W&L’s Lenfest Center Opens 2023-24 Season with “Our Roots of Influence” A reception will follow the Sept. 29 performance in Keller Theatre.
The Lenfest Center at Washington and Lee University presents Honoring and Branching Out From “Our Roots of Influence” on Friday, Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Keller Theatre, followed by a reception in Lykes Atrium. Hosted by impresario Chapman Roberts and highlighting four internationally acclaimed performing and recording artists, the concert is the opening performance of the Lenfest Center’s 2023-24 season, “Live the Arts!”
Tickets are required and available online or in person at the Lenfest Box Office.
“Our Roots of Influence” marks Scarlet Rivera, Chris Van Cleave, Daryl Davis and Ray Shell performing together in concert for the first time. The concert is co-produced by the Lenfest Center and Chris Van Cleave and honors the various early musical roots that have influenced the performers while showcasing how they continue to expand their artistry with their own unique styles. Through their performance, the artists will explore the musical legacies of today’s popular genres, tracing the impact of artists such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Woody Guthrie and how they’ve inspired generations of music — including the work of Rivera, Van Cleave, Davis and Shell.
The reception in Lykes Atrium following the concert will include a question-and-answer segment with the performers, allowing audience members to learn more about their musical roots and influences.
Rivera is a violinist best known for her work with Bob Dylan, as well as a singer-songwriter and activist, and Davis is an actor, singer and former pianist for Chuck Berry. Van Cleave is a playwright, singer-songwriter and actor who has appeared in productions such as “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Les Misérables, and Shell is a prominent West End performer, as well as a singer-songwriter and bestselling author of several works. Rounding out the concert are vocalists Zaria Daniels and Heather Van Cleave, and musicians Richard Adams, Gary Green, Ben Leonard, Brian Mesko, Greg Moody and Chris O’Neil.
Order your tickets online today or call the Lenfest Center box office at 540-458-8000 for ticket purchase information. Box office hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The cost is $33 for adults, $30 for seniors, $27 for W&L faculty and staff and $8 for students.
This event is sponsored in part by the Class of 1964 Performing Arts Fund and the Pauline B. and Paul D. Pickens Fund for the Performing Arts.
For a full list of this season’s performances, visit the Lenfest Center’s website.
The Lenfest Center for the Arts, home of the Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies and the Department of Music and Department of Art and Art History is a multi-use facility designed and equipped to accommodate a broad spectrum of the performing arts, including theater, musical theater, opera and operetta, choral and band music, dance and performance art in one energizing complex.
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