You’re listening to WTJU Charlottesville. Charlottesville Downtown’s Paramount Theater has ongoing opportunities to take a tour of the historic space, as well as attend live performances. For Arts This Week, we spoke with the Director of Communications, Andy Pillifant, to connect with this living landmark.
Bodies flood through the narrow entrance of a basement lined with graffiti. Basses start to thud as amps enliven the space with an electrifying murmur. The tight constraints of cement columns and a low hanging ceiling tempt trouble. Once the music starts, chatter dulls and the floor breaks into an intense mosh. Exposed pipes serve as obligatory handlebars that threaten to burst with every grasp. Through the pushes and breaks, even those on the outskirts of the space become uplifted. In a fleeting rush, the singer bursts out into the chaos. Her passionate melody is invigorated by the piercing energy. No one is an outcast within this space.
Ella Fitzgerald. Dizzy Gillespie. Charles Mingus. Wynton Marsalis. Tony Bennett. Those are just some of the musical greats who have appeared at Blues Alley, the venerable Washington, D.C., jazz club in the heart of Georgetown, founded in 1965. As of Monday, you’ll be able to add Kemi Adegoroye, a 2017 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, to the list. She will perform two shows at the 125-seat venue, which bills itself as the “oldest continuing jazz supper club” in the country.
About once a month, an otherwise unremarkable strip mall in Fairfax turns into a bustling bazaar where you can buy lamb kabobs straight off the fire, delicious samsa (meat pies), flatbread, and homemade liángpí (“cold skin” noodles). “The atmosphere is: you’re in the Uyghur community, you’re in a little homeland,” explained Ajinur Setiwaldi, a resident of Arlington.
Michael Puri, associate professor of music theory and history, co-edited the new book, Musical Meaning and Interpretation: Perspectives, Reflections, Critique (Oxford University Press). In this video, Puri sits down at the piano and discusses his chapter in the volume, illustrating his points by playing excerpts from Debussy and Ravel. Watch as he reveals how the widespread notion of “rotationality,” which conceives of musical repetition as cyclical motion, is not merely a theoretical formalism but is rooted in the idea of sacred ritual.
This week marks the official release of “& metaphors”, a groundbreaking live orchestral-rap collaboration by Dr. A.D. Carson, Associate Professor of Hip-Hop and the Global South at the University of Virginia.
The Charlottesville Symphony in Virginia has selected Carolyn Keurajian as executive director. She succeeds Janet Kaltenbach, who has led the Charlottesville Symphony for more than 16 years. Keurajian is currently president and CEO of the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra in Williamsburg, VA, which she joined in 2013.
You’re listening to WTJU Charlottesville. On Friday, July 11, The Barons will take the stage at Ting Pavilion as part of the Fridays After Five concert series. For this week’s edition of Arts This Week, we spoke to Peyton Alley, frontman of The Barons, who shared all the details about their upcoming performance and new album. My name is Peyton Alley. I’m the front man and rhythm guitarist for the band The Barons. I’d like to say we’re alternative rock, but we don’t necessarily try to fall into too many genres. We kind of try to mix it up a little bit.
University of Virginia third-year student Simone Marijic’s journey on NBC’s singing competition “The Voice” came to an end Monday night as the member of the Virginia Belles lost in the knockout round to her Team Bublé teammate and friend Barry Jean Fontenot. “Thank you, Michael. I’ve learned so much and I’m very proud of myself,” Marijic said to coach Michael Bublé following the announcement Fontenot would be moving on in the contest.
Peter Mildrew initially thought the email in his inbox offering up to $75,000 was a scam. As the then-president of the Hullabahoos, an all-male a cappella group at the University of Virginia, he was used to fielding gig requests paying far less. When a publicist working for Reser’s Fine Foods, a ready-made food company, reached out about a jingle-writing contest for college a cappella groups, Mildrew was skeptical.
You’re listening to WTJU Charlottesville. On Saturday, July 12th and 26th at 8pm, Book Club C’ville will host live music performances set up in a local DIY space. For Arts This Week, we spoke to the band coordinator, John, who gave us all the details on what to expect this month at Book Club.
June marks the start of summer 2025, as well as awards season for broadcasters. WTJU has just won six awards from the Alliance for Community Media (ACM) and the Virginia Association of Broadcasters (VAB). “We have such a good team of volunteers, students, and staff at WTJU, and we live in such a vibrant place for music, arts, and culture. With those ingredients, we sure do make some tasty radio and podcasts,” said Nathan Moore, WTJU General Manager. “It is buoying to receive award recognition for a few examples of WTJU’s altogether terrific work.”
