Digging into the inaugural season
By now you’ve probably seen the lineup. You’ve likely narrowed it down to your top, say, 10 choices. Or better yet, your top 21 (that would be all of them).
We’ve already heard from some of you that you can’t possibly narrow it down, so you’ll just come to as many as you can. To which we say, “Yes, please! Come on in!”
But for those of you who are still looking things over, allow us to help guide the way a bit.
(Speaking of “guide,” have you seen our Inaugural Season Guide yet? When the hard copies were delivered to our office, we may or may not have spent some time gazing longingly at them, petting the different pages with different textures, and–in one instance–smelling the brand new ink smell. I think we’re in love! Kudos to our Creative Services Manager Brian Yohn for all his hard work.)
Anyway, back to the season. Let’s jump right on in, shall we?
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Retired Virginia Tech faculty get a sneak peek at the new building
Executive director Ruth Waalkes shot this photo during a tour of the new building last week. This group of retired Virginia Tech faculty was the first to descend the Monumental Staircase.
Just a few short months until everyone can climb the staircase, and we certainly can’t wait!
Video: Take a hardhat tour of the new building with executive director Ruth Waalkes
Take a tour of the new Center for the Arts building, on the corner of Alumni Mall and Main St., with our executive director Ruth Waalkes.
We’re only a few short months away from our grand opening–and that week is filled with tons of exciting events!
Opening week at the Moss Arts Center
We’ve shared photos from the inaugural visual art gallery exhibition openings. But we know you’re hankering to see everything else that went on during opening week here at the Moss Arts Center.
The Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology hosted their second annual Tech-or-Treat in the Cube on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013. Children from all over were able to step into the Labyrinth and interact with all sorts of tech-based, Halloween-themed activities. Check out photos below, or a traditional slideshow here.
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While Tech-or-Treat was going on in the Cube, the Blacksburg Children’s Chorale took over the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre for dress rehearsal ahead of their performance with the Philip Glass Ensemble on Friday, Nov. 1. Under the direction of Children’s Chorale founder and artistic director Patrice Yearwood and with some help from Michael Reisman, music director for the Philip Glass Ensemble, the singers took on their bits of the score for Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation.
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After a brief break on Thursday, we hit the ground running on Friday, Nov. 1, with our ribbon cutting ceremony. Hundreds of folks turned out for the momentous occasion. Our executive director, Ruth Waalkes, was joined by Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger and Virginia Secretary of Education Laura Fornash for remarks prior to cutting the ribbon. Afterwards, we opened the gallery and lobby spaces, as well as the performance hall, in the newly named Moss Arts Center to folks who wanted to take a peek.
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We all recharged a bit over lunch, where we presented Ruth with a signed, framed photo of the staff–in hardhats, of course! It’s hard to believe it was just a few months ago that the building was still a hardhat zone. It feels like years and minutes, all at once.
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In a blink of an eye, we were all preparing to welcome 1,200 patrons to the center for our inaugural performance from the Philip Glass Ensemble. In what felt like moments the lobby filled with patrons mingling, meeting new friends, and enjoying the exhibitions in the galleries. Then, just as quickly, everyone was seated, Ruth was taking the stage for her curtain talk to welcome the inaugural audience and to introduce the performance, the members of the ensemble were walking on stage, Powaqqatsi was beginning, and some of the staff were possibly beginning to cry…
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But the inaugural performance wasn’t all we had up our sleeves for Friday night. After the show, we welcomed donors into the Cube for a meet and greet with Philip Glass–our way of saying thank you to everyone who helped make our opening week possible.
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Another brief pause in the flurry of activity on Saturday, and then we geared up to welcome community members during our Community Open House. The open house featured several a cappella groups positioned strategically throughout the center, culminating in An Impromptu Glorious Chorus led by Elise Witt.
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After the open house, patrons enjoyed a beautiful performance by the Sphinx Virtuosi, during which Virginia Tech music students tried out an experimental educational opportunity: Tweet Seats. The music students engaged in an educational discussion on Twitter about the performance, led by instructors Tracy Cowden and Erica Sipes using the hashtag #cfasphinx. After the performance, we hosted a reception for our tweeters–and they were joined by the Sphinx Virtuosi!
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We had a very busy week, but it was such an exciting, rewarding experience. We want to thank everyone who has supported us along the way, and we hope you continue to support us and enjoy the new arts opportunities we bring to Blacksburg and the surrounding areas.