry artists and fans of puppetry, too! We imagine a world where communities all over the world come together through the art of puppetry.

Values
Play: Humans learn best through play; we imbue our performances (and even our workshops!) with a sense of play.

Inclusiveness: We respect people, value diversity, and are deeply committed to equity.

Integrity: We listen to our clients and stand behind our work.

Sustainable Processes and Materials: (1) Working with locally sourced materials whenever possible. (2) Using repurposed materials, naturally sources fibers, recycled papers, and similar actions. (3) Prioritizing “well-made” over “cheap” when it comes to purchasing needed equipment. (4) Considering the entire life cycle of our creative work throughout the building and design process.

Fourth of July - Party on the Plaza 6-9 PM FREE

July 4: 6 – 9 PM

Enjoy some great music and celebrate the 4th of July with us at this Free Event!

Dwight Maratin is an entertainer from Harrisonburg, Virginia. He is interested in music, guitars, and performing live music.

He plays “Hits from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s & 2000s” including classic rock, pop, blues and some country.

Dwight has also performed locally at the Speakeasy at the Mimslyn Inn.

Sample Song List:

60s Eight Days A Week, Mustang Sally, Proud Mary.

70s Take Me Home Country Roads, Ain’t No Sunshine, Call Me The Breeze, Old Time Rock & Roll.

80s Every Breath You Take, Don’t Dream It’s Over, With or Without You.

90s I’ll Be (Edwin McCain), If You Could Only See (Tonic), Wonderwall.

2000s I Won’t Back Down, Collide (Howie Day), Feels Like Tonight, Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show), Perfect (Ed Sheeran).

August 10 – 7:30 PM

Strong Water is a folk band from VA known for its original high energy singer/songwriter folk music.

Like a good shot of its namesake, Strong Water is smooth with a bite. The Americana/folk band first formed in 2013 as a duo on a Virginia university campus before settling into its current four-piece, “complete with howling banjos, two-part vocal harmonies and driving drums” (The Burg).

In 2014, Strong Water released their first EP Aftermath. Buoyed by their community’s response and their newfound synergy as a four-piece, Strong Water independently funded, recorded and released a 14-track, self-titled album in 2016. The debut album brought about touring opportunities across the Mid-Atlantic region, where Strong Water opened for bands, like The SteelDrivers, Judah & the Lion and The Black Lillies. In 2018, their sophomore album Bearfoot was released with single “If I Was” receiving regional radio play and exceeding 960k streams on Spotify.

Their music has been featured on independent radio stations, tastemakers and periodicals like Americana Rhythm, Americana Highways, Americana Music Magazine and AmericanaUK, who described Bearfoot as “a perfectly executed and wonderfully diverse record from a group whose way is only up.”

Their third album The Hills was released April 29, 2022. Written during the pandemic and recorded by Three Arrows Sound, the album explores the changes the band has experienced over the past eight years. Lyrics are inspired by life’s opposites — anticipation and nostalgia, love and loss, courage and fear — and by the beauty of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.