Arts & Culture

Saturday marks the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army and the area is celebrating with festivals, fireworks, music and theatrical performances.

Summertime in Hampton Roads means outdoor festivals. Several popular music series have returned and a new one takes the stage.

The Norfolk Theatre Festival, presented by the Virginia Arts Festival, runs through the month. It includes plays, a musical and an illusionist show at venues throughout the city.

Opera legend Renée Fleming has toured the world to discuss how creativity and the arts should be used to treat medical and psychological conditions, including depression and PTSD.

The Vocal Jazz Summit is in its fifth year and is a learning and performance conference for jazz vocalists and fans. The event includes workshops, panel discussions and, of course, jam sessions.

Walker Babington, an artist and stunt actor, channels his fearlessness and concerns into fantastical folk art that invites exploration.

The Virginia Arts Festival presents the premiere of the revered Birmingham Royal Ballet as it dances, with a guitarist, to the music of heavy metal pioneer Black Sabbath.

The local production includes an international cast performing in the original Italian with English subtitles. Performances are Friday, Sunday and Tuesday.

Paul Lankford taught in Virginia Beach schools for 40 years. He died earlier this month and his former students memorialize him on a Facebook group.

The Chrysler Museum of Art has a trio of exhibitions that include contemporary Indigenous artists, Mexican photography and video work from a local artist.