The Moss Arts Center’s newest season of performances welcomes curiosity with a rich mix of programs that highlight diverse voices and viewpoints, fresh new works and artists, inspired global expressions, and continued opportunities for learning and engagement.

The Moss Arts Center’s 2016-17 season will feature the reverie of timeless classics, deeper encounters with history and ideas, and the excitement of new experimental forms.  

Time-honored classics transcend space and time, and these eternal sights and sounds are celebrated in performances by outstanding young artists, including the Harlem Quartet, as well as established masters in their craft, such as legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp with her “50th Anniversary Tour.”

Artists who explore cutting-edge perspectives, fresh ideas, and experimental forms include Australia’s rock ‘n’ roll-fueled  Circus Oz, as well as scratch DJ and graphic novelist Kid Koala, who merges theatre, puppetry, music, and film into the multi-media performance, “Nufonia Must Fall.”

Find opportunities for deeper understanding and reflection with author and cartoonist Lynda Barry, who will challenge ideas about the artistic process and creativity, and experience unique views and voices through a transformative performance in movement by Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion.

A collection of programs that brings the energy, valued traditions, and diverse contexts from cultures around the world includes musicians from Cuba, Tanzania, and Zanzibar, as well as a Bollywood music theatre production direct from Dubai.

Lively and entertaining performances for audiences of all ages provide joyful moments and opportunities for celebration. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, featuring 15 of jazz music’s leading soloists led by musical director Wynton Marsalis, will bring its big band holiday celebration with soulful performances of holiday favorites.

The 2016-17 season showcases the Moss Arts Center’s partnerships with regional organizations. The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra returns to the center for a masterworks performance, as well as its popular “Holiday Pops” program, while Southwest Virginia Ballet brings a performance of “Romeo and Juliet” and Opera Roanoke performs a fully-staged production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway blockbuster, “South Pacific.”

Click through the photo gallery below to see images from all of the performances featured in the upcoming season.

Explore the full list of events for the 2016-17 season.

All performances will be held in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Moss Arts Center’s Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall, unless otherwise noted. 

The center will offer additional performances, as well as visual arts exhibitions, community events, and a number of workshops, talks, and related activities. More details on these opportunities to engage with artists and their work, as well as programs with the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, will be available this fall.  Receive more information about these programs by signing up for the center’s mailing list.

Purchase subscriptions

Subscriptions for the 2016-17 season are currently available and offer discounted prices and priority seat selection. There are three ways to subscribe: the Premier Subscription includes all performances at a 30 percent discount off adult ticket prices, the Gold Build Your Own Subscription allows for a 25 percent discount off the price of adult tickets for 15 or more performances, and the Silver Build Your Own Subscription offers a 20 percent discount on five to 14 performances. Student and youth tickets are always $10 per performance, including subscriptions.

Subscriptions can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300. Currently, only subscription tickets are available for purchase for the 2016-17 season. Beginning August 9, 2016, tickets for individual performances will be available for purchase.

About the Moss Arts Center

The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech began presenting performances and events in 2009, four years before the Moss Arts Center opened. After three years of operating the Center for the Arts program in the Moss Arts Center facility, it became clear one name for both the program and the building was a natural choice. Both the building located at 190 Alumni Mall and the university’s professional presenting program are now known exclusively as the Moss Arts Center.

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