2015-16 Performing Arts Series to include expanded lineup of big names and returning artists

Lineup to include Ira Glass, Roseanne Cash, Bobby McFerrin, Béla Fleck, Chris Thile, Soweto Gospel Choir and Rhiannon Giddons, among other artists.

The 2015-16 season of the Goshen College Performing Arts Series will bring more big names to Goshen College’s Music Center, with an expanded lineup including Ira Glass, Roseanne Cash, Bobby McFerrin, Béla Fleck, Chris Thile, Soweto Gospel Choir and Rhiannon Giddons, among other artists.

The expanded 10-show series will provide more opportunities and access for Elkhart County music lovers, with more fantastic shows than ever before. The 2015-16 series is a balance between new artists to Sauder Concert Hall and returning artists in new configurations.

The line-up was publicly announced on Tuesday, April 21, during the Turtle Island with Nellie McKay concert. Initial reservations were available immediately following the concert, and season package tickets formally go on sale to the public on Wednesday, April 22 at 9 a.m. at the college’s Welcome Center. Individual concert tickets will go on sale August 3, 2015.

The 2015-16 line-up:

John Pizzarelli

Friday, Sept. 11, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

John Pizzarelli Quartet with Jessica Molasky

Jazz guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli makes no secret of his musical influences: Nat King Cole, Joao Gilberto, Frank Sinatra and his own father, jazz guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli. This performance will feature Pizzarelli and his quartet, along with his wife, Broadway star Jessica Molasky, exploring music from the American Songbook, jazz classics and Broadway.

Non-package ticket pricing: $44, $39, $25


Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn

The 15-time Grammy award-winning Béla Fleck and spouse Abigail Washburn have mastered both the banjo and the deceptively intricate art of the duet. Together, Fleck and Washburn take audiences on a captivating musical journey using seven different banjos, blending Appalachian folk, bluegrass and jazz elements, influenced by Washburn’s work in folk music diplomacy in China.

Non-package ticket pricing: $44, $39, $25


Rhiannan Giddens

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Rhiannon Giddens

Rhiannon Giddens pays tribute to pioneering female Americana musicians in her first solo album, Tomorrow Is My Turn, continuing her Grammy-winning career of bringing powerful song traditions to modern life. While celebrating the old-timey music of the Carolinas’ southern Piedmont region, her brash, youthful energy keeps her live shows exciting and unexpected. This performance will feature Giddens, with an expanded version of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, playing songs from the album, which was produced by the legendary T Bone Burnett.

Non-package ticket pricing: $44, $39, $25


Chris Thile

Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Chris Thile

Multiple Grammy Award winner and MacArthur Fellow Chris Thile, a member of Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, is a mandolin virtuoso, composer and vocalist. Thile transcends the borders of conventionally circumscribed genres of classical, jazz, rock and bluegrass, creating a distinctly American canon and a new musical aesthetic for performers and audiences alike. This performance will feature solo violin works on the mandolin, drawn from his 2013 recording, Bach Sonatas & Partitas Vol. 1, as well as his own compositions.

Non-package ticket pricing: $44, $39, $25


Soweto Gospel Choir

Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Soweto Gospel Choir

The Grammy award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir has risen to high acclaim around the world for their unique and energetic performances of African gospel music. Having collaborated with artists including U2, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion and Robert Plant, the Soweto Gospel Choir has had an incredible journey from the streets of Soweto, South Africa to the world’s most prestigious venues.

Non-package ticket pricing: $44, $39, $25


danu

Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

Danú, “A Christmas Gathering: Féile na Nollag”

Hailing from historic County Waterford, the acclaimed Irish ensemble Danú celebrates Christmas by taking its audiences on a musical journey to their native land, and features virtuosi on flute, tin whistle, fiddle, button accordion, bouzouki and vocals in both Irish and English. The addition of traditional Irish dance to this high-energy ensemble promises a memorable experience and perfect gift for the entire family.

Non-package ticket pricing: $44, $39, $25


Rosanne Cash

Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal

Singer and songwriter Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal’s exciting show celebrates her multi-Grammy award-winning album, The River and the Thread. Rosanne reconnects with her roots through her own poetic survey of the place of her birth (she is the eldest daughter of Johnny Cash), people and landscapes of the American South. The album features beautiful and varied songs, written with her collaborator, musical director and husband, John Leventhal.

Non-package ticket pricing: $50, $45, $30


Bobby McFerrin_small

Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Bobby McFerrin 

For decades Bobby McFerrin has broken all the rules. The 10-time Grammy Award winner has blurred the distinction between pop music and fine art, goofing around barefoot in the world’s finest concert halls, exploring uncharted vocal territory, inspiring a whole new generation of a cappella singers and the beatbox movement. Beyond words, beyond genre, beyond expectations, McFerrin incorporates a world of influences to create a primal, universal sound with the original instrument – the human voice.

Non-package ticket pricing: $65, $60, $44


Ira Glass_edit

Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Reinventing Radio: An Evening with Ira Glass

The creator of the celebrated public radio show This American Life, Ira Glass talks about his program and how it’s made: what makes a compelling story and where they find the amazing content. As the audience watches, Glass will mix stories, combining his narration with pre-taped quotes and music, and recreating the sound of the show.

Non-package ticket pricing: $60, $55, $40


Les Violons du Roy

Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 4 p.m.

Les Violons du Roy 

Wowing audiences with a vast repertoire of music for chamber orchestra, the internationally renowned Quebec-based Les Violons du Roy’s discography includes three Juno award-winning recordings and one Félix Award. This concert will feature visionary French pianist Alexandre Tharaud performing Mozart’s early masterpiece, Piano Concerto No. 9 “Jeunehomme,” along with Mozart’s well-known Symphony No. 40 in G minor.

Non-package ticket pricing: $40, $35, $23


This year’s regular series season ticket includes six concerts. See ticket pricing chart.
Four core performances are set for each season ticket:

  • Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal
  • Bobby McFerrin
  • Ira Glass
  • Les Violons du Roy

Season ticket buyers may choose one each from these two sets of contrasting shows:

  • Chris Thile
  • Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn
  • Danú

and

  • John Pizzarelli Quartet with Jessica Molasky
  • Rhiannon Giddens
  • Soweto Gospel Choir

The six-show ticket packages are discounted 10-15 percent over individually priced tickets: $275 for A section seats (value $302), $245 for B section seats (value $272) and $170 for seats in the C section seats (value $187). Anyone can also create a seven- to ten-show package that includes selections of the remaining shows at an additional cost. See ticket pricing chart. 

Season tickets go on sale to the public on Wednesday, April 22. A nonrefundable deposit of $20 per seat will hold season tickets and seat preference. Full payment is due July 1, 2015. Seats will be assigned according to the date received. Individual tickets, if available, will go on sale Monday, Aug. 3 at the Welcome Center and online at www.goshen.edu/tickets.

For information about ticket availability, prices, reservations and more, contact the Welcome Center at (574) 535-7566 or e-mail welcomecenter@goshen.edu. The Welcome Center is open Mondays-Fridays from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Seating for those with disabilities is available and the minimum age of attendees is 5 years old. Tickets are nonrefundable.

The Goshen College Performing Arts Series debuted on Sept. 21, 1997. Since then, the college has hosted more than 100 concerts by some of the world’s greatest performers as part of the program.