Faulkner Performing Arts Center at U of A Announces Its 2018-19 Season

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at University of Arkansas is excited to announce its 2018-19 performance season. 

Building on its success over the previous season, the Faulkner Center will offer a host of performances ranging from opera to theatre, and from television nostalgia to a bluegrass “opry.”

Kicking off the season will be Sarah Mesko, a University of Arkansas alumna and rising opera star, on Sept. 7. Mesko will perform a musical selection titled “Through the Years.”

On Sept. 9, the Faulkner Center will present “8 Decades of Smiles with Peter Funt.” This stage comedy combines quips, clips and notable moments from decades of the popular television show Candid Camera.

Bluegrass and rock fans will get a special treat on Oct. 5, with “Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry.” This performance by The Hillbenders is based on rock legends The Who’s seminal classic album – Tommy. As an added bonus, the show will open with rising stars Maybe April.

On Nov. 13, Latin pop singer Gina Chavez will bring her award-winning sound to the Faulkner Center. The MP3 Club, a university student-led organization, will produce the performance, furthering the Faulkner Center’s mission of giving students production experience with world-class performers.

Next, the syncopated classics of Scott Joplin will be brought back to life by the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra on Nov. 15. This performance celebrates the King of Ragtime and his stirring instrumental favorites, including the American songbook classic “The Sting.”

The new year starts of with a bang when the Faulkner Center, in association with the Walton Arts Center, presents folk and blues singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster, who will be accompanied by the U of A Inspirational Chorale on Jan. 29, 2019.

For Valentine’s Day, Victor & Penny and the The Loose Change Orchestra will feature Prohibition Era music. This Feb. 14 event will include a dinner package with a “hoppin’ speakeasy” theme.

On March 7, Sylvia Milo’s award-winning, one-woman show “The Other Mozart” will come to life as the story of Wolfang Amadeus Mozart’s sister, Nannerl, is told while Milo wears a magnificent 18-foot dress spread across the stage.

The Faulkner Center will bring bluegrass to Northwest Arkansas with Trout Steak Revival on March 29. This performance will also include Smokey & the Mirror, as well as the Arkansas Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

On April 19, Sudanese vocalist Salma El Assal will bring her unique music to the Faulkner Center, which fuses a traditional African sound with reggae and other musical styles.

To round out the season, international award-winning Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev will perform at the Faulkner Center on April 26.

Season tickets go on sale the the public May 14. Full season tickets and various ticket packages are available ranging in price from $40 to $200.

To purchase season tickets, visit the Faulkner Performing Arts Center’s website at faulkner.uark.edu starting Monday, May 14.  You may also call our Box Office at 479-575-5387 or stop by Monday through Friday from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. until May 26. After May 26, you must purchase online or you can call the Box Office and leave a message for a return call.

About the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center: The newest performing arts center at the University of Arkansas — a renovation of the old Field House — is named the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center, in honor of the couple’s major gift to the project. Completed in September 2017, this world-class performance venue is 39,400 square feet, with seating for 587, and a stage that can accommodate as many as 250 performers. The center is the main performance venue for the university’s J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences Department of Music and hosts guest musical activities for the university and Northwest Arkansas community. 

About the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with 19 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students and is named for J. William Fulbright, former university president and longtime U.S. senator. 

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.

This story originally appeared in the University of Arkansas’ Newswire publication. Please visit news.uark.edu for more stories like this.