Forbes Center for the Performing Arts

Violet and Daisy Hilton shared a rare bond: they were literally attached at the hip. The conjoined twins are the real-life inspiration behind the 2014 Broadway musical revival Side Show, which follows the story of the English entertainers and their search for love and acceptance amidst exploitation and fame in the 1930s’ side show, vaudeville and Hollywood communities. Features students from JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance and School of Music. More

It’s 2015, and seniors Mary, Victor, Jack and Pauline have banded together to study for their AP Government and Politics class at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic High School. Sweet, stressed out and too smart for their own good, the four are unprepared when cool and handsome Clark joins the group. As conversations shift from the books in their hands to the world they are about to enter, members of the study group will break the rules, fall in love, and discover their own voices—all for the first time. Contains sexual content and adult content (abortion). More

This new 10 am matinee performance is an abbreviated version of the 7 pm show, which is sold out. Bring your family and enjoy this wonderful show when schools in Harrisonburg City and Rockingham County are closed for Super Tuesday. Swiss-based theatre troupe MUMMENSCHANZ has been dazzling audiences worldwide for over four decades, pioneering a mesmerizing and joy-filled form of visual theatre. It latest program, you & me, is a visually-stunning spectacle featuring life-size puppets, masked characters and awe-inspiring optical illusions. More

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John Mietus is an award-winning double bassist and composer who is currently studying at Rice University. More

The powerhouse all-male Argentinian dance company Che Malambo performs a percussive dance and music spectacle that celebrates the unique South American cowboy tradition of the gaucho. Malambo is a dynamic blend of precision footwork, rhythmic stomping, drumming, singing, and whirling of boleadoras (lassos with stones on the end). Don’t miss this exhilarating show that has captivated audiences across the globe! More

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This vocal celebration brings together beatbox sensation Blake Lewis from American Idol fame and a cappella groups Committed, Grammy-nominated gospel/R&B legends and Season 2 champions of The Sing-Off; Filipino-American boyband The Filharmonic, whose unique hip-hop and 90s’ nostalgia sound was featured in Pitch Perfect 2; and the internationally inspired Women of the World, who perform folk music in 32 languages. Features select members of JMU’s nine a cappella groups. More

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Seventeen JMU School of Music faculty and alumna will perform an arrangement for chamber ensemble of Gustav Mahler’s stirring song-symphony Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), which consists of six songs based on a collection of Chinese poems about the joys and sorrows of life. Features the solo voices of tenor Jamison Walker and baritone Kevin McMillan under the direction of Foster Beyers. More

As part of her creative research into female poets and composers, JMU faculty soprano Dr. Dorothy Maddison will present Songs for Edith, Emily and Friends. Featured soloists include Dr. Karen Dannessa on clarinet and Jane Strauman on flute. JMU alumna Tracey Schimmel-Reed will join as guest pianist. 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

Micheal Boyd is a Steinway artist who has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and at guest recitals across Europe and the United States, including Carnegie Hall. Boyd is a professor of piano at the University of Toledo. More

The JMU Concert Band is under the direction of Amy Birdsong. More

The Amernet is one of today’s exceptional string quartets, praised by The New York Times for its “intelligence” and “immensely satisfying” playing of new music and commissions as well as neglected works of the past. Currently the ensemble-in-residence at Florida International University in Miami, the Amernet will perform with special guests Heather Coltman, JMU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and JMU faculty bassist Sam Suggs. More

The JMU Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Foster Beyers, is the premier symphonic ensemble for the JMU School of Music. More

Amsterdam-based Calefax Reed Quintet is acclaimed for its contemporary yet timeless interpretations of classical music. The Times of London has called the group, “five extremely gifted Dutch gents who almost made the reed quintet seem (like) the best musical format on the planet.” More

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