HT Hometown Sound Music Series Presents

The Tribe Jazz Orchestra 

February 25 at 7:30 pm

Hendersonville Theatre is proud to bring The Tribe Jazz Orchestra to Western North Carolina. The Tribe Jazz Orchestra is an ensemble of musicians led by vocalist Lenora Zenzalai Helm with a unique approach to the music of the big band tradition.With a diverse amalgam of the top men and women performers in Jazz today, the instrumentation features a combination of jazz orchestra and modern chamber ensemble to bring a swinging and soulful concert full of groove and excitement covering many styles.

The members of the Tribe have performed together in various configurations and have appeared in noted concert halls and international music festivals in the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. The musicians have each garnered an international audience of followers and critical and professional acclaim for the last few decades.

Lenora has six previous commercial recordings and has performed with some of the biggest names in Jazz leading her groups in renowned jazz festivals and venues worldwide, including Jazz Standard, NYC, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy Club Coca Cola Women’s Jazz Festival, Schomburg Center's Women in Jazz Festival, JVC Jazz Festivals, Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, Cape Town Jazzathon, South Africa, Fiji Jazz & Blues Festival, NCCU Jazz Festival, and the Art of Cool Jazz Festival, Durham, NC. Her creative practice includes being a performing musician while educating emerging artists in jazz as the Director of the NCCU Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Assistant Professor of Vocal Jazz at North Carolina Central University, and being sought after internationally for workshops, clinics and master classes. She plays a leadership role in creating communities of practice for teaching artists and producing forums where music performances and edutainment events serve families in local and regional communities. A former U.S. Jazz Ambassador, and a two-time Fulbright Senior Music Specialist, she earned dozens of music and leadership-in-music awards and international accolades, including being a MacDowell Composer Fellow and the first Black woman vocal musician selected as a Chamber Music America/New Works Doris Duke Composer. Their CD release, For the Love of Big Band, launched March 9, 2020, received critical acclaim, and reached the JazzWeek Top 50 list of recordings for 2020. The next recording release will launch Spring 2023, Journeywoman, a recording of all original compositions. Learn more at www.LenoraHelm.com.

HT Hometown Sound Music Series Presents

Tuatha Dea

March 18 at 7:30 pm

Hendersonville Theatre is proud to bring Tuatha Dea to Western North Carolina! Rated as one of the top 10 Celtic bands in the United States, Tuatha Dea is a progressive Americana band with a Rock edge, a Celtic-Appalachian influence and a fearless attitude for pushing the boundaries of modern roots music. Their music thrives on a perpetual energy backed by expansive vocal ranges, steady, driving percussion, electric instrumentation and the melodic sounds of acoustic instruments like fiddle, guitar, penny whistle, bagpipes and even didgeridoo.

Dubbed "The Eclectic Partridge Family In Kilts And Corsets" And "The Appalachian Fae" Tuatha Dae has appeared at The Montauk Music Festival,  Floydfest, Bristol Rhythm And Roots, Dragoncon, Comicpalooza, Anachrocon, and many highland games and celtic music festivals. 

Tuatha Dea has performed on stage with and accompanied Paul Simon, Alto Reed, and James Mckinney. The band hails from Gatlinburg, TN. Please check out Tuatha Dea's website at www.tuathadea.com. 

Tuatha Dea is an Old Irish phrase adopted from the Celtic mythology of the Tuatha de Danaan whose literary history originates in Ireland and Great Britain. The name “Tuatha Dea” literally translates into “Children of The Gods”. The band’s Celtic influence stems directly from this historical clan which lived and ruled for a period in ancient Ireland and who were later destined to become the stuff of legend and basis of Celtic mythology. Those who dwelt beneath the burrows. The Children of The Gods.

Savannah Sipping Society

May 5-14, 2023

By Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, Jamie Wooten

Director: Beth Norris

In this delightful comedy, four unique Southern women, all needing to escape the sameness of their day-to-day routines, are drawn together by Fate—and an impromptu happy hour—and decide it’s high time to reclaim the enthusiasm for life they’ve lost through the years. Over the course of six months, filled with laughter, hilarious misadventures, and the occasional liquid refreshment, these middle-aged women successfully bond and find the confidence to jumpstart their new lives. Together, they discover lasting friendships and a renewed determination to live in the moment—and most importantly, realize it’s never too late to make new old friends.

Approximate Run Time: 2 hours
Rating: PG due to mild adult themes

Original Work: Where the Heart Is (Reader's Theatre)

June 3

By: Stephen Marsh

Director: Bob Trisolini

Written by Brevard playwright Stephen Marsh, Where the Heart Is tells the story of Maria Shaughnessy, who runs an unofficial boarding house that’s home to several elders. All goes well until… Presented in a reader's theater format, actors don't memorize scripts but read them to the audience while using their voices and upper bodies to convey the roles they are playing. Actors also use vocal and facial expressions, as well as hand and arm movements.

Hendersonville Theatre is dedicated to the development of local playwrights, and to the production of innovative new work. Join us as we present our first reader's theatre developed here in Hendersonville. This world premiere of a new play has been specifically chosen for our audience and our region.

Approximate Run Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Rating: PG for mild language

Rock of Ages

July 7-23, 2023

Book by Chris D’Arienzo
Arrangements and Orchestrations by Ethan Popp
Presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals
www.concordtheatricals.com

Director: Victoria Lamberth

This five-time Tony Award-nominated musical tells the story of a small-town girl, a city boy, and a rock ‘n’ roll romance on the Sunset Strip. But when the bar where rock reigns supreme is set to be demolished, it’s up to these wannabe rockers and their band of friends to save the day – and the music. Rock of Ages takes you back to the time of big bands with big egos playing big guitar solos and sporting even bigger hair! This jukebox musical features all of your favorite ‘80s rock anthems and power ballads from bands including Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister and more.

Approximate Run Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Rating: PG-13 due to adult content, alcohol use, and language.

A Doll's House (Reader's Theatre)

November 4

By Henrik Ibsen

Director: Patricia Sands

Written in 1879 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House is about a housewife who becomes disillusioned and dissatisfied with her condescending husband. The play raises universal issues and questions that are applicable to societies worldwide, including gender inequality, materialism, and corruption. Presented in a reader's theater format, actors don't memorize scripts but read them to the audience while using their voices and upper bodies to convey the roles they are playing.

Approximate Run Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Rating: G