This year's Eastern Mennonite University/Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Gala Concert, themed Arise, celebrates the beauty of resilience in overcoming hardship and the joy and peace found in community. The concert will feature tap dance, jazz, singing, and the grand finale from one of the most powerful and moving musical masterworks of all time, Gustav Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony. Broadway tap dancer/singer/actor Izaiah Montaque Harris and 2024 Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Voice Competition finalist Tina Hashemi will team up with the EMU Jazz Big Band to present a new narrative suite that tells the story of moving from loneliness to the joy of community through dance and music. In addition to the gala, guest artist Izaiah Montaque Harris will perform programs for over 1,000 K-8th grade students throughout the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County school system in conjunction with the Kennedy Center sponsored arts education non-profit, Any Given Child – Shenandoah Valley, which is dedicated to making the arts accessible to students throughout the region. The concert is free with a $10-$20 suggested donation. ... read more about In The News: Thoughts from EMU’s Gala Concert Directors from Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival
