Blog - Academy Center of the Arts

The Best of Us Celebrates Community

February 6, 2019 Morgan Yeatts

Written by: Morgan Yeatts For two years now, the Academy Center of the Arts has partnered with Alpha Phi Alpha, the first African American greek fraternity, to present The Best of Us, an awards ceremony dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the Black community, organizations, and individuals who have made contributions in the Lynchburg area. This year, over 330 people attended the ceremony, which was held on Saturday, February 2, 2019, in the Joy & Lynch Christian Warehouse Theatre. The numerous awards included Best Businesswoman, Best Businessman, Best Barbershop, and three Lifetime Achievement awards. “There are a lot of people in our community who are honored, but don’t get recognition,” says Evan Smith, Director of Community Outreach here at the Academy. “I think it’s important to be able to recognize people who have made great contributions to our community.” Members of the community who were awarded include Ethel Reeves, who received the Mary Kinkle Award for Best Educator, musician Lew Taylor, winner of the Entertainer of the Year award, and Lynchburg Police Officer, Tereika Grooms, who won the Millenial of the Year award. The recipients of the Lifetime Achievement awards were Fletcher Hubbard, Mary Payne, and Willie […]

Academy to Hold Auditions for Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Follies’

February 4, 2019 Brittany Griffith

Academy Center of the Arts, Historic Academy Theatre

Contact: Brittany Griffith Director of Communications and Marketing (434) 528-3256 x131 bgriffith@academycenter.org For Immediate Release: 1/29/2019 ACADEMY TO HOLD AUDITIONS FOR STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S FOLLIES The Academy Center of the Arts is excited to announce that the first Community Through Theatre production in its recently opened Historic Academy Theatre will be Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking musical, Follies. Scheduled to be performed in 2019 on May 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, and 19, the rarely-produced play is considered to be one of Sondheim’s greatest shows. The Academy has assembled an experienced creative team to lead this project. Former EC Glass Theatre teacher Jim Ackley will direct the show. Randall Speer, Music Department chair at Randolph College, will be Music Director. Stephen Sondheim’s Follies will be choreographed by Rena Lindevaldsen, and Tyler Herron, the Technical Director for the Academy, will be the Scenic and Lighting Designer. Auditions for Stephen Sondheim’s Follies will be held on Sunday, February 17, 2019 from 2:00pm – 6:00pm and Tuesday, February 19, 2019, from 6:00pm – 9:00pm in the Academy’s Warehouse Theatre, 519 Commerce St. Auditions will include singing, reading, and a dance combination. Auditions will be open to all actors of varying ages […]

Czech Violinist Ivan Zenaty to Perform at the Academy

January 11, 2019 Brittany Griffith

The Academy Center of the Arts and Forte Chamber Music are proud to announce that Ivan Zenaty, “the most important Czech violinist of this time,” will take the Academy Center of the Arts’ Historic Academy Theatre stage, 524 Main St., in performance on Saturday, January 12, 2019, at 7:30pm. The program includes works from Vivaldi and Beethoven. Ivan Zenaty reaches a broad public without abandoning the world of classical music for even a moment. Besides the technical perfection one would expect, he is also appreciated for his taste, style and a captivatingly beautiful tone. With his exceptional wealth of repertoire including more than 50 violin concertos, he is a favored guest artist with many international orchestras. Known for his versatility, his engagements also include solo recitals and chamber music collaborations. The springboard to his international career came as a result of being a prize winner in the Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition followed immediately by debut engagements with the Moscow and Czech Philharmonic. Other successes include First Prize at the Prague Spring Competition, as well as being a chosen laureate of the UNESCO International Rostrum of Young Performers. In the subsequent years following his victories, Zenaty made his orchestral […]

Over 600 Lynchburg Area Music Students Gain Access to Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

November 26, 2018 Brittany Griffith

Contact: Brittany Griffith Director of Communications and Marketing (434) 528-3256 x131 bgriffith@academycenter.org OVER 600 LYNCHBURG AREA MUSIC STUDENTS GAIN ACCESS TO THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA The Academy Center of the Arts’ staff and board are proud to share that over 600 local middle and high school music students will travel to the newly restored Historic Academy of Music Theatre on Thursday, December 13, 2018, to experience the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s Big Band Holidays sound check with Wynton Marsalis. The sound check event will begin at 4:30pm in the Historic Theatre prior to the 7:30pm performance that evening. A question and answer portion will also be held between the students and musicians on stage prior to the concluding the event. “Youth outreach is really important to Wynton Marsalis,” said Geoffrey Kershner, Executive Director of the Academy Center of the Arts. “When arranging their visit, it was the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra who offered up this opportunity and it was something we jumped at. We loved the notion that not only would adult audiences benefit from this world-class artist but also area youth.” The Academy Center of the Arts is dedicated to […]

Meet the Staff: Tabitha Abbott

November 16, 2018 Morgan Yeatts

by Morgan Yeatts As a Lynchburg native, Tabitha knows just how far downtown Lynchburg has come through the years. Before coming to the Academy Center of the Arts (ACOA), she worked at Amazement Square, eventually becoming their event planner, and then their Operations Director. Later, an event coordinator position was created for her at United Way. She has also worked with the Downtown Lynchburg Association to plan Get Downtown. Needless to say, Tabitha knows how to get things done. “Event planning is being really organized and creative; it’s something I kind of fell into that I love.” Tabitha met Dorie Smiley, former Operations Director of the ACOA, through the Downtown Lynchburg Association, of which Dorie is Vice President. As Dorie was in the process of stepping down from her role at the ACOA, preparing for retirement, Tabitha applied for the job and started in October of 2017. Although she isn’t planning events as much as she used to, Tabitha loves her position here at the Academy. “My position lends itself to be a part of everyone’s department and being a part of it in such a wide reaching way is really cool and special. It […]

Meet the Staff: Tyler Herron

October 17, 2018 Morgan Yeatts

by Morgan Yeatts Tyler Herron knew from a young age that lighting design was the career he wanted to pursue. He remembers telling his parents that, someday, he was going to be a lighting designer for a mega church. Growing up, he gained experience working with the lighting design crew at the church he attended in Hope, Arkansas, and at the age of 12, was invited to go on tour with David Phelps, Christian southern gospel singer, and work with his lighting team. Tyler attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas, with the intended major of theatre with an emphasis in technical theatre. Part way through his degree, he got a job at as lighting designer for a mega church in Little Rock, bringing his youthful predictions to fruition. When he got the opportunity, he left school to work there full time, and stayed for over 5 years, gaining invaluable experience through hands on work. A time came when Tyler felt that he needed a change, a new challenge, so he began applying for lighting design jobs all over the nation. “I needed to find someone who would take a chance on me,” he said. Although he had […]

Mavis Staples Headlines Historic Academy of Music Theatre’s First Public Event

October 15, 2018 Brittany Griffith

The Academy Center of the Arts has announced Mavis Staples, Grammy award-winning R&B-gospel singer and civil rights activist, as the headlining artist the first event of the Historic Academy of Music Theatre’s Opening Week Activities on Thursday, December 6, 2018, at 7:30pm. “The evening will celebrate the integration of the Historic Academy of Music theatre, a space that was previously segregated when it closed in 1958,” said Geoffrey Kershner, Executive Director of the Academy Center of the Arts. “We chose Mavis Staples as our headlining artist for this event because of her significant accomplishments as a civil rights activist and her continuing efforts to serve as a positive force for social equity”. Mavis Staples began singing with her family, The Staple Singers, in Chicago in the 1940s, later performing in Montgomery, Alabama for none other than Martin Luther King, Jr. Lauded as one of the greatest gospel singers of all time, her powerful voice has underscored some of the United States most pivotal and dramatic periods of social change, weaving herself into the very fabric of gospel, soul, folk, pop, R&B, blues, rock, and hip hop over the last 60 years. Mavis Staples is both a Rock […]

Lynchstock Music Festival 2018

October 3, 2018 Morgan Yeatts

by Morgan Yeatts The Academy Center of the Arts is proud to be presenting the sixth annual Lynchstock Music Festival! Since its beginning, Lynchstock has been one of the most attended and loved events in Lynchburg. This year, the festival will be held in the fall rather than the spring, on the 20th of October, a Lynchstock Music Festival first. It’s the perfect opportunity to break out the flannels and kick the fall vibes into high gear! This year’s lineup is one of the best yet, with headliners COIN and Dr. Dog. There will be a wide variety of artists representing numerous genres, including many of Lynchburg’s own talented bands and artists. A few Lynchstock veterans, Joel Robert Kaiser and Vacation Manor, will also be returning to their hometown for this exciting day of music and community. Other artists include The Dundies, Oceanic, L.A. Dies, Apple Butter Soul, Tony Camm and the Funk Allstars, and many others! For those of you who have attended Lynchstock in the past, you already know what goes down at this amazing event, from the performances, food trucks, local vendors, spoken word poetry, and inspiring vibe. However, if you’re a newcomer to […]

Meet the Staff: Dorie Smiley

September 26, 2018 Morgan Yeatts

by Morgan Yeatts Dorie Smiley has been with the Academy Center of the Arts since its beginning. Dorie began as a volunteer for the Academy of Music over 21 years ago, which eventually evolved into a part-time position when the Academy of Music merged with the Fine Arts Center to create the Academy of Fine Arts to eventually become the Academy Center Center of the Arts in 2015. She was fascinated with the restoration of the historic theatre, and this fascination, combined with her love for historic buildings and architecture, attracted her to the Academy. She began at the bottom, raising awareness about the restoration of the theatre, writing thank you notes to donors, collecting the mail, basically doing “anything that needed to happen”. From there, Dorie continued to progress and ultimately became the Director of Operations for the Academy Center of the Arts. In October of 2017 she stepped down in preparation for retirement. Currently, she serves as the construction liaison for the Historic Academy of Music Theatre renovations, assisting as a staff representative to the construction committee. For years, Dorie has seen the Academy prepare to restore the Historic Theatre, and now, […]

2018 National Juried Photography Exhibition Winners

September 14, 2018 Brittany Griffith

The 2018 National Juried Photography Exhibition, sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts, has passed and the winners have been announced! See below for the list of cash awards given this year. Best in Show: $1000 award to Craig Shaffer (Lynchburg) for “Widow Walk” Sponsored by the Cary & Robert Roberts 2nd Place Award $500 award to Ashley Moog (Airville, Penn) for “Second Skin Series” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts 3rd Place Award $350 award to George Gati (Poughquag, NY) for “Snowstorm at Midnight” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award $250 award to Michael Hower (Enola, Penn) for ‘“Remorse Will Assail Him” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award $200 award to Lisa Pitcher (Amherst, VA) for “Super Powers” Sponsored by the Blackwell Press Juror’s Choice Award $100 award to Rebecca Raybon (Huddleston, VA) for “Yesteryear” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award $100 award to Sam Krisch (Roanoke, VA) for ‘“Hokkaido” Sponsored by Lynn Shapiro @ JSW Realtors, […]

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