Lenfest Goes Global

Lenfest Goes Global Ukrainian Quartet, Native Art Among 2025-26 Offerings

Washington and Lee University’s Lenfest Center for the Arts has announced its 2025-26 season, “Lenfest Center: Your Gateway to Global Experiences.”

This season is a celebration of creativity, connection and community — inviting all to join in artistic collaborations, innovative outreach and inspiring performances that bring people together.

The “Your Gateway to Global Experiences” theme is designed to spark curiosity and foster meaningful connections between the W&L community, local residents and artists from around the world. Through the Lenfest Center’s University Fall and Winter Outreach and Engagement (O&E) Series, audiences will have opportunities to interact directly with artists through master classes; “Table Talks and Lunch”; pop-up performances; Ukrainian cooking class and traditional dinner; and live British theater.

Beyond the season performances, the Lenfest Center invites audiences to deepen their involvement by joining conversations and interactive events with artists. Lenfest performances are sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

Online ticket sales for all ticketed events begin Aug. 15. Visit https://my.wlu.edu/lenfest-center to purchase tickets. The Lenfest box office opens for in-person and remaining online ticket sales on Monday, Sept. 8. The box office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it is open only when undergraduate classes are in session. Patrons can contact the box office by calling (540) 458-8000 or emailing [email protected]. - The Lenfest season opens with Lenfest’s O&E in Kamen Gallery’s Pop-Up Exhibition —“Native Art & Ancestral Inspiration: Drawing Endurance” —Sept. 1 through Dec. 15 featuring Pamunkey artist Ethan Brown and collector of artifacts of Indigenous Peoples of North America, W&L Professor Emeritus of Anthropology Harvey Markowitz.

On Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. on the Stackhouse screen, Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s “Sherlock,” “The Imitation Game”) takes on the title role of Shakespeare’s great tragedy in National Theatre Live’s “Hamlet.” Tickets are required for this event sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

Get ready for an adrenalinecharged night as Lenfest presents “The Missing Element” with the Beatbox House on Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. on the Keller stage. The audience will witness the explosive fusion of world-class street dancers and champion beatboxers as they create an electrifying spectacle — every beat, rhythm and sound 100% human-powered. Tickets are required and the show is sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

Step into the world of classic theater with NTL’s “Vanya” as Andrew Scott performs in this one-man retelling of Chekhov’s classic dark comedy “Uncle Vanya.” This production comes alive on the big screen for one night only, Oct. 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Stackhouse theater. Tickets are required, and it is sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

Join Lenfest’s O&E Series in the Kamen Gallery at noon on Oct. 14 for “Table Talks at Kamen Gallery: Art, Insight & Lunch.” Participants include Jessica Bradbury with the Virginia Native Arts Alliance; Siera Hyte, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, curator of Indigenous America Art; artist and Pop-Up Gallery exhibitor Ethan Brown; and W&L Emeritus Harvey Markowitz. They will dive into the longstanding “field” of Native art, which is governed by its own knowledge systems, independent of Western and European art, and the importance of not lumping Native art into other canons. Limited seating and tickets are free, but required. It is sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

The Ephrat Asherie Dance Company’s “Underscored” performance on Oct. 23 in Keller Theater offers a high-energy celebration of New York City’s underground dance scene. Tickets are required, and this is sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

National Theater Live and Noel Cowards “Present Laughter” - a provocative comedy spectacle starring Andrew Scott – will come to the W&L Stackhouse screen on Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m.; tickets are required. It is sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

Experience the power of global community as Lenfest, in partnership with World Music, presents Humayun Khan — one of the most respected musicians of Afghan and North Indian traditions. The performance will take place Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. in the Wilson Concert Hall. Tickets are required. It is sponsored in part by the Class of ’64 and the Robert O. and Elizabeth M. Bentley Endowment.

Powerhouse vocalist Bette Smith — hailed as “the next big-voiced soul sensation out of Brooklyn” — takes the Keller stage on Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m. With roots in Trinidad and Brooklyn, Smith electrifies audiences by blending soul, rock and roll, funk, gospel and blues into a sound that’s all her own. Tickets are required; sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

National Theater Live’s winter starts off with a bang on January 20 as Steve Coogan takes the stage in the funny adaptation of “Dr. Strangelove.” Tickets are required; sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

Step into a bold new era of sounds with Jack Quartet’s “Modern Medieval,” where ancient music meets cutting-edge innovation on Jan. 24 in Wilson Concert Hall. It is sponsored in part by Concert Guild and the Class of ’64.

Sunny Jain’s and his powerhouse fusion band “Wild Wild East” will perform on the Keller Theatre Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Jain, a first-generation South Asian/ American global musician, delivers a high-voltage fusion of global sounds, electrifying rhythms and bold storytelling that transcends musical boundaries. Tickets are required; sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

Step into the electrifying world of classic theater with NTL’s “A Streetcar Named Desire” on Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Stackhouse Theater. Tickets are required; sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

Lenfest’s O&E DakhaBrakha, a world music quartet from Kyiv, Ukraine, comes to W&L’s Evans Dining Hall on March 4 at 7:30 p.m. for a lively night of cooking, food and unexpected new music. Experience a night packed with fun and flavor as area residents explore Ukrainian culture through DakhaBrakha’s favorite borscht recipe, prepared by W&L chefs. Savor every bite while enjoying the lively sounds of Ukrainian folk songs performed a cappella, just as they would have been sung two centuries ago. Limited tickets are available. Tickets are required; sponsored in part by the Class of ’64 and World Music.

On March 5 at 7:30 p.m., DakhaBrakha brings their explosive energy and genre-defying sound and theater to the Keller stage. Tickets are required; sponsored in part by the Class of ’64 and World Music.

“Inter Alia” — the hotly anticipated new play from the creators of the global sensation “Prima Facie” — will come to the W&L Stackhouse screen on March 10 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are required; sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

Olivier Award-winner Jack Lowden (“Slow Horses,” “Dunkirk”) is joined by Emmy and BAFTA-winner Martin Freeman (“The Responder,” “Sherlock”) in the critically acclaimed NTL darkly-funny new play, “The Fifth Step,” on April 14 in the W&L Stackhouse. Tickets are required; sponsored in part by the Class of ’64.

Concert Guild

W&L’s Concert Guild season boasts four ticketed performances in Wilson Concert Hall.

The season opens on Sept. 26 with New Zealand’s pianist Nicola Melville at 8 p.m. For her W&L performance, Melville will present a solo piano program that features a blend of influences from the kitsch, ragtime, and electronic music genres.

“The Music of Carnero, Mendelssohn and Maroney,” will be performed on Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. The performance includes a world premiere of Maroney’s piano trio, which was commissioned by the Concert Guild to be performed by violinist Nurit Pacht (Kaufman Music Center), cellist Caroline Stinson (Duke University) and W&L faculty pianist Akiko Konishi. Other works include the fiery “Carnaalito XXI” for two vilolins with guest Jakob Hofer (SVU) and Mendelssohn’s iconic Piano Trio No. 1.

Concert Guild and the Lenfest Center will jointly present the Jack Quartet — comprised of violinists Christopher Otto and Austin Wulliman; violist John Pickford Richards; and cellist Jay Campbell — on Jan. 24 at 8 p.m.

The Concert Guild season will close on Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. with the Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo comprised of John Manasse, clarinet, and Jon Nakamatsu, piano. The Duo serves as artistic directors of the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival in Massachusetts. The duo will presentd a program featuring works by Brahms, Debussy, and Bernstein.

SonoKlect

W&L’s SonoKlect season, a program dedicated to bringing modern music to local audiences, opens in the Wilson Concert Hall with the Matt Neiss and The Capitol Bones All-Brass Big Band on Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. in the Wilson Concert Hall.

The season concludes on Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. with Transient Canvas, featuring bass clarinetist Amy Advocat and marimbist Matt Sharrock. The ensemble has garnered national recognition for its bold, innovative sound and fearless approach to contemporary chamber music. No tickets are required for SonoKlect performances.

Theater, Dance, Film

W&L’s Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies ticketed season opens with “W&L Dancers Create…” on Nov. 13-14 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. in the Keller Theatre. Under the artistic direction of Jenefer Davies, “W&L Dancers Create ...” is a concert of works created, designed and performed by W&L students.

“These Shining Lives” opens on Dec. 2-5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Johnson Theatre. During the 1910s and 1920s, thousands of women were hired to paint radium on watch and clock faces to make them glow in the dark. In the 1930s, those women changed the world. Faced with corporate greed and medical misdirection, these women fought back, and their courage helped transform labor laws in the United States and Europe —leading to major advances in science and medicine and change in industrial safety standards. “These Shining Lives,” by Melanie Marnich, is based on the true story of a few of these women, and illuminates the humanity behind their achievements.

W&L Repertory Dance Company’s concert will run March 26-27 at 7:30 p.m. and March 28 at 2 p.m. in the Keller Theatre. The Dance Company presents an evening of multi-faceted dance works performed and created by internationally renowned choreographers, faculty and guest artists.

The season closes in the Johnson Theatre on April 8-10 at 7:30 p.m. and April 11 at 2 p.m. with “The Play That Goes Wrong.” This long-running play by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields centers on the Dr. Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society as they attempt to perform the 1920s play, “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” while mishaps and disasters plague their production from the very start.

Music

Highlights of W&L’s Department of Music season include numerous faculty recitals in the Wilson Concert Hall including Anthony Cincotta, saxophone and Anna Billias, piano; Anima e Grazia featuring Julia Goudimova, cello, and Anna Billias, piano; and the Marlbrook Chamber Ensemble. The choral program offers a number of performances featuring the University Singers, Men’s Glee Club and Cantatrici throughout the year.

The W&L Fall Choral Concert will be held on Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. Tickets are free, but required.

The University Wind Ensemble will perform on Nov. 3 at 8 p.m.; no tickets are required. Then mix it up with the University Jazz Ensemble performance on Nov. 6 at 8 p.m., no tickets required.

The University Orchestra opens its season on Nov. 13 at 8 p.m.; no tickets are required. W&L’s Holiday Pops Concert will be one night only — Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Wilson Concert Hall. Tickets are free with non-perishable food or monetary donation to Campus Kitchen. Tickets can be reserved online. Monetary donations may be made online, while food donations are required in-person at the Lenfest box office during open hours. Tickets are available beginning Nov. 11. The box office will be closed during W&L Thanksgiving break, Nov. 25-29. - For a full list of performances, visit the Lenfest Center’s website.