American Youth Harp Ensemble continues to dazzle audiences around the world as America’s premier youth harp ensemble, well known for their musical sophistication, rich sound, emotional power, and imaginative programming of repertoire. The American Youth Harp Ensemble (AYHE) has brought world-class music to enthusiastic audiences in the U.S. and abroad through hundreds of performances, recordings, television and radio features. With fifteen national and international tours to their credit since 1999, the AYHE has received critical acclaim for performances.  In addition to its four performance ensembles, the American Youth Harp Ensemble serves as a national model for arts education. Its nine year-round and summer outreach programs use the harp as a catalyst for positive change, personal growth and community service for over 300 elementary and secondary students annually, regardless of financial means. 

Visit www.harpensemble.org or call 804.300.6283.
 

Cadence Theatre Company is a professional, nonprofit theatre. Their mission is to inspire and transform audiences and artists through the presentation of contemporary plays and musicals and educational programs that uplift the spirit, challenge the mind and celebrate community. Cadence Theatre Company (CTC) in association with Barksdale's Theatre gym will present a three-show season of contemporary award-winning works at the historic Little Theatre located at The Empire Theatre on Broad Street. CTC in association with Barksdale's Theatre Gym will also present a three-show staged reading series at the café lobby of Barksdale Willow Lawn.  CTC will continue to partner with St. Mary's Episcopal Church for the Acts of Faith Festival and with The School of Performing Arts in the Richmond Community's (SPARC) August Adventure Camp for children and youth.

Visit www.cadencetheatre.org or call 804.233.4894.
 

Chamberlayne Actors Theatre has been producing quality, affordable theatre on the Northside of Richmond since 1964. During that time, CAT has expanded from a committee of the North Chamberlayne Civic Association to an independent, professional theatre producing a full season of exciting plays. 

Visit www.cattheatre.com or call 804.262.9760.
 

City Singers Children’s Choirs, based in Richmond, perform the highest caliber of distinguished youth choral music from the body of classical, traditional, and modern compositions from around the world. Our mission is to inspire the highest level of artistic choral performance while bringing together youth of the greater Richmond area in a joyful appreciation of their ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity. We are committed to making our choral education experience available to qualified singers regardless of their economic situations.

Now in their 16th season, City Singers Children’s Choirs consist of four performing vocal groups: City Singers Advanced Ensemble, Young Women’s Ensemble, and Young Men’s Ensemble, for girls and boys grades 6 through 12, and Neighborhood Singers for grades 2 through 5. City Singers Children’s Choirs have been bringing Richmond area youth together through song since 1996.

Visit www.citysingerschoir.org  or call 804.657.SONG.
 

The Concert Ballet of Virginia, founded in 1975, is Virginia’s oldest
continually performing ballet company that nurtures, promotes, and
celebrates Virginia talent in all areas of dance, including performance,
design, costuming, scenery, choreography, collaborations, and training.  Each season, The Concert Ballet presents a subscription series of three galas from its repertory of more than 250 dance pieces and newly commissioned works by Virginia choreographers; holiday performances of three versions of “The Nutcracker” (a reading, a suite, and thefull-length ballet); and its “Storybook Series,” which promotes reading through dance performances of classic children’s stories; additionally the company provides full-scale dance programming for a variety of venues throughout the state.

Visit www.concertballet.com or call 804.798.0945.
 

The Firehouse Theatre Project presents important American contemporary theatre pieces with an emphasis on plays not previously produced in the metropolitan Richmond area, including developing, producing, and performing at least one new play each year. The Firehouse fulfills this mission through mainstage productions, readings, classes and the annual Festival of New American Plays; all programs offer high-quality performances at affordable prices. 
 
Visit www.firehousetheatre.org or call 804.355.2001
 

The critically acclaimed Greater Richmond Children’s Choir, under the direction of Hope Armstrong Erb, is dedicated to bringing together boys and girls from diverse backgrounds to experience the joy of singing and to gain a life-long love for good music through age-appropriate vocal training. The GRCC strives to nurture the unique gift each child brings, to encourage all to reach for excellence, and ultimately, to create responsible and compassionate citizens of the world. Now entering its fifteenth season, GRCC includes about 80 choristers, ages 8-18 in five ensembles representing over 35 different schools in Richmond and the surrounding counties. GRCC is a non-profit corporation providing need-based tuition scholarships to over 30% of the children, and rehearses weekly at Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church which is next door to the Landmark Theater.

Visit www.grcchoir.org or call 804.201.1894.
 

Ground Zero Dance was formed in the spring of 2000 by three choreographers and one dancer/administrator, with a goal of enriching and broadening the modern dance scene in Richmond and Central Virginia. Ground Zero Dance seeks to bring live performance to diverse audiences by creating and producing the work of company members; collaborating with and presenting local, regional, national, and international artists; and offering experiential education through community participation. 

Visit www.groundzerodance.org.
 

Henley Street Theatre burst on to the Richmond scene in 2007 with a mission to stage classical and contemporary works that are relevant, affordable and alive.  Our artistic standards are guided by three core values: a reverence for language, a commitment to diversity and a spirit of adventure.  Past award winning plays include, Waiting for Godot, The Last Day's of Judas Iscariot, The Winter's Tale, The Shining City, A Doll's House, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, Lord of the Flies, Yellowman and our annual Bootleg Shakespeare productions, which are always free to the public. 

Visit www.henleystreettheatre.org or call 804.340.0115.
 

The James River Ringers (JRR), performing on five octaves of Malmark English handbells, is Richmond’s premier auditioned community handbell group.  Our mission is to promote the art of handbell ringing and to present quality handbell music, both secular and sacred, through public concerts, workshops and classes that educate and entertain. We offer member ringers the opportunity to expand their abilities through public performances of advanced handbell literature.  We also offer a limited number of intern positions where less advanced ringers can shadow a seasoned JRR member, learning one-on-one the more advanced aspects of our art. In addition, JRR offers an annual ringer workshop in the fall for beginning and advanced ringers to develop and hone their skills.  Another popular educational opportunity is our bi-annual bell festival designed for lower level choirs to work together under the direction of a guest conductor.

Visit www.jamesriverringers.org or call 804.357.9810.
 

K Dance, a non-profit professional contemporary dance/theatre company, presents concert, lecture-demonstrations, master classes and "Yes, Virginia - Dance", a national dance invitational. This company serves as a vehicle for creative projects for its artistic director, Kaye Weinstein Gary, as well as other artists both locally and nationally.  Each project is unique in scope and creative thematic material.  K Dance focuses on the creative process in education programs and in developing new exciting work for audiences. 

Visit www.kdance.org or call 804.270.4944.
 

Offering rocks with heart. The non-profit band performs 70-90 shows a year, frequently sponsoring food drives and community-enhancing efforts like Arts in the Alley and Christmas in July in Richmond and throughout the mid-Atlantic region. With their acoustic rock sound anchored in guitar and piano, enriched by strings and world percussion, Offering marries music, passion, and response to a difficult world. Offering is making art make a difference: transforming communities through music and art, connecting people with opportunities to serve through the vehicle of music, and providing quality music for benefits, community gatherings, and other gatherings.
Visit www.offeringband.com or call 804.745.7824.
 

The Richmond Choral Society continues to chart a new era under the direction of Markus Compton, a dynamic young conductor who brings a wealth of experience to the leadership position. In the 2010-11 season, RCS hosted the Central Virginia premiere of Yizkor Requiem by Washington, DC composer Thomas Beveridge, which focuses on the memorial services of the Jewish and Roman Catholic traditions. Under Mr. Compton’s guidance, we expect to continue the tradition of excellence that has marked our long and proud history.  In 2007 the Richmond Choral Society was privileged to perform a concert at St. John’s Church celebrating the 400th anniversary of the landing at Jamestown. The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Clarke Bustard wrote of the Bloch concert, “Thank goodness community groups like the Richmond Choral Society are willing to take on repertory that professional ensembles lack the initiative or imagination to perform.”

Visit www.richmondchoralsociety.org or call 804.353.9582.
 

The Richmond Concert Band was formed in 1971 to provide adult instrumentalists with an outlet to continue playing their musical instrument.  Each year the Band performs 12 – 15 concerts that are free to the public.  It is supported by donations from local businesses and our “Friends of the Band”.  For the past 12-years the Band has performed one August concert entitled “Old Instruments for Young Hands” asking the community to bring their old used instruments and donate them to the Band, which, in turn, collects them and donates them to Richmond Public Schools for students that would like to play in a band but cannot afford to buy or rent an instrument.  For the past 40-years the Band has also performed an Independence Day concert at Dogwood Dell and since 1992 become the only performance in America where Overture 1812 is performed with live cannon, live fireworks, live carillon, and live music on the same property.  The Band enjoys a rich history in the Richmond community and depending on the time of year currently boasts 75 to 100 musicians performing.  The Band rehearses each Tuesday evening from 7:30 to 9:30 at tabernacle Baptist Church at the corner of Meadow and Grove in Richmond’s Fan. 

Visit www.rcband.org or call 804.737.3767.
 

The Richmond Men's Chorus and Richmond Women's Chorus reflect a commitment to excellence by: ensuring that performances are of the highest quality; establishing a reputation as an outstanding organization and valued community asset; and enabling each individual to recognize his unique and valuable contributions not just to the Chorus, but also to the arts and the greater Richmond community.  Our Mission: Musical excellence to inspire, entertain, educate, and unite our communities.

Visit www.richmondmenschorus.org or www.richmondwomenschorus.org.

The Richmond Philharmonic, one of a handful of member-run orchestras in America, has been presenting concerts to Richmond audiences for nearly four decades. The orchestra season consists of five public concerts, typically performed between late October and mid-June, in the W. E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University and in other locations around Richmond and Central Virginia. The orchestra is comprised of fine musicians from all walks of life who dedicate themselves to the daily practice, weekly rehearsal, and year-long planning required to present a full season of the world's best music. Currently in his fourth season as Music Director of the Richmond Philharmonic, Robert Mirakian is continuing the orchestra's long history of artistic excellence and community involvement.

Visit www.richmondphilharmonic.org or call 804.673.7470.
 

Richmond Shakespeare conducts mainstage performances at CenterStage include the final year of A Christmas Carol for Two Actors Dec 15-24, Shakespeare’s thrilling Tragedy of  Macbeth from February 9-26, together with Shakespeare & Galileo, March 1-10, in partnership with the Carpenter Science Theatre Company.  In summer, the 15th Anniversary Richmond Shakespeare Festival will explore the theme, “English Heritage & Myth,” with Shakespeare’s Cymbeline and The Merry Wives of Windsor at 500 year-old Agecroft Hall. 

Visit www.richmondshakespeare.com or call 804.232.4000.
 

Now in its 19th Season, Richmond Triangle Players is committed to the passionate exploration of theatre and its role in the global community. We embrace a wide audience with a focus on works relevant to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. Our highest aim is to enlighten those around us with theatre that warms the heart, educates the mind and entertains the spirit.

Visit www.rtriangle.org or call 804.346.8113.

Slam Nahuatl is a Richmond-based poetry group whose mission is to help community members achieve self-actualization through the use of poetry and spoken word.Founded in September 2007 by Daniel José Custódio and Vlad Rodriguez, Slam Nahuatl has quickly become one of the most recognized names on the national Spoken Word scene. In their first year of competition, Slam Nahuatl took 2nd in the nation in the PSi group piece competition. In 2009 they become the first champions of the SoundBites Poetry Festival which took place at Roy Arias Theatre on Broadway. More importantly, Slam Nahuatl has fullfilled its’ promise of uplifting members of the community, not only through inspirational poetry, but also through social activism and teaching. In 2009 they fed a single mother and her two children for an entire year with proceeds of the End Hunger Slam Series. Their workshops have reached hundreds of children and adults at local high schools and universities, such as the University of Richmond, Elkhardt High School, Boushall Middle School, the Steward School and Huguenot high school.

Visit www.goodclearsound.org or call 804.353.3393.
 

SOUNDWORKS, is based in Richmond and comprised of a group of seasoned male singers who come together from a variety of musical and professional backgrounds to present a repertoire as varied as themselves. The ensemble unleashes the power and natural resonance of the unaccompanied, male voice in musical genres that encompass classical, pop, barbershop, blues, spiritual, rock, jazz, and even the occasional, downright silly. We hope our songs are both memorable and inspiring and that every member of our audience feels a special connection with each of our singers.In recent years, SOUNDWORKS has brought its eclectic repertoire to audiences throughout the Mid-Atlantic States. The ensemble has performed in professional concert series, historic theaters, music festivals, and Barbershop Harmony Society chapter shows. Recently we have also shared the stage with men’s and mixed a cappella ensembles from nearby colleges and universities. These joint ventures have been especially meaningful to us because one of our goals is to nurture a cappella singing among young, talented singers whenever possible. In August 2010, Soundworks released its first-ever CD “Come on Along” which enables us to share our unique blend of music with a cappella enthusiasts far and wide. 

Visit www.soundworkschorus.org or call 434.929.6813.
 

Sycamore Rouge is Petersburg’s professional theatre for the community.  The theatre produces five main stage theatrical productions each year, with selections that span from the classical cannon to the newest American work.  In the fall of 2008, Sycamore Rouge announced a second series, the Six Blocks Series, designed to provide the means for presenting new, innovative, and exceptional theatre at an extremely affordable price.  Between mainstage theatrical productions, Sycamore Rouge presents a diverse concert season, featuring jazz, blues, and world music, with a focus on promoting local artists and maintaining the theatre’s economic and social commitment to their local community.Additionally, Sycamore Rouge offers several educational programs for children, high school students, and adults.  Education programs range from student matinees to post-show talkbacks to semester-long acting and directing classes for beginners to specific Master Classes (such as Fight Choreography and Makeup Design) for theatre professionals to continue honing their craft.

Visit www.sycamorerouge.org or call 804.957.5707.