College of Arts and Humanities

Brooks Center for the Performing Arts announces its 2023-2024 Season

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From iconic Broadway hits to family-friendly favorites, from triumphant orchestral masterworks to the invigorating energy of tap, the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts brings an array of top-tier talent to the Clemson campus and community in the 2023-2024 season. Beginning Monday, May 15, 2023, season tickets are available at a 10% discount for Friends of the Brooks Center who have made their gift of $100 or more since July 1, 2022. To make your gift and order your tickets, visit the Brooks Center website. Single tickets will be available to the general public beginning August 16, 2023.

Executive Director of the Brooks Center, Janice Crews, has programmed an exciting lineup of music, theater and dance performances. “Our upcoming season offers something for everyone, and we’ve kept our ticket prices low so that more people can experience world-class artistry at affordable prices. I look forward to seeing both new and familiar faces as we all come together to enjoy amazing performances!”

The Brooks Center invites you to explore the rest of the season below. For more information, visit clemson.edu/brooks or call the Brooks Center Box Office at 864-656-7787.


Boni Belle Brooks Series

Named for the daughter of benefactor Robert H. Brooks, the Boni Belle Brooks Series is our signature season lineup, featuring noteworthy and emerging artists from a variety of genres.

Photo by Sharen Bradford

MOMIX ALICE 

Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. 

$35 Adults / $20 Students 

Sponsored by the Ruth B. Wood Foundation

Seamlessly blending illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy, MOMIX sends audiences flying down the rabbit hole in Moses Pendleton’s newest creation, ALICE, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland. “I don’t intend to retell the whole Alice story” Pendleton says, “but to use it as a taking off point for invention.” Join this dazzling company on a mind-bending adventure, as Alice encounters time-honored characters including the undulating Caterpillar, a lobster quadrille, frenzied White Rabbits, a mad Queen of Hearts and a variety of other surprises. Filled with visual splendor and startling creative movement, ALICE reveals that nothing in MOMIX’s world is as it seems! 


Steep Canyon Rangers 

Dick Hall was a huge fan and proud supporter of blue grass music. This program is sponsored by his children: Rick, Julie and Angela; and his friend Bill Dowler, and is dedicated in his memory. 

Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. 

$40 adults / $20 students 

With a special opening act by Clemson University Bluegrass Ensemble Tigertown Roots. 

Steep Canyon Rangers are Asheville, North Carolina’s Grammy winners and perennial Billboard chart-toppers. The Rangers are made up of Graham Sharp on banjo and vocals, Mike Guggino on mandolin/mandola and vocals, Aaron Burdett on guitar and vocals, Nicky Sanders on fiddle and vocals, Mike Ashworth on drums and vocals and Barrett Smith on bass, guitar and vocals. Famous actor and banjo player Steve Martin discovered the Rangers and has taken them on over a decade long tour introducing them to hundreds of thousands of new fans and giving them prime time TV exposure, cementing Steep Canyon Rangers as the most recognizable modern name in bluegrass music.  


Pink Martini featuring China Forbes 

Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.  

$45 adults / $20 students 

Sponsored by Bill and Donna Eskridge

Featuring a dozen musicians with songs in 25 languages, Pink Martini performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout the world. Founded in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon, the “little orchestra” crosses several styles, including classical, Latin, traditional pop and jazz. China Forbes is the lead vocalist featured on the concert and has written many of Pink Martini’s most beloved songs. Her original song “Hey Eugene” is the title track of Pink Martini’s third album and many of her songs can also be heard on television and film. Don’t miss this globetrotting band! 

“Pink Martini is a rollicking around-the-world musical adventure… if the United Nations had a house band in 1962, hopefully we’d be that band.” 

Thomas Lauderdale, Founder and Artistic Director

Photo by Megan Bean / © Mississippi State University

Trey McLaughlin & The Sounds of Zamar 

Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. 

$30 Adults / $20 Students 

Trey McLaughlin & The Sounds of Zamar have carved a unique place for themselves in the music industry through soul-stirring arrangements of contemporary gospel, musical theater and rich original compositions. Hailing from Augusta, GA, the ensemble is known for their opulent harmonies and beautiful blends. With their expressive vocals and intricate arrangements of contemporary gospel, Trey McLaughlin & The Sounds of Zamar is one of the brightest and prolific groups on the gospel scene. 


Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical 

Delores St. Clair Wright Christmas Show 

Thursday, December 7, 2023 at 7 p.m. 

$35 Adults / $20 Students 

Experience the magic of the season as Rudolph flies through the air in this family-friendly delight. Come see all of your favorite characters from the classic 1994 television special including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius and, of course, Rudolph, as they come to life in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical. It’s an adventure that teaches us that what makes you different can be what makes you special. Don’t miss this wonderful holiday tradition that speaks to the misfit in all of us. 


COME FROM AWAY 

Friday, January 19, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. 

$60 Adults / $20 Students 

On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all. This stirring and inspiring musical takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of the small town in Newfoundland that opened their homes to 7,000 stranded travelers on 9/11. During that fateful week, cultures clashed and nerves ran high — but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. Celebrate the best of humankind and the best in all of us at Come From Away. 


Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra 

Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. 

$40 Adults / $20 Students 

Sponsored by Cathy and Joe Turner

The Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra is the national orchestra of Bulgaria and has long established itself as one of the leading cultural institutions, representative of the overall contemporary musical culture of the country. The orchestra has garnered substantial recognition all over the world, receiving many prestigious accolades, including “Musician of the Year,” “Golden Lyre,” “Golden Stave,” “Golden Quill,” “Crystal Lyre,” the Honorary Sign of Sofia and the Honorary Sign of the President of Bulgaria. Led by award-winning maestro Nayden Todorov, the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra will perform works by Mendelssohn and Brahms. 


Ulysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y 

Friday, February 9, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. 

$35 Adults / $20 Students 

Performer, producer and educator Ulysses Owens Jr. goes to the limit in the jazz world and beyond; claiming eight successful albums of his own. Owens has also gained special attention for his performances on GRAMMY Award-winning albums by Kurt Elling and The Christian McBride Big Band. In addition to five Grammy nominated albums with Joey Alexander, Christian McBride Trio, John Beasley’s Monk’estra, and Gregory Porter. Both Jazziz and Rolling Stone Magazines picked his album Songs of Freedom,” as a Top Ten Album for 2019 and in 2021 his most recent Big Band release, Soul Conversations,” was voted the top album in May 2021 by JazzIz Magazine. Owens will perform as part of his quintet, Generation Y. 

A drummer who The New York Times has said “take[s] a back seat to no one,” and “a musician who balances excitement gracefully and shines with innovation.” 


Photo by Lukas Beck

Vienna Boys Choir 

Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. 

$50 Adults / $20 Students 

Sponsored by Chuck and Beckie Rau

The Vienna Boys Choir is one of the most famous choirs in the world, and one of its oldest. Boys have been singing at Vienna’s Imperial Chapel at least since 1296. The boys are divided into four choirs. Each group spends ten weeks of the school year on tour. Between them, the choirs give around 300 concerts each year, attended by almost half a million spectators around the world. Since 1924, 2750 choristers have sung over 1000 tours in 100 different countries. 


The Peking Acrobats 

Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 7 p.m. 

$40 Adults / $20 Students 

For the last 32 years, The Peking Acrobats have redefined audience perceptions of Chinese acrobatics. They perform daring maneuvers atop a precarious pagoda of chairs and display their technical prowess at such arts as trick-cycling, precision tumbling, juggling, somersaulting and gymnastics. They push the limits of human ability, defying gravity with amazing displays of contortion, flexibility and control. The Peking Acrobats are accompanied by live musicians who skillfully play traditional Chinese instruments; the time-honored Chinese music coalesces with high-tech special effects and awe-inspiring acrobatic feats, creating an exuberant entertainment event with the festive pageantry of a Chinese Carnival. 


Chloé Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies LIVE! 

Thursday, April 4, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. 

$35 Adults / $20 Students 

Sponsored by Elizabeth Branstead

Syncopated Ladies is a female tap dance band from Los Angeles, CA, founded by Emmy Award-nominated, tap dancer and choreographer, Chloé Arnold, protege of Debbie Allen. Known for their viral video content, which has amassed over 100 million views, the Syncopated Ladies were recognized by Beyoncé after catching her attention with their tap choreography to her hit “Formation.” Beyoncé not only shared their work, saying “they killed it,” she transformed the homepage of Beyonce.com to feature the Syncopated Ladies and invited them to perform live internationally. The ensemble has also performed on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance, Good Morning America and at the US OPEN. Experience the fierce footwork of Chloé Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies: LIVE!  


Utsey Chamber Music Series

Now in its 37th season, the Utsey Series offers outstanding chamber music experiences to the Clemson community at no cost.

Clarinetist Anthony McGill Monday, March 7, 2022 in Chicago. © Todd Rosenberg Photography

Pacifica Quartet 

with clarinetist Anthony McGill 

Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. 

FREE – No ticket required  

With a career spanning nearly three decades, the multiple Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet has achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. The Quartet has served as quartet-in-residence and full-time faculty members at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music for the past decade. Clarinetist Anthony McGill is one of classical music’s most recognizable and brilliantly multifaceted figures. In addition to his dynamic international solo and chamber music career, McGill is principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic—the first African-American principal player in the organization’s history.  


Young Concert Artists on Tour 

Thursday, October 12, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. 

FREE – No ticket required  

Young Concert Artists has supported each new generation of classical stars for the past 60 years. Winners of the annual YCA International Auditions join the YCA Roster for a minimum of three years. YCA on Tour is a new touring program that features a unique chamber music ensemble made up of some of the most extraordinary YCA artists, in programs of fabulous repertoire to cities all over North America. This inaugural tour, which begins at the Brooks Center, offers a special program of chamber music and song, featuring rarely-heard instrumentation combining voices with violin, cello, and piano.  


Orpheus Chamber Orchestra 

with pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii 

Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 4 p.m. 

FREE – No ticket required 

In 1972, a group of young artists made history by creating an orchestra without a conductor in which musicians led themselves democratically. Since then, the Grammy Award-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has recorded over 70 albums on all major classical labels, toured to 46 countries across four continents, and collaborated with hundreds of world-class soloists. Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii (Nobu), who has been blind from birth, won the joint Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009 and has gone on to earn an international reputation for the passion and excitement he brings to his performances.  


Photo by Motti Fang-Bentov

Geneva Lewis, violin 

Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. 

FREE – No ticket required 

Geneva Lewis may only be 24, but the New Zealand-born, U.S. domiciled violinist is clearly one to watch. The recipient of a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant and Grand Prize winner at the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Competition, Ms. Lewis won Kronbergh Academy’s Prince of Hesse Prize, was a finalist at the 2018 Naumberg Competition, and was named New Artist of the Month by Musical America in June of 2021. Currently in the Artist Diploma program at New England Conservatory, Ms. Lewis studies with Miriam Fried. 


Department of Performing Arts

The Department of Performing Arts is proud to present outstanding student performances from the Clemson University Choirs, Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic and Concert Bands, Jazz Band and Percussion Ensembles. The Clemson Players, the University’s theater ensemble, will present four performances. The full season listing can be found on the Brooks Center website.

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