Forbes Center

Carsten Schmidt enjoys a flourishing career as a pianist, harpsichordist and conductor, and has performed widely throughout Europe, North America and Asia. He is a professor of music at Sarah Lawrence College in New York and artistic director of the Staunton Music Festival in Virginia. This concert features harpsichord works by the young Johann Sebastian and his musical inspirations, including Buxtehude, Boehm, Froberger, Pachelbel, Ritter, D'Angelbert, and more! More

Ian Zook is an active orchestral and solo performer, and has appeared in concerts throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. Zook will perform with fellow JMU faculty members Eric Ruple, Šarūnas Jankauskas and Sam Suggs. More

The JMU Wind Symphony, under the direction of Stephen P. Bolstad, is the premier woodwind, brass and percussion ensemble at JMU. The Wind Symphony is committed to performing the great works of the wind band’s core repertoire while also exploring the best of contemporary composition. More

From opera and oratorio to musical theatre and pops, Dr. Jamison Walker has performed in recital, opera, symphonic, and academic settings nationally and internationally across the United States and in Europe and Asia. More

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

Chilean-born Melissa Aldana is a Grammy-nominated saxophonist and composer whose playing has “an austere beauty,” with Aldana “as persuasive with long-lined phrases as with a flurry of fast-flying notes.” (Chicago Tribune) Aldana, who released the album 12 Stars in March 2022, will perform a program of jazz standards with members of the Madison Jazz Collective. A CVPA Cultural Connections Artist-in-Residence Event. More

The JMU Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Band were founded in 1971 and are under the direction of Dr. Chuck Dotas. JMU jazz groups have 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

Cuarteto Latinoamericano is one of the world’s foremost string quartets, and for 40 years, the leading proponent of Latin American music for the genre. Mexico: A Musical Journey will explore the thematic intersections between music and art in Mexican history from the Aztecs to the modern day. This package offer includes a ticket to Cuarteto Latinoamericano plus a curated talk about the magnificent Mexican art housed in JMU’s Madison Art Collection by director Ginny Soenksen with a Q&A and pre-concert reception. More

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With “vital, fresh, imaginative music and sensitive, brilliant performances,” (The Washington Post) Cuarteto Latinoamericano is one of the world’s foremost string quartets, and for 40 years, the leading proponent of Latin American music for the genre. Mexico: A Musical Journey will explore the thematic intersections between music and art in Mexican history from the Aztecs to the modern day, with pieces by composers like Chávez, Ponce and Revueltas. More

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Japanese-born violinist Ayako Yonetani has performed numerous solo recitals, solos with orchestras, chamber music and ensemble performances in the U.S. and abroad. In 2012 and 2013, Yonetani performed for the President of Panama and the Japanese Ambassador to Panama in an event to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Japan’s earthquake/tsunami and for the Japanese emperor’s birthday event. 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

The Madison Singers is the advanced, auditioned choral chamber ensemble at JMU. Ranging from 60-80 voices, the JMU Chorale is an auditioned and highly select choir. More

This year’s festival features the music of award-winning composers Ingrid Stölzel and Dale Trumbore. Stölzel will premiere a new string trio commissioned by the festival, and Trumbore is a prominent Los Angeles-based choral composer and writer. JMU faculty, ensembles and students will present the music of Stölzel and Trumbore as well as other contemporary works in three main concerts during the festival. More

This year’s festival features the music of award-winning composers Ingrid Stölzel and Dale Trumbore. Stölzel will premiere a new string trio commissioned by the festival, and Trumbore is a prominent Los Angeles-based choral composer and writer. JMU faculty, ensembles and students will present the music of Stölzel and Trumbore as well as other contemporary works in three main concerts during the festival. More

This year’s festival features the music of award-winning composers Ingrid Stölzel and Dale Trumbore. Stölzel will premiere a new string trio commissioned by the festival, and Trumbore is a prominent Los Angeles-based choral composer and writer. JMU faculty, ensembles and students will present the music of Stölzel and Trumbore as well as other contemporary works in three main concerts during the festival. More

The JMU Chamber Orchestra brings students from across campus together to perform classic works composed for smaller orchestras.  Foster Beyers directs the orchestra in conjunction with graduate students in conducting. More

The JMU Concert Band is the band program's largest non-auditioned concert ensemble under the direction of Amy Birdsong. More

The JMU Bach Aria Group was created in 2010 under the direction of JMU music faculty members Kevin McMillan and Dr. Carrie Stevens. Dedicated solely to the coaching and performance of obbligato arias from the cantatas, oratorios and passions of Johann Sebastian Bach, the ensemble is comprised of violinists, oboists, flutists, cellists, harpsichordists and singers. Join us for this great repertoire in its original context! More

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

Featuring seven of London’s leading players, Septura is “brass playing at its most exalted,” (Fanfare) captivating audiences with its transformative repertoire and sound that is “irresistible.” (The Observer) This rousing concert features the work of four early 20th-century composers—Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Edward Elgar and Gerald Finzi—who helped to define American and British music. More

JMU faculty flutist Beth Chandler Cahill enjoys an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player and teacher. She will play this concert with fellow faculty member Paulo Steinberg, who has performed as a soloist and collaborative pianist across the U.S., Canada, South America and Europe. More

This concert features performances by the JMU Treble Chamber Choir, the University Chorus: Soprano/Alto Ensemble (UCSA) and University Chorus: Tenor/Bass Ensemble (UCTB). The JMU Treble Chamber Choir and  the UCTB are under the direction of Dr. W. Bryce Hayes. The UCSA is under the direction of Dr. Jo-Anne van der Vat-Chromy. More

Carl Donakowski was a prizewinner in the 1989 Mendelssohn Competition in Berlin. He will share the stage with fellow JMU faculty member Gabriel Dobner for an evening of exciting music! 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

Celebrate 25 years of Rent with songs like “Seasons of Love” and “One Song Glory” in this pulsating production featuring students from JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance and School of Music! This Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical follows a year in the life of a group of bohemians in the East Village of New York City struggling to survive and create amidst the HIV/AIDS crisis. More

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

Based in England, Tenebrae is hailed as “one of the best choirs in the world.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) Medieval chant and Renaissance works are interspersed with contemporary compositions to create an ethereal atmosphere of spiritual and musical reflection. More

This neoclassical operatic gem by celebrated composer Igor Stravinsky features music that is some of his “most ingenious.” (The New York Times). The 1951 English opera is based on a series of 18th-century paintings by William Hogarth that depict the hellish rise and fall of the merchant and heir Tom Rakewell, a young man to whom it all comes too easily—and the inevitable price he has to pay. More

Maria Yefimova is an internationally-acclaimed pianist whose performances have been described by critics as “highly artistic,” (The Virginia Gazette) “brilliant,” (Novosti, Russia) filled with “passion and energy,” (America Oggi) and “judged to a ‘T’.” (New York Concert Review) More

The JMU Wind Symphony, under the direction of Stephen P. Bolstad, is the premier woodwind, brass and percussion ensemble at JMU. The Wind Symphony is committed to performing the great works of the wind band’s core repertoire while also exploring the best of contemporary composition. More

Presented by the Forbes Center in partnership with WMRA radio, this exciting showcase returns to the lineup with five singer-songwriters from the Shenandoah Valley! Experience a heartfelt evening hosted by Tina Owens from WMRA’s The Acoustic Café about the personal journeys singer-songwriters embark on when creating new works. Sponsored by Cross Keys Studio in Port Republic, Virginia. More

The JMU Chamber Orchestra brings students from across campus together to perform classic works composed for smaller orchestras. 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

Vibrant and inspirational, the three-time Grammy Award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir from South Africa returns to the Forbes Center to sing, dance and drum in this tour-de-force performance! In this concert of hope and joy featuring music of South Africa’s Freedom Movement and the American Civil Rights Movement, the Soweto Gospel Choir will perform African gospel, spirituals and freedom songs by artists and activists including Aretha Franklin, Mahlia Jackson, Harry Belafonte, and more. More

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The JMU Symphonic Band is under the direction of Stephen P. Bolstad. The JMU Concert Band is the band program’s largest non-auditioned concert ensemble under the direction of Amy Birdsong. 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. The JMU Jazz Band was founded in 1971 and is also under the direction of Dr. Chuck Dotas. More

This concert features performances by the JMU Treble Chamber Choir, the University Chorus: Soprano/Alto Ensemble (UCSA) and University Chorus: Tenor/Bass Ensemble (UCTB). The JMU Treble Chamber Choir and  the UCTB are under the direction of Dr. W. Bryce Hayes. The UCSA is under the direction of Dr. Jo-Anne van der Vat-Chromy. More

Join JMU’s music ensembles for an inspired Christmas collage of holiday works for choirs and orchestra! Also featured is a holiday reading by a local Harrisonburg celebrity. Get your tickets early to this Forbes Center favorite! Check back for programming updates. More

Arts and cultures from around the world take center stage in this all-day, multi-performance celebration in partnership with the Harrisonburg International Festival that features a diverse array of local performers, including international bands, solo singers and choirs, and instrumentalists. Check back for show times and prices for in-person and FORBES CENTER @ HOME streaming options. More

This effervescent musical theatre revue features JMU musical theatre students performing songs you know and love from your favorite Disney, Pixar, and other classic family movies. This one-hour “Forbes Family Fun” show is perfect for audiences of all ages. A 2 pm Sensory-Friendly Performance is being offered in partnership with JMU’s Office of Disability Services. More

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Founded in 1902, the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine is one of that nation’s largest and most internationally-known ensembles. This epic concert includes Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 featuring Ukrainian violin soloist Vladyslava Luchenko; Beethoven’s “Emperor” Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73 featuring Ukrainian American piano soloist Stanislav Khristenko; and Dvořák’s “From the New World” Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95. More

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Enjoy a memorable evening of scenes, arias and duets from your favorite operas! JMU Opera Theater students will perform songs from operas like Puccini’s La Bohème and Madama Butterfly, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Verdi’s Rigoletto and La Traviata, and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. 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. The JMU Jazz Band is also under the direction of Dr. Chuck Dotas. 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

Piano virtuoso and recording artist Awadagin Pratt has attracted audiences to classical music around the world in his 30-year career that includes three performances at The White House. Pratt will display his “enormous dynamic range… [encompassing] grave quiet to immense thunder” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer) in an exciting program featuring Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B Minor; Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in D Major, Op. 23, No. 4; Chopin’s Nocturne in B Major, Op. 62, No. 1; and more! 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 “wildly-entertaining” (New York Daily News) musical showstopper features sizzling songs, dazzling dance numbers and a tantalizing tabloid tale! With a sassy score and Fosse-inspired jazz dance style, Chicago won six Tonys, including Best Revival of a Musical. This razzle-dazzle smash hit features students in JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance and School of Music. More

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Today’s hottest rising stars in jazz music perform Songs We Love, a journey through the first 50 years of jazz song under the musical direction of acclaimed trumpeter Riley Mulherkar. In this uplifting concert, vocal virtuosos Vuyo Sotashe, Brianna Thomas and Shenel Johns join an all-star band to sing their way through decades of music, from 1920 to the early 1960s—featuring songs made popular by Ma Railey, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and more! More

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Direct from Sydney Opera House, Meeting Mozart follows the journey of the mischievous musical wunderkind, his wife and muse Constanze, and a string quartet to discover some of his best-known and beloved music—from variations on “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to his large-scale orchestral pieces. CDP Theatre Producers is Australia’s largest producer of high-quality theatre for young audiences. More

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The JMU Symphonic Band is under the direction of Stephen P. Bolstad. 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

Ksenia Nosikova plays an extensive repertoire of more than 30 piano concertos with “refined sensibility and pianism” that is “fascinating to watch and hear.” (New York Concert Review) She is a professor and chair of the Piano Area at the University of Iowa. 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

Considered one of the greatest operas of the 17th century, The Coronation of Poppea is Monteverdi’s final masterpiece. Composed in 1642, the Italian opera uses elegantly-crafted music of the Baroque era to paint a portrait of human beings wrestling with the demands of lust, honor, power and rank. Sung in Italian with English subtitles. 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

The Wailin’ Jennys are Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse,—three female songbirds who thrill audiences with their otherworldly harmonies, sophisticated arrangements, breathtaking songs, and witty stage banter. Their music is a perfect blend of Americana, alt-country, pop, rock, and traditional folk “guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings.” (HuffPost) More

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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

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

The Madison Singers is the advanced, auditioned choral chamber ensemble at JMU. Ranging from 60-80 voices, the JMU Chorale is an auditioned and highly select choir. More

Experience the JMU Symphony Orchestra as they accompany the winners of the prestigious School of Music Concerto Competition. 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 Wind Symphony, under the direction of Stephen P. Bolstad, is the premier woodwind, brass and percussion ensemble at JMU. The Wind Symphony is committed to performing the great works of the wind band’s core repertoire while also exploring the best of contemporary composition. More

The JMU Symphonic Band is under the direction of Stephen P. Bolstad. The JMU Concert Band is the band program's largest non-auditioned concert ensemble under the direction of Amy Birdsong. More