Pianist Thomas Pandolfi will perform at York County’s St. Mark Lutheran Church on Friday as part of an ongoing performing arts series.
The Sine Nomine Series, Latin for “new name,” brings in special guests about once a quarter to perform music, poetry, storytellers and other forms of art.
“I look for variety,” said series coordinator Carlton Hardy. “I think in terms of primarily my congregation and our local community around the church. Things that I think are appealing either to millennials or young families.”
Pandolfi earned degrees from New York City’s The Juilliard School and currently lives in Washington, D.C. He’s performed across the country, Europe and China with groups like the National Philharmonic, The Ohio Valley Symphony and The Amadeus Orchestra.
The pianist performed last year using the church’s grand piano and had the crowd on its feet applauding at one point, Hardy said.
“He has a wide appeal. He does everything from the classics to all the way down to Gershwin and show tunes,” Hardy said. “Our physical setting enhances that because it is a large room where we can sit around him because of the configuration. He is very close and accessible.”
Typical Pandolfi performances include pieces from classic composers Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Franz Liszt and more recent pieces like Rhapsody in Blue and the James Bond Concerto.
Pandolfi’s performance is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at 118 Old York-Hampton Highway, Yorktown. The show is presented in a partnership with the Senior Center of York County. A reception will be held after the show.
More info: 757-898-4395.
Summer Nights
Busch Garden’s Summer Nights concert series returns with rock, country, pop and more musical acts slated through the end of August. Shows are included with the price of park admission.
July 15: Josh Turner
July 22: Jeremy Camp and Rend Collective
July 29: MercyMe
Aug. 5: 38 Special
Aug. 12: Kool & The Gang
Aug. 19: Lifehouse
Aug. 19: Switchfoot
Aug. 26: Ne-Yo
More info: buschgardenswilliamsburg.com or 757-229-4386.
A week of Ferguson performances
The Ferguson Center for the Arts will host four acts in eight days starting July 18.
Soprano Twyla Robinson, who sang with the London Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic, will perform July 18. Ryan Speedo Green, a baritone opera singer that is a native of Suffolk, will perform July 22.
Next up is country band Chesapeake Sons performing July 23. Rounding out the streak of performances is Newport News native Heather Parcells on July 26. Parcells played the role of Velma Kelly on the national tour of “Chicago.”
More info: fergusoncenter.org or 757-594-8752.
Waterfront Jazz Festival
The Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival returns for its 35th season at Town Point Park July 14-15.
Friday performances and include Pieces of a Dream, Najee and The Rippingtons. Saturday will feature Euge Groove, Spyro Gyra and “Superstars of Jazz Fusion” with Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Tom Browne and Ronnie Laws. Both days start at 5:15 p.m.
Tickets start at $30.
More info: festevents.org or 757-441-2345.
Australian Pink Floyd Show
The tribute band will perform at the Portsmouth Pavilion on July 23.
Australian Pink Floyd Band, who has been performing across the globe for nearly 30 years, has shows that are routinely accompanied by lasers, LED animations and large inflatable animals.
Tickets: pavilionconcerts.com or 757-393-8181
Contact Black at joblack@dailypress.com or by phone at 757-247-4607. Follow him @j_black13.
