Category — Music

Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC) Players and TNCC’s Department of Performing Arts announce open auditions for the fall production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Auditions will take place August 30-31 at 7 p.m. at the Dr. Mary T. Christian Auditorium in Templin Hall on the College’s Hampton campus.

During the audition, actors will perform 16 bars of music and may be asked to do an additional 16 bars in a contrasting style. Participants must bring sheet music in the appropriate key as an accompanist will be provided. Auditions will also include cold readings from the script. Those auditioning should dress comfortably and expect to participate in stage movement or dance exercises. Callbacks will be held Wednesday, September 1.

For more information, please call 825-2779 or email mtca@tncc.edu

The musical production will run Nov. 12 -14 and Nov. 19-21 at  TNCC’s Dr. Mary T. Christian Auditorium. Show times are 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. on Sundays.

About the show
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” takes comedy back to its roots, combining situations from time-tested, 2,000-year-old comedies of Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville. The result is a non-stop laugh-fest in which a crafty slave (Pseudolus) struggles to win the hand of a beautiful but slow-witted courtesan (Philia) for his young master (Hero), in exchange for freedom.

[Read more →]

The Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble will present “Are We There Yet?” at Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC) on Sunday, May 23 at 3 p.m. in the Dr. Mary T. Christian Auditorium, Hampton campus.

The Chesapeake Wind Ensemble was founded in 1998 to provide an avenue for local amateur musicians to hone their skills. With about 40 members, the ensemble plays a wide variety of pieces at a myriad of venues in the Hampton Roads area, presenting approximately eight performances annually. The nonprofit organization offers special opportunities for its high school musicians with scholarships for some of the graduating students.

[Read more →]

Join TNCC’s Cultural Affairs Committee and the MTCA Performing Arts Series for a Multi-Cultural Festival in celebration of Diversity Month. Featuring three free shows, the festival begins Thursday, April 15 with all performances taking place at 7:30 p.m. in the Dr. Mary T. Christian Auditorium, Templin Hall. The events are open to the public. Please direct questions to (757) 825-2779.

First is in the lineup is Native American dance troupe Red Crooked Sky. Based in Southeastern Virginia, the troupe represents an array of tribes – Cherokee, Sioux, Meherrin, Osage, Pamunkey, Seneca and Monacan, among and others.

On Friday April 16, the Latin Ballet of Virginia performs. Founded in 1997 in Richmond, Virginia, the company is under the direction of Ana Ines King a Colombia, South America native.

The final show in the series takes place Friday, April 23 featuring the Celtic band IONA. For two decades, the five-member group has lead Washington, D.C. audiences on a virtual tour of the Celtic music styles found around the world.

The Ninth Annual Hampton Acoustic Blues Revival − “A Tribute to John Cephas” − will take place on Thomas Nelson Community College’s (TNCC) Hampton campus at the Dr. Mary T. Christian Auditorium on Saturday, April 10 from 4:00-9:30 p.m. The free event is open to the public. The lineup is as follows:

Phil Wiggins
4:00-4:45 p.m. (Harmonica Workshop)
Wiggins, a Washington, D.C. native and noted harmonica player, partnered with the late guitarist John Cephas for over 30 years. The duo brought the Piedmont blues sound to audiences worldwide, recorded more than a dozen albums and won numerous awards. Wiggins learned his craft at the feet of some of the D.C. area’s best blues artists, including the notable slide-guitarist Flora Molton. Influenced by great blues harpists like Sonny Terry, John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson and Little Walter, Wiggins developed a unique style as a harpist, singer and songwriter.

[Read more →]

Throughout March, TNCC will participate in a statewide celebration called, “Minds Wide Open: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts” in observance of Women’s History Month. The first celebration of its kind in Virginia, “Minds Wide Open” will focus on the artistic and cultural contributions of women. Thousands of performances and displays are expected statewide during the celebration, according to the website http://vamindswideopen.org/.

At TNCC, the Cultural Affairs Committee will sponsor a series of performances and lectures scheduled as follows:

[Read more →]

Please read about the sensational TNCC-Iron Street production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” The musical 10/14 at 8:00 in the Mary T. Christian Auditorium with a Sunday matinee tomorrow at 3:00; it will also run next weekend, Friday-Sunday. It’s an historic first musical for the College and one I guarantee you won’t want to miss.

From the AltDaily review:

If there is one genre of music to listen to for eternity, it’s 60s soul: Archie Bell and the Drells, O.V. Wright, Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Band, Dyke & the Blazers, the roll call could go on all day.

Stepping into the Mary T. Christian auditorium at Thomas Nelson the other night, the seemingly most innocent and unlikely of places, I beheld heaven as musical director Michael Sunblad led the Doo-Wop Girls through the first song from Little Shop of Horrors, which premieres Saturday the 14th.

Read full review @ AltDaily

Thomas Nelson Community College’s (TNCC) Department of Performing Arts, TNCC Players, and Iron Street Productions (ISP) will present “Little Shop of Horrors” at the Dr. Mary T. Christian Auditorium (MTCA), Templin Hall, on the Hampton campus. Performances will take place November 13-15 and November 20-22 at 8:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3:00 p.m. on Sundays.

Open to the public, the play is about a hapless florist shop assistant who discovers and raises a mysterious plant that craves fresh blood. As the story unfolds, the blood-thirsty plant named Audrey II grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers the main character, Seymour, fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite. Featured songs composed by Ashman and Alan Menken in the style of early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop and early Motown, include “Skid Row (Downtown), ” “Somewhere That’s Green,” and “Suddenly, Seymour” as well as the title song. The classic musical is one of the longest running Off-Broadway plays and is based on the 1960 dark comedy film of the same title.

[Read more →]

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Jeffrey Gaines comes to Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC) on Wednesday, September 9 performing a free concert at the Dr. Mary T. Christian Auditorium, Hampton campus.

The event, sponsored by TNCC Cultural Affairs, is open to the public and no tickets are necessary.

After Gaines’ last successful performance at the College in 2006, TNCC Cultural Affairs Chair Shar Wolff is pleased to be able to bring him back. “We are excited to be bringing in a national recording artist of Gaines’ caliber to perform at the College.”

A rising musical star, Gaines has opened for Tori Amos and toured with Sting, Tracey Chapman and Melissa Etheridge. “The audience is in for an exceptional musical experience … he puts on an absolutely incredible show,” said Wolff.

Gaines is a Pennsylvania native who grew up listening to soul music by the likes of Gladys Knight and Pips and Otis Redding. He found his own musical niche as a teen when he became exposed to an eclectic mix of pop/rock and began mastering the guitar. His debut album “Always Be” was released in 1992 and he has since released his fifth album “Toward the Sun” in February on Artemis Records.

In 2001 his star rose when his impressive remake of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” was in heavy rotation on the radio nationwide. Gaines delivers his crisp soulful vocals and powerful guitar riffs in emotionally charged songs that masterfully communicate love, desire, fear, joy and regret. Among songs on his concert play list are “Headmasters of Mine,” “To Be Free, “Come Out Tonight” and an inspiring remake of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.”

[Read more →]