With an eye toward raising the bar for themselves each year to provide an eclectic array of quality performances with immense depth and diversity, Hylton Performing Arts Center and George Mason University’s Center for the Arts have released their 2018-2019 performance season.
Individual ticket sales will be available to the public starting on Aug. 1.
The Hylton Presents lineup includes performances that span from comedy and classical music to jazz and family entertainment, including local favorites as well as international sellouts. Local group, The Capitol Steps, return with their renowned political sketches; Aquila Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and L.A. Theatre Works’ Steel Magnolias both bring their own takes on timeless theater classics; and the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, along with The Julian Bliss Septet, will be honoring jazz legends Benny Goodman and George Gershwin. The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. is celebrated in We Shall Overcome; and two groups from China—The Chinese Warriors of Peking and the Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra—bring a unique cultural experience to the area.
In addition to new performances, audience favorites also make their return. Northern Virginia’s American Festival Pops Orchestra is back to perform seasonal tunes, and classic holiday performances from the Vienna Boys Choir, Canadian Brass and Chanticleer consistently make for a great start to the holiday season.
The highly in-demand Hylton Family Series brings with it Aga-boom, a whimsical circus-inspired performance, and stage adaptations of classic children’s books The Phantom Tollbooth by the Enchantment Theatre Company and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
In its fifth year, The Matinee Idylls presents local classical music talent from the Gourmet Symphony and Virginia Opera to the international touring ensemble, the Merling Trio, and virtuoso pianist Thomas Pandolfi. All Matinee Idylls events include food from local restaurants and a post-performance coffee and dessert reception.
Lastly, the down-home inspired American Roots Series is back for its second year. Performances include the upscale bluegrass stylings of Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, an ode to Dixieland from The White House Band, an all-female band, Maybe April, and a dynamic bluegrass band, The Seldom Scene.
George Mason University’s Center for the Arts will feature 41 performances that appeal to all ages and interests. The Center for the Arts will also feature for the first time a family series that means to provide family-friendly entertainment options at reasonable prices.
Standout performances include multi-Grammy award winning group The Manhattan Transfer, the internationally renowned Czech National Symphony Orchestra, NoVA favorite Mark Morris Dance Group and Cuban rhythm and dance group Havana Cuba All-Stars.
Other offerings include Cirque Mechanics, a modernized circus experience, a closer look at early marine life in Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure and a musical journey through World War I with Music from Time of War, 1914-1918.
For full lists of events, times and pricing, visit the George Mason University’s Center for the Arts and the Hylton Performing Arts Center‘s websites.
