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The upcoming 2024-25 season at Bucknell University's Weis Center for the Performing Arts will include 23 professional shows, according to a press release. The season will feature performances of classical, world, Americana, bluegrass and jazz music, as well as contemporary cirque and modern dance.
SIERRA HULL
The fall season kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 13 with a performance by acclaimed bluegrass artist Sierra Hull. Hull is widely regarded as a master of the mandolin. She is a two-time Grammy-nominated artist and songwriter, recognized for her most recent projects, "25 Trips" (2020) and "Weighted Mind" (2016), and is also the six-time recipient of the International Bluegrass Music Association's Mandolin Player of the Year, the first woman to ever receive this distinction.
ORPHEUS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Classical music takes center stage at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 26 when Orpheus Chamber Orchestra performs with pianist Garrick Ohlsson. They will perform Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9, Jeunehomme, Brahms' Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24, as well as a new work by composer and six-time Grammy winner Billy Childs.
MACHINE DE CIRQUE
Contemporary cirque returns to the Weis Center with Machine de Cirque's "Ghost Light: Between Fall and Flight" at 7 p.m. on Oct. 8. Award-winning Guinness World Record-holder Maxim Laurin performs a spectacular duet with Guillaume Larouche on a spinning teeter board that brings audiences into the elusive world between fall and flight. "Ghost Light" features a blend of breathtaking acrobatic feats, poignant choreography and a saturated lighting design.
CHARLY LOWRY
Americana singer-songwriter Charly Lowry performs at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 17. Lowry, a musical powerhouse from Pembroke, N.C., is proud to be an Indigenous woman belonging to the Lumbee/Tuscarora tribes. She is passionate about raising awareness around issues that plague underdeveloped and underserved communities.
CIRQUE KIKASSE
In a free, non-ticketed outdoor event, Cirque Kikasse performs at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Oct. 19 in the Weis Center Plaza. Cirque Kikasse presents "SANTÉ!," a dynamic circus show with high-level acrobatics, contagious energy and breathtaking balances, all on an extraordinary food-cirque truck. The performers arrange furniture that turns into a balancing tower 30 feet off the ground, playfully and inefficiently clean the truck and trampoline and react to an overflowing popcorn machine. This fun concept will give thrills to even the most seasoned in the audience.
LAKECIA BENJAMIN QUARTET
In the first of several jazz events, Lakecia Benjamin Quartet performs at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 24. One of the most sought-after and revered saxophonists in the world, Lakecia Benjamin was voted 2020 DownBeat Critics Poll's Rising Star, alto saxophone, and Up and Coming Artist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association. Known for her charisma and dynamism as a player and as a composer, she has an inimitable skill of fusing traditional conceptions of jazz, hip-hop and soul. Her latest album, "Phoenix," was nominated for three Grammy awards.
RUBBERBAND
Contemporary Dance troupe RUBBERBAND performs their work "Ever So Slightly" at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 29. Los Angeles native Victor Quijada brings together classical dance composition and West Coast hip-hop like no one before him. Bursting onto the scene with his Montreal-based company in 2002, Quijada's dance technique, the RUBBERBAND Method, is taught in some of the most prestigious dance schools and conservatories from Los Angeles to London. "Ever So Slightly" explores the behavioral mechanisms and reflexes we develop against the ceaseless flow of irritants that bombard us in our daily lives.
QUARTETTO DI CREMONA
Classical ensemble Quartetto di Cremona performs at 4 p.m. on Nov. 3. Winner of the 2019 Franco Buitoni Award, Quartetto di Cremona is among the world's preeminent string quartets, noted for its lustrous sound, refined musicianship and stylistic versatility.
SEAN MASON
Jazz pianist Sean Mason performs at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 7. When Sean Mason speaks about music, the notes fall into place. The cadence of his ideas unfolds with deliberate tempo, each exploring and resolving tension like an inspired chord progression. On his debut album, "The Southern Suite," he emerges as a guiding luminary, shining his introspective command as both a pianist and composer through the historic lens of jazz to create a work that distills the essence of the genre for our time, even as it points the way forward.
SISTER SADIE
Sister Sadie performs at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15. Sister Sadie is a wildfire of raging hot bluegrass combined with breathtaking instrumental drive and awe-inspiring vocals. Comprised of original members Deanie Richardson (fiddle) and Gena Britt (banjo and vocals), and newcomers Jaelee Roberts (guitar and vocals), Dani Flowers (guitar and vocals) and Maddie Dalton (acoustic bass and vocals), Sister Sadie has combined the varied talents of each woman in the lineup to create something that is far more than the sum of its parts.
'MAROONED!'
Alex and Olmsted's Jim Henson Foundation grant-awarded "MAROONED! A Space Comedy" comes to the Weis Center at 4 p.m. on Nov. 16. "MAROONED!" is an innovative new puppet show that features music from the Voyager Golden Record and takes place at the outer reaches of space. An astronaut crashes on an uncharted planet. Will she be able to survive strange creatures and an anomalous atmosphere in order to find her way home?
TAB BENOIT
Tab Benoit brings Delta blues to Central PA at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 17. Benoit is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and guitarist who has built a remarkable 30-plus year career on the foundation of his gritty and soulful Delta-swamp blues. He's acquired a devoted legion of fans along the way as well as five Blues Music Awards, including B.B. King Entertainer of the Year (twice), and an induction into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
PABLO GIMENEZ
Pablo Giménez Spanish Ensemble brings flamenco and classical guitar to the stage at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 31. Giménez performs as a soloist, in chamber music ensembles and as an accompanist for flamenco dance and song. He is also the artistic director and guitarist of the Pablo Giménez Spanish Ensemble and flamenco company Corazon de Granada.
GOSPEL QUARTET KINGS RETURN
Gospel Quartet Kings Return performs at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 8. Dynamic and soothing four-piece vocal group Kings Return takes pride in crafting a diverse yet supremely cohesive a cappella sound. The blend of their unique vocal timbres is so rich and smooth that, at times, it sounds more like a full choir than four men. Their brand of rhythm and blues is entwined with free moments of jazz, soulful bursts of gospel and bright touches of pop -- all built on a solid, classical foundation.
HELOISA FERNANDES QUARTET
World music from Brazil comes to Central PA when Heloísa Fernandes Quartet performs at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 11. The work of Brazilian pianist and composer Heloísa Fernandes is the sound of a woman free to study literature, poetry, nature and the classical, jazz and Brazilian musical worlds, and to let them shape her identity and flow into compositions. Strong and original, ancient and modern, her sublime creations blossom with rhythmic vitality and melodic delicacy. With her skill as an improviser, she searches for emotional depths and soars with joy.
HENHOUSE PROWLERS
Bluegrass ensemble Henhouse Prowlers perform at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 14. Founded nearly two decades ago, this Chicago-bred quartet finds itself at the intersection of performance, diplomacy and education. Onstage, the group's performances give audiences a sense of how much they love what they do. In recordings -- including 2023's "Lead and Iron," released via Dark Shadow Recording -- the band explores their collective life experiences through songwriting and intricate instrumentation. While bluegrass is the undeniable foundation of the Henhouse Prowlers' music, the band bends and squeezes the traditional form into a keenly developed sound all its own.
NATE SMITH
Jazz drummer Nate Smith performs at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 21. Smith's visceral, instinctive and deep-rooted style of drumming has led to three Grammy nominations. Smith fuses his original compositions with an eclectic mix of music, including everything from jazz to rhythm and blues and hip-hop to pop. His latest album, "Kinfolk 2: See the Birds," is the highly anticipated follow up to his 2017 Grammy Award-nominated album, "Kinfolk: Postcards From Everywhere." Smith's videos have been viewed by millions of people, underscoring his popularity as one of the most influential drummers of his generation.
ESME QUARTET
Esmé Quartet performs at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 28. Praised for its warm sound and powerful stage presence, the Esmé Quartet was formed in 2016 at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany, by four musicians who had been friends since their youth. The Esmé Quartet brings together four brilliant and distinct musical personalities to form a cohesive, close-knit group that is passionately dedicated to the string quartet repertoire.
DAKHABRAKHA
World music from Ukraine will be presented by DakhaBrakha at 7:30 p.m. on March 20. Reflecting fundamental elements of sound and soul, Ukrainian "ethno-chaos" band DakhaBrakha creates a world of unexpected new music. The group is original, outstanding and authentic at the same time, and its name means give/take in the old Ukrainian language. Accompanied by Indian, Arabic, African and Ukrainian traditional instrumentation, the quartet's astonishingly powerful and uncompromising vocal range creates a trans-national sound rooted in Ukrainian culture.
HOUSTON BALLET II
Houston Ballet II graces the stage at 7:30 p.m. on March 28. Houston Ballet II is the second company of Houston Ballet, America's fourth largest ballet company. Comprised of a stellar array of young dancers from around the world, Houston Ballet II is under the direction of Artistic Directors Julie Kent and Stanton Welch AM. They will perform: "Grand Pas de Deux" from "Don Quixote," Act II, "A Dance in the Garden of Mirth" and "Sleeping Beauty," Act III.
NEAVE TRIO
Neave Trio comes to the Weis Center at 2 p.m. on March 30. Since forming in 2010, the Grammy-nominated Neave Trio, including violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov and pianist Eri Nakamura, has earned enormous praise for its engaging, cutting-edge performances.
ZAKIR HUSSAIN
Back by popular demand, Zakir Hussain and Masters of Percussion will perform world music at 7:30 p.m. on April 3. Zakir Hussain is appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon and one of the greatest musicians of our time. A classical tabla virtuoso of the highest order, his consistently brilliant and exciting performances have established him as a national treasure in his own country, India, and as one of India's reigning cultural ambassadors.
RUTHIE FOSTER
The season ends with a blues performance by Ruthie Foster at 7:30 p.m. on April 25. Renowned for her ability to weave together a tapestry of diverse musical influences ranging from gospel and blues to folk and soul, Ruthie Foster's musical odyssey has taken her from singing in churches in rural Texas to earning multiple Grammy nominations, gracing the stage of New York's Beacon Theatre with the Allman Brothers, and collaborating with icons such as Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. With her milestone tenth studio album, "Mileage," released by the legendary Sun Records, Foster continues to tell stories that reflect her personal triumphs, losses, and the universal human experience.
Tickets go on sale to the public on July 8 for subscribers and on August 8 for single tickets. For more information, call 570-577-1000.