The Virginia Arts Festival's 2026 season features many happy returns, including the homecoming of a native star, the rare appearance of an internationally revered violinist and the resurrection of a firebird with Hampton Roads ties.
The season, announced publicly on Thursday, features a packed year of classical music, jazz, world music, folk and a rich blend of theater and dance. It gets underway in March.
Some of the highlights include the late-March performances of Igor Stravinsky's "The Firebird," a co-commissioned piece with The Dance Theatre of Harlem. The production relocates the Russian folk tale to the Caribbean and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra will perform Stravinsky's 1945 score. Dancers from the Governor's School for the Arts will serve in some supporting roles.
Rob Cross, the Perry artistic director of the festival, said the performance is not only a rare treat but also fitting. Norfolk native Lorraine Graves, who passed away last year, danced with the Dance Theatre of Harlem for more than two decades. One of her more famous roles was as the magical Firebird in the 1980s, particularly a 1982 Kennedy Center performance that was later televised.
It has been years since Joshua Bell has played at the festival but the Grammy Award-winning violinist will perform and conduct during his March shows. He is the music director of the London-based chamber orchestra Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; Bell and the orchestra will have shows in Newport News and Virginia Beach.
In May, Tony Award winner and Chesapeake native Adrienne Warren comes home for a solo performance of Broadway and pop at the Harrison Opera House. Warren won the 2020 Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.”
The season also includes dance performances by Dorrance Dance and BalletX; the VSO performing a history-based show titled "Finding Peace at Potsdam" and having fun with the music of Queen and an annual film with orchestra, "Top Gun: Maverick”; chamber music with perennial favorite Olga Kern and guests. Shows such as "All Things Equal — The Life & Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg" and "Midsummer Night's Dream" are big draws for theater.
Visit vafest.org for tickets and more information.