EMU/SVBF Gala Concert: ARISE!

The Eastern Mennonite University/Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival  Gala Concert has become one of the most exciting and unique annual concert events in the Valley. This year’s gala, themed Arise, celebrates the beauty of resilience in overcoming hardship and the joy and peace found in community. The concert will feature electrifying tap dance, exciting jazz, beautiful singing,  and the grand finale from one of the most powerful and moving musical masterworks of all time, Gustav Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony. Adding to the excitement of this one-of-a kind event, multi-talented Broadway tap dancer/singer/actor Izaiah Montaque Harris and 2024 Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Voice Competition finalist Tina Hashemi will team 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. Full of touching moments and good old Broadway style razzle-dazzle tap dance, this premiere is not to be missed!  This is sure to be an unforgettable night of beauty, exhilaration, community, peace, and joy. A concert this special is too good not to share with as many people as possible. Therefore, 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.