Virginia Arts Festival facts for kids

The Virginia Arts Festival is a super cool event in Norfolk that brings amazing performances to southeastern Virginia. It's a non-profit group, which means they use their money to put on shows and help the community. Every spring, and sometimes throughout the year, you can see all sorts of artists!

Imagine seeing famous ballet dancers from around the world, or modern dance groups with awesome moves. You can also hear incredible musicians playing everything from classical music to jazz, rock, blues, and even country. Sometimes, they even put on operas or plays! The Festival also works with local groups like the Virginia Symphony Orchestra to create special shows. It's a fantastic way to experience different kinds of art!

History of the Festival

Back in 1995, people in Norfolk wanted to bring more visitors to the city, especially in the spring. They also wanted to offer more cultural events. So, they asked a person named Robert W. Cross to create a big performing arts festival.

The very first festival happened in 1997. It was called the Virginia International Waterside Arts Festival and lasted for 18 days! Famous groups like the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and the Mark Morris Dance Group performed. Jazz legends Ramsey Lewis and Billy Taylor also played. That first year also saw the start of the Virginia International Tattoo, which is a huge show with military bands, drill teams, and pipe and drum groups from all over the world.

After four successful years, the festival officially changed its name in 2001 to the Virginia Arts Festival.

People have called the Virginia Arts Festival the "Tidewater Tanglewood," which means it's a really important music and arts spot, like the famous Tanglewood in Massachusetts. The festival has grown a lot since it started. In 2016, for its 20th birthday, it had 72 different shows! People came from almost every state in the U.S. and from many other countries to see them.

Learning with the Festival

The Virginia Arts Festival believes in helping young people learn about the arts. Every year, they reach tens of thousands of students! They put on special shows just for students. Also, the visiting artists often go to local schools. They teach master classes, where students can learn from experts. They also lead workshops and give demonstrations, showing kids how they create their art. In the 2015-2016 school year, their programs reached almost 40,000 students!

New Works and Creations

The Festival also helps create brand new works of art, like operas, music, and dance pieces. This is called "commissioning" new art.

One special program is the John Duffy Institute for New Opera. This institute helps new opera composers and writers create their stories and music. They get advice from professionals and work through the process to make sure their new operas can be performed. For example, in 2016, the Festival presented the very first performance of a new opera called Kept: a ghost story. It was created by composer Kristin Kuster and writer Megan Levad and developed through the Duffy Institute. More new operas are being created for future years!

Besides operas, the Virginia Arts Festival has asked artists to create 18 other new works of music, dance, and opera. Here are a few examples:

• Brahms Variations - In 2016, the Festival asked the Dance Theatre of Harlem to create a new ballet for its 20th anniversary. This ballet was set to music by Johannes Brahms and was first performed in Norfolk.
• BEN-HUR, A tale of the Christ - Famous drummer and composer Stewart Copeland (from the band The Police!) created new music for an old silent movie from 1925. This new music was played live with an orchestra in Norfolk in 2014.
• Dreams of the Fallen – This musical piece was created by composer Jake Runestad. It combined a piano, a choir, and an orchestra with powerful poems by a soldier who fought in the Iraq War, Brian Turner. It showed a soldier's feelings about war and was first performed in 2013.
• Romeo and Juliet, On Motifs of Shakespeare: Mark Morris Dance Group – The Festival worked with the Mark Morris Dance Group to create a new version of the famous Romeo and Juliet ballet. This special performance used Prokofiev's original music from 1935, which had parts that were never heard before! The Virginia Symphony Orchestra played the music live in 2009.
• Pocahontas Chamber Opera – This new opera was created with the Virginia Opera and was first performed in 2007. It celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown, Virginia landing.

Recordings of Performances

Some of the amazing performances at the Virginia Arts Festival have been recorded! These recordings are released on the Naxos label. For example, the Festival's commissioned song cycle Rappahannock County was recorded. Also, their special show Peter and the Wolf: A Special Report was recorded for NPR Classics, a famous radio program.