The Harrisonburg International Festival Named 2020 Circle of Excellence in the Arts Award Winner by Forbes Center, Arts Council of the Valley, and JMU's College of Visual and Performing Arts

July 1, 2021 - The Harrisonburg International Festival has brought together hundreds of thousands of people over the past 24 years to build connections, find common ground, and celebrate arts and cultures from around the world. The Festival is this year’s recipient of the Circle of Excellence in the Arts Award. The award is co-sponsored by the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts at James Madison University, the Arts Council of the Valley, and College of Visual and Performing Arts at JMU.

“The Harrisonburg International Festival is a major contributor to the artistic spirit of the Shenandoah Valley, and it is an honor to present them with this year’s Circle of Excellence in the Arts Award,” says Regan Byrne, executive director of the Forbes Center.

Founded in 1997, the Harrisonburg International Festival started small as an alliance of various community groups and individuals who wanted to promote tolerance among all residents, offer support for local immigrants, refugees and culturally diverse businesses, and affirm the importance of welcoming all who live in Harrisonburg. Now one of the largest outdoor events in the Shenandoah Valley, The Festival reaches more than 10,000 people per year who represent over 40 cultures and countries and 53 languages. The Festival celebrates the vast diversity of Harrisonburg through international music, dance, food, crafts, storytelling and family-friendly activities for everyone—giving rise to its community ethos: Educate, entertain, and eat!

In addition to embracing and celebrating the community’s diverse cultural traditions, the Festival seeks to build bridges and mutual understanding. The Festival is a program of the Civic Engagement branch of the Fairfield Center, a nonprofit organization working to advance dialogue and understanding in the community.

Comprised of the Dorothy Thomasson Estes Center for Theatre and Dance and the Shirley Hanson Roberts Center for Music Performance, the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts at James Madison University is committed to fostering interdisciplinary programs campus-wide that impact the creative process positively by encouraging dialogue about the intersection between society and the arts, and by valuing multicultural and community engagement and arts education in the broader Shenandoah Valley.

The Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to cultivating the arts and connecting communities in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Since its establishment in 2000, ACV has grown into a multifaceted community organization that manages the Smith House Galleries, supports childhood learning by way of the Any Given Child Shenandoah Valley initiative, funds local art projects through its Advancing the Arts grant program, and coordinates monthly First Fridays Downtown community gatherings.

Crowned the 2024 North American Brass Association Championship Section-winning band, the JMU Brass Band is one of the most successful collegiate brass bands in the world today. Formed by Professor Kevin Stees in the Fall of 2000, the band was named the North American Brass Band Association 1st Section Champion in 2004 and 2005, and was the 2006, 2007, 2010, 2016, 2019, and 2022 NABBA Championship Section Runner-up. The group maintains an active schedule, performing regularly throughout the academic year, and has been a featured ensemble at numerous festivals and conferences worldwide. The JMU Brass Band is currently ranked in the top 50 brass bands worldwide.

The Massanutten Brass Band, from Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, was formed in September of 2001 and has developed a loyal and enthusiastic following of brass band enthusiasts. Now celebrating their 20th season, the ensemble is comprised of outstanding musicians from Northern Virginia, Charlottesvill,e and the Shenandoah Valley.

Crowned the 2024 North American Brass Association Championship Section-winning band, the JMU Brass Band is one of the most successful collegiate brass bands in the world today. Formed by Professor Kevin Stees in the Fall of 2000, the band was named the North American Brass Band Association 1st Section Champion in 2004 and 2005, and was the 2006, 2007, 2010, 2016, 2019, and 2022 NABBA Championship Section Runner-up. The group maintains an active schedule, performing regularly throughout the academic year, and has been a featured ensemble at numerous festivals and conferences worldwide. The JMU Brass Band is currently ranked in the top 50 brass bands worldwide.

Monticello Strings is a string chamber group of faculty and student string majors consisting of James Madison University professors Wanchi (violin), Diane Phoenix-Neal (viola), Aiveen Gallagher (violin), Carl Donakowski (cello) and JMU School of Music students. Collectively, they have performed worldwide as soloists, chamber music and orchestral musicians.

Violist Diane Phoenix-Neal performs nationally and internationally as a collaborative chamber musician and as a soloist. Her sound is described as “rich and sumptuous” (Classical Voice of North Carolina) with “an admirable combination of precision and fire” (The New York Times). Originally from North Carolina, she received her training from UNC School of the Arts, the Juilliard School, and holds a DMA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  Full bio

Wanchi's CDs have been excellently reviewed (“her incisive technique and an exceptionally rich and beautiful tone...”by Phil's Classical Reviews, Audio Video Club of Atlanta.) She is an active performer in chamber music, solo recitals, and as a soloist with orchestras throughout North America and Asia, at venues including Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and numerous music festivals. She joined Curtis on Tour for 2017-18 season, touring the West Coast with guitarist Jordan Dodson.  Full bio

Violinist Patrick Shaughnessy has played in numerous ensembles from orchestral to chamber. As an orchestral violinist, he has played in Pensacola Symphony, Opera, and Ballet; with the Tallahassee Symphony, Hingham Symphony, Hanover Chamber Orchestra, Boston Civic Symphony, The Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, and The Manhattan Symphony Orchestra. As an avid chamber musician, Mr. Shaughnessy has played with the San Juan Chamber players, pianist Max Levinson, Victor Rosenbaum, and others. 

Cellist Carl Donakowski pursues a international career in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Early in his career he was a finalist in the Mendelssohn Competition in Berlin. Since then, his recital performances have been enjoyed at the Kennedy Center and all over the world. As a Professor of Music and JMU he received the distinguished teaching award. Full bio

Teaching and Reinforcing the Use of Face Coverings

Faculty, staff and students are required to wear face masks which cover the nose and mouth at all times when in classrooms, labs and other public settings (indoors and outdoors) where physical distancing measures are difficult to maintain. JMU has provided five masks per employee; students are required to provide their own masks, though there will be disposable masks available in classrooms and cloth masks for sale in the bookstore.

Students, faculty and staff who have a religious belief or medical condition that prevents them from wearing a face covering will be exempt from this requirement. There might be other physical distancing strategies that can be put in place. Faculty and staff should confer with their supervisor, then, if necessary, contact their departmental Human Resources Consultant to handle any needed exceptions.

JMU has obtained N95 masks for faculty and staff over the age of 65 or those with certain conditions who might have a higher risk for COVID-19 infection. These masks are available by request from Academic Affairs or Facilities Management.

Online training regarding the use and requirement of masks is available for students, staff and faculty.

Employees who do not wear masks should be reported to their supervisors. Penalties will depend on the infraction.

Students who do not wear masks in the classroom will be dealt in accordance with Academic Affairs Policy #12, Disruption of Class, which outlines the progressive discipline for student misbehavior and has been updated to include responses to COVID-19.

Face Coverings in the Classroom

Faculty are required to wear a cloth face covering while in any learning space, unless the faculty member has a religious or health exception. In these cases, a faculty member may use an alternate face covering (i.e., shield). Each faculty member was provided with five cloth face masks. Faculty teaching students who are hearing impaired will be provided with face shields.

Face shields will be made available and will be required for faculty and students to address limited social distancing options in experiential learning spaces, like labs and studios, where physical distancing is difficult.

To provide increased room for physical distancing, we shifted some campus spaces, including campus ballrooms and large auditoriums, to be used as classrooms. We then moved classes to larger spaces, maintaining the current class enrollment while increasing the physical distance among students and between students and faculty members. Courses with fewer students were then moved into the now-vacated larger classrooms. This system allows us to maximize campus spaces while maintaining the appropriate physical distance.

In addition, plexiglass shields have been installed in front of all classroom podiums. Disposable masks will be available in classrooms in case they are needed.

Face Coverings for Students

Students, along with all other JMU community members, are required to wear a face mask or, if an accommodation is needed, another approved face covering at all times. If a student refuses to comply with this requirement, campus police may be contacted for support, as needed, and the case will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices.

Face Coverings in Public Areas

All JMU community members are required to wear a face mask or, if an accommodation is needed, another approved face covering. While in their private offices with their doors closed, employees may remove their face masks.

Where feasible, visitors should be provided a face covering when they do not have their own. JMU will provide one box of disposable masks for each office suite. If a customer refuses to wear a face covering, departments should ask the customer to return at another time or determine if assistance can be provided while maintaining physical distancing. Contractors are also required to wear face coverings. Staff, faculty, student and visitor safety should be the first priority in considering how to handle the situation.

This engagement of Nidia Góngora is made possible in part through the Mid Atlantic Tours program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with Ibermusicas. Mid Atlantic Arts 

The Madison Singers is the advanced, auditioned choral chamber ensemble at JMU. Maintaining an active performance schedule both on- and off-campus, they have shared the stage with renowned jazz artist Bobby McFerrin, modernist string quartet ETHEL, Native American flutist Robert Mirabal, American storytelling icon Garrison Keillor, and Irish ensembles Danú and the Five Irish Tenors. A featured choir on the 2015 Josh Groban Concert Tour in Washington, D.C., The Madison Singers have also sung in master classes with noted choral ensembles, including Tenebrae, Chanticleer and The King’s Singers. The Madison Singers tour locally, regionally and internationally, including competing in the 2009 National Eisteddfod Choral Competition and appearing frequently at the Charleston Piccolo Spoleto Festival. Regionally,  they are active “audible ambassadors” for JMU, performing in the Staunton Music Festival and in local schools and assisted living facilities. The Madison Singers recently performed at the Augusta Correctional Center in Craigsville, Virginia which they consider one of their most meaningful concerts.

The Treble Chamber Choir (TCC) is the select auditioned soprano and alto ensemble. Consisting of predominantly freshman and sophomore vocal music majors, this ensemble is designed to provide a platform for the discovery and presentation of often untapped advanced treble repertoire.

The Madison Singers are under the direction of Dr. Jo-Anne van der Vat-Chromy.

Sam Suggs was named New Artist of the Month by Musical America, soon after receiving the Gary Karr Prize for 1st place at the 2015 International Society of Bassists Solo Competition, at which he performed many of his own compositions. An omnivorous musician, Sam was named Concert Artists Guild’s New Music/New Places Fellow at the 2016 CAG International Competition, making him first double bassist in thirty-six years to join the CAG roster: “What Suggs proceeded to play quite simply boggled the mind.” (Oregon Arts Watch). As a collaborative bassist, he has performed at Chamber Music Northwest, Mostly Music, Yellow Barn, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, and was named a Laureate Winner in the Open Division of the 2016 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition. Most recently, at the 2017 Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Solo Competition, the jury invented and awarded Sam a prize for "Extraordinary Creativity" following his solo recital. Full bio

The Shenandoah Valley Choral Society Named 2020 Circle of Excellence in the Arts Award Winner by Forbes Center, Arts Council of the Valley, and JMU's College of Visual and Performing Arts

July 13, 2020 - The Shenandoah Valley Choral Society (SVCS) has enriched the lives of thousands of musicians, community members and audiences in the Shenandoah Valley. “The Valley’s most beloved choral ensemble” is this year’s recipient of the Circle of Excellence in the Arts Award. The award is co-sponsored by the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts at James Madison University, the Arts Council of the Valley, and College of Visual and Performing Arts at JMU.

“The Shenandoah Valley Choral Society is a major contributor to the artistic spirit of the Shenandoah Valley, and it is an honor to present them with this year’s Circle of Excellence in the Arts Award,” says Regan Byrne, executive director of the Forbes Center.

Celebrating its 50th season, the SVCS was founded in 1970 after Harrisonburg attorney David Hatmaker issued a “call for singers” to perform the final movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Orkney Springs orchestra in the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival. The call attracted an overwhelming 200 singers, who went on to form the SVCS. Today, the non-audition choral group consists of 125 active members who perform—with instrumentalists and young artists—repertoire that includes cantata, oratorio and a cappella works as well patriotic music, show tune favorites and standard classics in an annual spring, holiday, and “Celebrate America!” concert.

The SVCS aims to inspire people of all ages to embrace concertgoing as an important part of their lives, to encourage multigenerational and cross-cultural participation, and to provide high-quality choral performances for its members and audiences. The group has grown musically under the leadership of Dr. Gordon Ohlsson (1970–1977), Dr. Kenneth Nafziger (1977–1987), Gretchen Welch (1987–1997, 1999–2000) and Scott Williamson (1997–1999). Curtis Nolley, a gifted conductor, church musician, singer and music educator, has served as director since 2000.

Comprised of the Dorothy Thomasson Estes Center for Theatre and Dance and the Shirley Hanson Roberts Center for Music Performance, the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts at James Madison University is committed to fostering interdisciplinary programs campus-wide that impact the creative process positively by encouraging dialogue about the intersection between society and the arts, and by valuing multicultural and community engagement and arts education in the broader Shenandoah Valley.

The Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to cultivating the arts and connecting communities in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Since its establishment in 2000, ACV has grown into a multifaceted community organization that manages the Smith House Galleries, supports childhood learning by way of the Any Given Child Shenandoah Valley initiative, funds local art projects through its Advancing the Arts grant program, and coordinates monthly First Fridays Downtown community gatherings.

The Steel Wheels have spent 20 years crafting their own distinct style of American roots music. After two decades of making music together in living rooms, listening rooms, clubs, theaters, and festival stages, The Steel Wheels are still growing, still pushing, still at it, and they’re marking the occasion with the release of their 9th studio album, The Steel Wheels. The album captures the multifaceted band in full-flight, pivoting effortlessly between the folk rock band they’ve grown into over 20 years, and the harmony-centric acoustic ensemble that they’ve been since the beginning. The band puts their impressive range on display throughout The Steel Wheels; energy, insight, and humor, balanced with tender, highly personal moments of masterful restraint and expression as the album unfolds. As ever, the band challenges themselves to find new ways through the music, using space and, at moments, reinventing their approach to the string band format. After 20 years hard at work The Steel Wheels is an album of creative maturity with a restless sense of adventure. 

Emily King is a four-time GRAMMY-nominated artist who has toured extensively, most recently headlining her European tour as well as performing alongside Norah Jones on her Visions tour. King is a cross-genre artist collaborating with an array of acclaimed contemporaries, including Robert Glasper, Sara Bareilles, Brittany Howard, Lukas Nelson, and Jon Batiste, to name a few. King’s unmistakable, silky, lush vocal and joyous, magnetic stage presence continue to lure audiences around the world.

To learn more about both artists and the Winter Roots Concert, visit https://www.redwingroots.com/winterroots

Wilson Hall Parking: Park for free in the Warsaw Avenue Parking Deck directly behind the Forbes Center one and a half hours prior to the performance. Handicapped parking is on each floor next to the elevators. Exit the parking lot on the ground floor and follow signs to campus. Walk through the tunnel under South Main Street. Wilson Hall is the building at the top of the Quad with the clock tower. Alternatively, a free shuttle will run from the Warsaw Parking Deck to Wilson Hall starting one hour prior to the performance and returning immediately following.

A limited number of additional handicapped parking spaces are available in Lot A behind Wilson Hall, accessible via Bluestone Drive. If the gate is down, press the call button and identify yourself as a Wilson Hall guest intent on parking in Lot A. All laws pertaining to proper use of disabled parking placards or license plates apply.

Clarinetist Šarūnas' Jankauskas has performed throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States, collaborating with Boulder Chamber Orchestra, the St. Petersburg and Jasper String Quartets, as well as pianists Domenico Codispoti and Johan Botes. Jankauskas has participated at the International Conservatory Week Festival (St. Petersburg, Russia), Musicalis Daunia (Italy), SoundSpace at Blanton, Chamber Music at The BARN, International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFests®, The College Music Society’s national conference, and various composer/new music events. His album Duos, which features premieres of newly commissioned works, was released by Soundset Recordings in 2020. He recently premiered a couple of his own compositions. In 2016, Jankauskas joined JMU, where he guides an enthusiastic group of young musicians, teachers and entrepreneurs. He studied at the Academy of Music in his native Lithuania, and after moving to the U.S., earned degrees from Grand Valley State University, Rice University and The University of Texas at Austin. 

The Forbes Center for the Performing Arts has been voted one of the Best Music Venues in the Shenandoah Valley by readers of Virginia Living magazine in its Best of Virginia 2021 survey. More than 50,000 ballots are cast for the “bests” across the state each January—and this year’s winners were announced in early May.

The JMU Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Kira Omelchenko, is conducted by graduate orchestral conducting students and comprises of strings, winds, brass, and percussion musicians and presents up to four performances each year. Chamber Orchestra aims to provide members with exposure to literature from a broad range of composers and styles, including compositions from the Baroque, Classical, and early 19th and 20th centuries.

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. They were selected to perform a feature concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Philadelphia. Most recently, the ensemble created two podcast videos featured on the VicFirth website, and toured Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

In the spring of 2009, 2007 and 2006, the ensemble won the NABBA Adult Class Percussion Ensemble Contest held in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2004, the group won the small ensemble contest at PASIC held in Nashville, Tennessee. They were chosen to perform the keynote concert at the 2003 National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. The JMU Percussion Ensemble is an “all Zildjian” ensemble and proudly endorses Vic Firth sticks.

A versatile bassist, composer, educator and native New Yorker, Sam Zagnit enjoys a multifaceted career, from performing with acclaimed ensembles such as Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, NOW Ensemble, and the American Symphony Orchestra, to accompanying handbell choirs in Norwalk, Conn.

Dedicated to the creation and performance of new works, Zagnit is a member of the New York-based contemporary music group, BlackBox Ensemble. He and Amber Evans are the soprano/bass duo confluss, an up-and-coming chamber ensemble committed to the exploration of their unique timbre through performing original compositions, some by Zagnit himself.

As an orchestral player, Zagnit frequently performs with the American Symphony Orchestra as guest principal bass, and in July 2025, joined the bass section of the Chamber Orchestra of New York. He recently joined the Harrisburg Symphony as Assistant Principal Bass and the New Haven Symphony as Section Bass.

Zagnit is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with David Grossman and Orin O’Brien, the Yale School of Music where he studied with Don Palma, and the New School where he completed the Performer/Composer Master of Music. 

Wanchi’s albums, Eugéne Ysaÿe Six Solo Sonatas, complete Partitas, Sonatas of J.S. Bach for Solo Violin and her collaboration with longtime friend and pianist, Robert Koenig presenting music by William Walton and Benjamin Britten, all under the Centaur Records label have been excellently reviewed. Her most recent album, Imagining Worlds: Music for Solo Violin by living composers will be released under the Parma Music label in January 2024.  She is an active solo and chamber music performer, competition adjudicator and conference presenter. She joined “Curtis on Tour” for the 2017-18 season and joined the string faculty at the Heifeitz International Institute in Staunton Virginia starting summer 2023. She received her Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music, MM from the Juilliard School and DM from the Indiana University in Bloomington. Currently, she is the full time violin professor at James Madison University and serves as concertmistress for the Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra. Full bio

Miyamoto has enjoyed an acclaimed international career, performing across North America, Europe, and Asia, and winning top honors including the first Gilmore Young Artist Award and prizes from the American Pianists Association and National Chopin Piano Competition. A graduate of the Curtis Institute, Yale, Michigan State, and the Royal Academy of Music, he has collaborated with renowned artists and ensembles worldwide. Currently the Middlebush Chair of Piano at the University of Missouri, Miyamoto is also Executive Director of the Plowman Chamber Music Competition. Gramophone and American Record Guide have praised his acclaimed recordings on the Blue Griffin and Albany labels.

Recently crowned the 2024 North American Brass Association Championship Section winning band, the JMU Brass Band is one of the most successful collegiate brass bands in the world today. Formed by Professor Kevin Stees in the Fall of 2000, the band was named the North American Brass Band Association 1st Section Champion in 2004 and 2005, and was the 2006, 2007, 2010, 2016, 2019, and 2022 NABBA Championship Section Runner-up.

The group maintains an active schedule, performing regularly throughout the academic year and has been a featured ensemble at numerous festivals and conferences around the globe.

In the summer of 2008, the ensemble embarked on a concert tour of England sharing the stage with many outstanding bands including the world famous Cory Band.

In 2009, the group became the first brass band to perform a full-length concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

In 2022, the ensemble was invited to Kerkrade, the Netherlands to represent the United States in the Championship Division of the 19th World Music Contest. Always interested in showcasing new repertoire, the band has given the North American premiere of more than a dozen major works for brass band.

The JMU Brass Band is currently ranked in the top 50 brass bands worldwide.