Carnegie Hall has prepared a season it says presents something for everyone with a Performance Series lineup that includes comedy, art, theater, dance, music, and much more as it celebrates its 40th season.
Kicking it all off are an open house and a free block party on Saturday, July 29, from 5 to 9 p.m. The open house runs from 5 to 7 p.m. and features demonstrations, exhibits, and tours. At 6 p.m., a block party will be held on Church Street with food vendors and live music by Irresistible Groove.
The first Main Stage Series performance will be by avant-garde theater troupe Artrageous! on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. Artrageous! live performances feature multi-talented performance painters, world-class singers, recording artists, highly trained dancers, audience motivators, and veteran musicians. Their high-energy performance is a combination of all arts on one stage, combined with humor and interaction in a frenzy of movement and color.
Get into the Halloween spirit early with the second Main Stage Series Performance “Haunted Illusions” on Saturday, Oct. 21. Treat the family to an evening of mind-blowing magic and comedy that gets the whole audience into the act. Audiences are stunned and amazed as master illusionist David Caserta has people levitating, disappearing, and reappearing right before their eyes with never-before-seen illusions created just for this show.
The Reduced Shakespeare Company (RSC) presents The History of Comedy (Abridged) on Friday, Nov. 3. From cavemen telling “Rock Rock” jokes to Will Smith upset at Chris Rock’s jokes and everything in-between, the bad boys of abridgement leave no joke untold as they deconstruct the entire history of comedy in 90 rollicking minutes. RSC is an American touring acting troupe that performs fast-paced, seemingly improvisational condensations of different topics. The company’s style has been described as “New Vaudeville,” combining both physical and verbal humor, as well as highbrow and lowbrow.
Back by popular demand, and what has now become a holiday tradition, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (WVSO) will perform on Friday, Dec. 1. WVSO is West Virginia’s premier performing arts organization, presenting classical, pop, and chamber-music concerts annually throughout the Mountain State. WVSO performs primarily at the Clay Center in Charleston, W.Va., performs over 50 concerts annually around the state, and has a nationally award-winning education program.
Get Ready! A Motown Experience will take the stage on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. The show features international touring and recording sensation Nina Skyy. When she’s not onstage at BB King’s Orlando (where she is a regular headliner), Nina performs in theaters throughout the U.S. and on cruise ships sailing the Caribbean. In this Motown experience, Nina is joined onstage by three spectacular male singers and dancers who each shine in their own right. The whole performance is driven by the infectious groove of a great live band. This is a warm and witty show that covers all the Motown bases, then throws in a few surprises along the way.
Changing pace, the Hamilton Auditorium welcomes Rhythm of the Dance for an afternoon show on Sunday, March 3, at 3 p.m. Rated as the most popular Irish Dance production touring the world, Rhythm of the Dance creates a new era in Irish entertainment. This extravaganza celebrates all elements of Irish culture with champion step dancers and innovative choreography, first rate Irish musicians and singers, and storytelling that is centuries old and yet utilizes the latest in stage technology to celebrate the Emerald Isle in the 21st century.
On Saturday, April 13, the Hall presents TAKE3. With a flair for the wild and unexpected, the genre-defying trio TAKE3 brings the refinement of a rigorous classical music background and infuses it with rock-star charisma. Trained at the world’s top conservatories, TAKE3 has expanded their repertoire from Bach and Beethoven to Bieber and The Beach Boys. Known for their infectious and down-to-earth onstage personalities, this threesome leaves their indelible mark on captivated crowds around the country performing their arrangements of top pop hits, Americana, and their signature classical mashups.
The final Main Stage Performance brings it all back home with a bluegrass show by Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper on Friday, May 17. Michael Cleveland is an accomplished musician having won Bluegrass’ Fiddle Player of the Year a record 12 times and having been nominated for a Grammy Award. He is also blind and partly deaf. in 2019, he won a Grammy for his album “Tall Fiddler,” and his band Flamekeeper is a five-time Instrumental Group of the Year.
Carnegie Hall will also bring back two performance series for the 2023-2024 season – Second Stage Series at Carnegie Hall and the Carnegie Classics Series.
The Carnegie Classics Series will once again present three performances hosted by Steinway Artist Barbara Nissman and feature special guests. The concerts will take place in November, January 2024, and March 2024 with specific dates to be announced. Carnegie Hall’s Classics Series is designed to introduce classical music and Carnegie Hall to new audiences, as well as inspire and entertain current classical music enthusiasts.
Second Stage Series at Carnegie Hall will present five special events in more intimate settings at the Hall. Dates will be announced.
Season subscriptions go on sale Monday, June 12. Individual tickets go on sale to Carnegie Hall Members on Saturday, July 15, and to the general public on Saturday, July 29. The free Mainstage Lounge Preshow Reception in the Board Room will open one hour prior to each show.