The 2019-2020 Rappahan-nock Foundation for the Arts (RFA) season will get under way on Sunday, September 22, at 3:30 p.m. in the Lancaster Middle School Theater in Kilmarnock with a return of the powerhouse bluegrass group “Steep Canyon Rangers.”
The Asheville, N.C., based sextet (mandolin, banjo, string bass, fiddle, box kit and guitar) will deliver its dynamic bluegrass sound mixed with gospel, a cappella, and extraordinary instrumental finesse.
“Steep Canyon Rangers has grown in popularity releasing several new albums since its last performance here in 2016,” said Jamie Tucker, RFA president. “They are RFA A-listers and we feel extremely lucky to have their big bus roll in to Kilmarnock to kick off our season.”
The ensemble has earned both critical and popular praise for its work in support of comedian and banjo wizard Steve Martin. The Rangers-Martin collaboration “Rare Bird Alert” was nominated for a Grammy, and the group followed it with “Nobody Knows You,” which took home the 2013 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album.
They have performed with Martin at Carnegie Hall, Royal Festival Hall in London, Wang Center in Boston, Bonnaroo Music Festival and Austin City Limits, among many other venues.
Subscribers are urged as always to give their tickets to friends if they cannot attend, or donate them back to the RFA for re-sale. A charitable donation letter will be issued for returned tickets.
Subscriptions for the upcoming season are $165 and still available by calling 438-5555. Single tickets are $39 in advance or $45 at the door.
Remaining performances include: “The Philadelphia String Quartet” on November 23 at 7:30 p.m.; Nashville based “The Barefoot Movement” on December 21 at 7:30 p.m.; Canadian folk roots group “Leahy” on March 14, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.; and “Face 2 Face,” a remarkable duo tribute to Billy Joel & Elton John on April 18, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. For more info about the groups, YouTube videos can be seen at rappahannockfoundation.org.
RFA’s On Stage is sponsored by Chesapeake Bank and Chesapeake Wealth Management. Additional funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
