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• The Prizery Artist Series lodging is being provided by Berry Hill Plantation Resort
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2005 Schedule
 “ONLINE SALES HERE” |
Patron Tickets go on sale at The Prizery August 15th at 9 am for the Prizery Performances Fall Season. Individual ticket sales begin August 24th. Tickets can also be purchased online by clicking on the TicketLeap logo at the left. |
| September 24 |  • For its grand opening celebration, the Prizery will finish the evening of September 24 by bringing it home. Down home. Blues & Bluegrass will kick off at 7 p.m. in the Chastain Theatre and for a $5 admission, the audience will be treated to the Leftover Biscuit Boys String Band, singer-songwriter Arum Rae Valkonen, and a group of home-grown musicians.The Leftover Biscuit Boys will break the sound barrier in the new theatre first with their mix of new and old. Described as a string band, the group is a labor of love endeavor: the musicians all have day jobs. Nonetheless, the Boys have become a regular fixture at the Farmer’s Market in Staunton, Virginia. 
Each of the members of the group come from a different background, and each member brings that experience into the musical output. “We still haven’t picked one particular style and I don’t think we will,” said band member Peter Aaslestad. “We like to indulge in everything we like. It’s about our pleasure as musicians and our audience’s pleasure comes from that. Everybody winds up having fun.” Bookings and additional information about the Leftover Biscuit Boys is available by calling (540)885-6264.Arum Rae Valkonen’s raspy, intimate sound promises to play to a range of ages. Following the string band, Valkonen performs all original songs in her one-woman show. She is accompanied only by her guitar, playing through a variety of jazz, blues, and bluegrass-inspired lines. From Lexington, Virginia, Valkonen is accustomed to playing in places like South Boston. “I live in a small hometown kind of place where I perform frequently. My show is about forming an intimacy with the audience. A small town feels like a cradle to me,” Valkonen said. “I’m really looking forward to being there at the Prizery.” Bookings, music clips, and more information about Arum Rae Valkonen may be found at www.arumrae.com. Plan to enjoy the beginning of autumn with a celebration of Blues & Bluegrass at the Prizery on the evening of September 24. Admission is $5 and a wine and beer cash bar will be available in the lobby during intermissions. Come out to have some well-deserved fun in the new theatre, and help us bring it home! |
| September 30 |  • The Cashore Marionettes will have two school performances during the day and one evening performance at 7 p.m. The performance features award-winning artist Joseph Cashore and his collection of lifelike marionettes.
The program, entitled Simple Gifts, is billed as a “series of touching character portrayals and scenes from everyday life set to a succession of stunning original and classical music including Vivaldi, Strauss, Beethoven and Copeland.” |
| October 2 |  • The Jane Franklin Dance: Presenting Ridge Line dance, personal letters, descriptions and photographs from the Civil War. Ridge Line uses dance, photographs, personal letters and descriptions from the Civil War. The first dance, Clear Cut, was inspired by a description of the falling of a whole hillside of timber, so the troops might march through. A heartbreaking depiction of life at the front, Inside Out is based on a short excerpt by Frank Wilkeson, a private soldier in the Army of the Potomac, describing the horrors of the robbing of dead soldiers. In "Rally," the text used is Marion Southwood’s description of some 20,000 people, mainly women and children, bidding their dear ones goodbye. The music for Rally is based on the popular northern tune, The Battle Cry of Freedom. The music by Judith Shatin was created by processing the sounds of each movement, whether the chopping sounds of Clear Cut, or the passages read or sung in the other movements.
Performace at 7:00 pm. There will be two school performances on October 3. |
| October 15 | ????• The Manhattan Music Ensemble will play in the Chastain Theatre, surrounded on
stage by exhibited artwork. The 8 p.m. performance will feature pianist Milana Strezeva, cellist Dmitry Kouzov, violinist Dmitry Lukin, and soprano Svetlana Strezeva. The award-winning musicians have performed in variety of venues throughout the world including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. Tickets sales begin August 15th. |
| October 22 | • Tenor Christopher Swanson and Pianist Lisa Kinzer perform Schubert's great song cycle Die schóne Múllerin. Schubert's beautiful and haunting melodies are set to the romantic poetry of Heinrich Múller. In this cycle of twenty individual songs a tale emerges about a young man, a rushing brook, a beautiful woman and madness.
Swanson and Kinzer both come from Longwood University where they are both on the faculty of the music department. They perform together frequently throughout the United States. No admission charge. 
Tenor Christopher Swanson has performed leading roles in such operas as The Turn of the Screw, The Rake’s Progress, Die Zauberflöte, Così fan tutte, Robert Ward’s The Crucible and numerous operettas by Gilbert and Sullivan. He has also performed as soloist in several Bach cantatas, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s The Creation, Handel’s Saul and Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Verdi’s Requiem. Christopher is featured on the 2000 Newport Classics release of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Princess Ida as well as a 2003 recording of John Eccles’s opera Semele, the first complete recording of the opera. A frequent recitalist, Christopher has given programs across the United States and specializes in the German Lied as well as the art songs of Benjamin Britten. This coming year he will give programs in Quebec and in a tour around northern Italy. This summer Christopher will be the Director of Vocal Studies at the Asolo Song Festival and Institute, a four week program in Veneto region of Italy.
A Michigan native, Christopher now lives in Farmville, Virginia with his wife Jennifer and their three children Ellie, Abigail, and Charles. Christopher is on the music faculty at Longwood University.
Pianist Lisa Kinzer is Associate Professor and Chair of the Piano Area at Longwood University in Farmville, VA. She earned her Bachelor of Music from the North Carolina School of the Arts, Master of Music from Louisiana State University, and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her teachers have included Clifton Matthews, Robert McDonald, Jack Guerry, and John Salmon. She performs across the United States, playing both solo and collaborative recitals with her husband, saxophonist Charles Kinzer. A regular adjudicator for numerous piano competitions, including the prestigious Bartok/Kabalevsky International Piano Competition, Kinzer is a member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers, CMS, MTNA, and VMTA.
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| November 6 |  • Turtle Island String Quartet , With Special Guest Kenny Barron
THE JAZZ PIANO QUINTET Experience what happens when one of the world’s greatest jazz pianists collaborates with the undisputed masters of improvisational string chamber music. The Turtle Island String Quartet joins forces with pianist Kenny Barron for a concert of jazz inspired and informed by the compositional legacies of the great classical piano quintets of Brahms and Dvorak. Barron, a veteran of both Dizzy Gillespie’s and Stan Getz’s bands, has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the top jazz pianists in the world.” Together, Kenny Barron and the twice-GRAMMY nominated TISQ present a program of original music and arrangements of jazz classics, resulting in the creation of a brand new form, the jazz piano quintet. Both the quartet and pianist have explored a multitude of musical styles, from swing to Latin to bebop, and when they perform together, expect an exhilarating integration of styles and dynamic contrasts. There will be two performances - 3 and 7p.m. |
| November 18 |  • The musical duo Robin and Linda Williams performs “a robust blend of bluegrass, folk, old-time and acoustic country that combines wryly observant lyrics with a wide-ranging melodicism.” The pair, who have made appearances on such major programs as “The Grand Old Opry," “Austin City Limits," “Music City Tonight," “Mountain Stage" and “A Prairie Home Companion." They will perform November 18 at 8 p.m. |
| November 25 |  • Halifax County Little Theatre will open its
50th anniversary season with Alan Menken’s interpretation of
the seasonal classic “A Christmas Carol."This musical version of Charles Dickens’ classic was performed in Madison Square Garden last year and was the basis for the NBC television spectacular featuring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge. The show will run for three weeks, including a number of school performances. Performances: Nov 25,26,27 |
| December 1 | • Halifax County Little Theatre continues its
50th anniversary season with Alan Menken’s interpretation of
the seasonal classic “A Christmas Carol". Performances: Dec 1,2,3 & Dec 8,9,10,11. The performances on Dec. 3, 8, & 11 are matinees at 3:00. All other performances are at 8 p.m. |
| December 15 |  • “ Boys of the Lough “ , A Celtic ChristmasWith over thirty years experience in the world of traditional music, over 60 North American tours, 19 recordings and two Grammy nominations, Boys of the Lough has reached legendary status. The group features Cathal McConnell on flute, whistles and vocals; Dave Richardson on concertina, mandolin, button accordian and cittern; Brendan Begley on button accordian, melodeon, and vocals; Malcolm Stitt on guitar, bouzouki and Highland pipe; and Kevin Henderson on fiddle. The Boys have established a reputation for technical brilliance and integrity combined with a ready wit and sense of fun. The music ranges widely through traditional melodies of Ireland and encompasses fiddle music of Shetland, Scotland and North America. Compelling dance rhythms, which give the music such life, will lift your audience to their feet; the evocative slow airs and beautifully structured songs — some in the Irish language — will have them coming back for more. Performances: Dec 15. 1:00 p.m. - school performance, 7:00 p.m. - public performance. |
The Prizery has been host to some exciting gatherings and will continue to have an impact on the community’s economy and tourism, offering both residents and tourists an opportunity to learn about the area’s history and providing cultural, educational, and recreational programs for citizens.
The Prizery, located at 700 Bruce Street in Downtown South Boston’s Tobacco Warehouse District. To learn more about the Prizery, to become a volunteer with the exciting project, or to inquire about renting the facility for your next event, email Chris Jones.