MORGANTOWN — The 13 performances in 2018-2019 University Arts Series presented by University Toyota will go on sale to the public as single events at 10 a.m. Monday.
The series includes concerts by Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo; the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra with Lee Greenwood; The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh; and Graham Nash.
Additional performances include the national tours of “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Simon & Garfunkel Story,” Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music,” “STOMP,” “Jersey Boys” and “Chicago the Musical.” Moscow Ballet’s “Great Russian Nutcracker” returns for a December performance as does two performances of “Mountain Stage with Larry Groce.”
All events are held in the WVU Creative Arts Center’s Lyell B. Clay Theatre. Subscription packages are on sale through Friday.
Tickets will be available at the Mountainlair and Creative Arts Center Box Offices and online at ticketmaster.com. Tickets may also be purchased by phone through ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or 304-293-SHOW (7469).
- Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo: “A Very Intimate Acoustic Evening” — 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 — Pat Benatar’s staggering vocal range and Neil Giraldo’s artistry as a guitarist, producer, songwriter and arranger, forged the chemistry and sound that created rock hits, including “Love Is a Battlefield,” “Heartbreaker,” “We Live for Love,” “We Belong” and the signature, “Promises in The Dark.” Together they have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and won four consecutive Grammy awards.
- West Virginia Symphony Orchestra with Lee Greenwood: “Salute to America” — 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19 — Grammy Award-winning, singer-songwriter Greenwood is best known for his patriotic anthem “God Bless the USA.” Voted the most recognizable patriotic song in America, “God Bless the USA” has landed in the top 5 on the country singles charts three times (1993, 2001, 2003). Greenwood joins the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (WVSO) in its performance of “Lee Greenwood: Salute to America,” featuring some of Greenwood’s most famous songs, including the iconic anthem.
- “The Wizard of Oz” — 6 p.m. Oct. 28 —The entire family can travel down the Yellow Brick Road and beyond with Dorothy, Toto and their friends the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow in this production, featuring special effects, choreography and classic songs.
- “The Simon & Garfunkel Story” — 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 — This concert-style theater show chronicles the journey shared by the folk-rock duo Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Using huge projection photos and original film footage, this performance features a full live band performing hits, including “Mrs. Robinson,” “Cecilia,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Homeward Bound.”
“The Sound of Music” — 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26 — The musical story of Maria and the von Trapp Family features a Tony, Grammy and Academy Award-winning Best Score, including “My Favorite Things,” “Edelweiss” and the title song. - “Great Russian Nutcracker” — Dove of Peace Tour — 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 — Forty classically-trained dancers will deliver an performance set to Tchaikovsky’s complete score. Moscow Ballet’s two-person Dove of Peace character, with its 20-feet wing span, takes Masha (Clara) on a worldwide journey in search of peace and harmony in the performance’s second act.
- “STOMP” — 6 p.m. Jan. 13 — An eight-member percussion troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments — matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps — to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms.
- “Mountain Stage with Larry Groce” — 7 p.m. Jan. 20 and April 28 — The show has been the home of live music on public radio for more than 30 years. Each two-hour episode is produced weekly by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed by NPR Music on more than 240 stations across America. While most of the shows are recorded in Charleston, WVU is proud to have served as the show’s second home for the last decade. The show features performances from seasoned legends and emerging stars in genres ranging from folk, blues, and country to indie rock, synth pop, world, alternative and beyond. Each event showcases five artists as well as songs from the “Mountain Stage” band and soloist Julie Adams. The show culminates in the finale number where all five acts come together to perform a special song chosen by the show’s producers. Artists for each of the shows will be announced as each date nears.
- Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh — 3:30 p.m. Feb. 17 — Commemorate Black History Month with The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh’s performance of “Let My People Go: A Spiritual Journey Along the Underground Railroad.” This work interweaves spirituals, first and third narrative texts, and “code songs” to depict the African American slave’s struggle for freedom.
- “Jersey Boys” — 7:30 p.m. March 27 — They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their first note. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story. Go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the Tony Award-winning true-life musical. The show features hits “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “December 1963 (Oh What A Night).”
- “An Intimate Evening of Songs & Stories with Graham Nash” — 7:30 p.m. March 29 — Nash is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, with Crosby, Stills, and Nash and the Hollies. His career has given birth to a litany of songs that he has written and introduced into the soundtrack of the past half-century including “This Path Tonight,” “Chicago/We Can Change the World,” “Our House,” “Simple Man,” “Just a Song Before I Go,” and “Teach Your Children.”
- “Chicago the Musical” — 7:30 p.m. April 7 — This musical, a universal tale of fame and fortune, is the recipient of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy, and now the No. 1 longest-running American musical in Broadway history.
