2023-24 MainStage Season
The 2023-24 MainStage season begins with The Beauty of Colors, a concert celebrating diversity, featuring mezzo-soprano Melody Wilson with NWC professor Juyeon Kang on the piano. Wilson has gained recognition as an accomplished operatic artist in the United States and Europe, equally celebrated in classic and contemporary repertory. Praised for her “rich voice and great acting chops” (St Louis Post-Dispatch), her “smoky mezzo-soprano and stately deportment” (Opera News), and her “beautiful voice and well-honed technique” (San Francisco Classical Voice), she’s been hailed for performances that “reign supreme” (St Louis Magazine) and for her “fine comic work” (Broadway World). In 2023-24, she will appear in Wagner all over the United States, making her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Mary in Der Fliegende Holländer and returning to Seattle Opera as Fricka in Das Rheingold and to the Dallas Symphony as Roßweiße in Die Walküre. A presentation and masterclass will take place on October 18 at NWC and the public performance will be on October 19, at 7:30 pm in NWC Christ Chapel. This event is hosted by NWC and Orange City Arts and funded in part by the Gilchrist Foundation.
Next up is local band Hollander Jazz performing a repertoire of holiday and classic jazz hits on November 27, 2023, at the Unity Knight Center. The talented instrumentalists and vocalists in Hollander Jazz provide entertainment for all ages and are a favorite of many. This concert is a great way to start the holiday season.
The new year will start out with our annual An Evening of Dance, on January 27, 2024, featuring local dance groups dazzling the audience with various dance forms. On February 10, 2024, Orange City Arts will hold An Enchanted Evening, a fundraising event, with local performers singing their favorite musical songs. The proceeds will benefit the Orange City Arts 2024 Performance Fund which helps pay for artist performances and other arts programs during the 2024 season.
To finish off the MainStage season, the traditional Irish band Téada will be performing on March 8, 2024, at the Prairie Winds Event Center. This stunning evening features riveting music, heartfelt songs, dynamic dance, and captivating stories centered around the beautiful traditions of Ireland. A band with a truly worldwide reach, Téada has appeared as a frequent headliner at major music festivals throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Africa, Russia, the Middle East, and Australia. Highlights include a 30,000-capacity stadium concert in Brittany, along with performances at the Penang World Music Festival in Malaysia, the Edmonton Folk Festival in Canada, the Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe, and the Rainforest World Music Festival in Borneo. In 2014, the band performed to 40,000 people during an extensive 7-week tour of Japan/Taiwan and continues to have a strong touring presence in the United States, where Téada has toured actively since 2001. Support for this event is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council, which exists within the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
Orange City Arts Council continues to promote and engage all forms of art in the community. For more information on these events and to purchase tickets, visit the Events Page.