Forbes Center for the Performing Arts

James Madison University officials have been closely monitoring the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, partnering with the Virginia Department of Health and public health experts here on campus to adjust university operations at home and abroad. Our primary goal is to protect the health and safety of our faculty and staff, students and the greater Harrisonburg community.

While there are no COVID-19 cases in the JMU community at this time, it has become necessary for the university to take further steps to support public safety. In the interest of being a good public citizen, JMU, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts will be cancelling all ticketed performances through Sunday, May 17, 2020.

We share in your disappointment, but we know that this is in the best interest of our students and community members.

Your entire purchase will be refunded for any performance scheduled through Sunday, May 17, 2020. Please contact the box office at forbesboxoffice.jmu.edu or 540-568-7000, Monday through Friday, 10 am to 5:30 pm, to confirm your method of refund. We are encouraging our patrons to communicate with us via email and phone instead of visiting us in-person at the box office.

The first refund option is a credit to your Forbes account. This credit can be used toward any future ticket purchase. The second refund option is a credit back to your original method of payment (credit card, JACard and checks only). For all cash purchases, we can issue a check refund.

If we do not hear from you by Friday, March 27 @ 5:30 pm, your refund will be credited to your Forbes Center account.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Many thanks for your continued support of the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts. 

The JMU Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band, under the direction of Stephen P. Bolstad, are committed to performing the great works of the wind band’s core repertoire while also exploring the best of contemporary composition. More

Prepare to be moved and inspired by the choreography and performances in this annual concert that features dances by selected JMU dance majors, faculty artists Rubén Graciani and Cynthia Thompson, and New York City-based dance professional Omar Román De Jesús, artistic director and choreographer of Boca Tuya and dancer with Yin Yue Dance Company. More

The JMU Percussion Ensemble, directed by Casey Cangelosi, consists of nearly 30 students and has performed throughout the East Coast, including concerts at the Virginia Music Educators Association Convention and Virginia Days of Percussion. More

The JMU Brass Band is the university’s premier brass ensemble. Directed by professor of music Kevin Stees, it is one of only a few collegiate brass bands in the United States. More

This special show commemorating the centennial of the birth of jazz giant Dave Brubeck features stories by the Brubeck brothers, video interviews with Dave Brubeck and musicians he influenced, as well as music by the Brubeck Brothers Quartet, “a wondrous combination of swing, melodic majesty, masterful arrangements and a truckload of truly inspirational solos.” (The Seattle Times) More

 BUY SUBSCRIPTION  BUY SINGLE TICKETS 

Wilda modeled her life after that of her grandmother—to be fearless and adventure down the same dirt roads. The vision of Wilda’s future takes a different path when she is welcomed into a club she never asked to be a part of after being diagnosed with a debilitating illness. When another club member goes through a crisis, Wilda is forced to look her worst nightmare in the eye. More

Brimming with a lush score, compelling plot and brilliant wit, the hilarious and satirical operetta Iolanthe is a send up to Gilbert and Sullivan’s topsy-turvy world of misalliances, contradictions, and English political peculiarities. Passions are ignited, lovers are thwarted and then reunited, and in true G&S style, irreconcilable differences vanish with a pencil stroke and the wave of the Fairy Queen’s magic wand. More

Experience the JMU Symphony Orchestra as they accompany the winners of the prestigious School of Music Concerto Competition. The second half of the program will feature the strings of the JMU Symphony Orchestra along with The Madison Singers, JMU Chorale and JMU dance students in Triptych, a fast-moving, three-movement work by Grammy-nominated composer Tarik O’Regan. More

Under the direction of Dr. Chuck Dotas, the JMU Jazz Ensemble was founded in 1971 and is the premier jazz group in the School of Music at JMU. The ensemble has performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Terrace Theater, Montreux International Jazz and Blues Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival and VMEA annual convention. More

In the apocalyptic play The Hungry Woman, feminist author and Chicano playwright Cherríe Moraga uses mythology and intimate realism to describe the embattled position of Chicanos and Chicanas, not only in the United States but in relation to one another. Features students from JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance. More

The JMU Jazz Band was founded in 1971 and is under the direction of Dr. Chuck Dotas. More

This exciting concert features talented young dancers and choreographers from JMU’s Dance Program. More

The JMU Symphonic Band is under the direction of Stephen P. Bolstad. The JMU Concert Band is under the direction of Amy Birdsong. More

A multi-ethnic Latin pop songstress, Gina Chavez is a 10-time Austin Music Award winner whose NPR Tiny Desk Concert has garnered over 800,000 views. Her latest all-English release Lightbeam, “steeped in slow-burn soul and up-tempo R&B,” (NPR) adds diversity to her passionate collection of bilingual songs that traverse cumbia, indie folk, blues, and Latin pop. Chavez “possesses the vocal abilities to dig deep into your soul with her melodies.” (Nanobot Rock Reviews) More

 BUY SUBSCRIPTION  BUY SINGLE TICKETS