The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith has released the schedules of touring shows and musical performances for Season of Entertainment 38 and the sixth annual Season at The Blue Lion.
For more information or to reserve tickets for either season, contact the UAFS Box Office at 479-788-7300.
Season of Entertainment 38
Headlined by the familiar name Mannheim Steamroller and complemented by ethnically diverse musical groups, Season of Entertainment 38 promises to be “one of the best lineups in recent memory,” according to a UAFS official.
The popular Christmas show will return to Fort Smith for two performances Dec. 9, followed by The Ten Tenors Nov. 12, Mayumana: Currents March 31, and Celtic Woman April 23. Additionally, the season schedule also features performances by the university’s theatre department and concerts by university music students.
As one of the most successful New Age bands of the past several decades, Mannheim Steamroller has cemented itself as the premier Christmas band in the United States. In 1984, they released their first holiday album, “Christmas,” which went on to sell more than five million copies. The group previously performed at UAFS in December 2016 for Season of Entertainment 36.
The Ten Tenors also previously performed on the Season of Entertainment schedule, appearing in Fort Smith in 2007. Considered one of Australia’s greatest entertainment success stories, the group organized the Wish You Were Here Tour to pay tribute to musical legends such as David Bowie and Prince who both recently passed away.
The Israeli percussion show “Mayumana: Currents” is a musical interpretation of the historical “Battle of Currents” between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla in their journey to find electrical sources to power the world. The show features a multicultural group of performers that ABC Spain called an “endless celebration of energy.”
Rounding out the touring shows for Season of Entertainment 38 is Celtic Woman, an all-female musical group fusing traditional Irish music and contemporary rhythms to celebrate Ireland’s history. The group has performed for three U.S. presidents and appeared twice at the White House and has sold more than eight million albums and DVDs.
Stacey Jones, associate vice chancellor for campus and community events, said the season’s mix of international and traditional shows makes for a great lineup.
“We’re hosting companies from Ireland and Israel for the first time in Fort Smith,” Jones said. “You get to see the diversity of great entertainment from all over the world. Plus we have the traditional shows such as Mannheim Steamroller, which we brought back by popular demand. This is truly a Season of Entertainment.”
Season tickets are $180 at the UAFS Box Office in the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center. Individual show tickets go on sale Aug. 1. The season runs from Oct. 18 through April 30.
The complete Season 38 schedule includes:
Oct. 18-20, 22-23: Theatre @ UAFS production, 7:30 p.m., Breedlove Auditorium.
Oct. 29: UAFS Choral and Symphonic Band production, 7:30 p.m., ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center in the Fort Smith Convention Center.
Nov. 12: The Ten Tenors, 7:30 p.m., ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center in the Fort Smith Convention Center.
Nov. 19: Campus Lighting Ceremony, 5:30 p.m., Campus Green.
Nov. 20: UAFS Jazz Band, 7:30 p.m., ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center in the Fort Smith Convention Center.
Nov. 29: Season’s Greetings Concert, 7 p.m., ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center in the Fort Smith Convention Center.
Dec. 9: Mannheim Steamroller, 3 and 7:30 p.m., ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center in the Fort Smith Convention Center.
Feb. 14-16, 18-19: Theatre @ UAFS production, 7:30 p.m., Breedlove Auditorium.
March 31: “Mayumana: Currents,” 7:30 p.m., ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center in the Fort Smith Convention Center.
April 8: UAFS Symphonic Band concert, 7:30 p.m., ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center in the Fort Smith Convention Center.
April 18: UAFS Jazz Band, 7:30 p.m., ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center in the Fort Smith Convention Center.
April 23: Celtic Woman, 7:30 p.m., ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center in the Fort Smith Convention Center.
April 30: “A Grand Night for Singing,” 7:30 p.m., ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center in the Fort Smith Convention Center.
Season at The Blue Lion
The sixth annual Season at The Blue Lion will also return a familiar name to its schedule this year, along with a slate of three other concerts containing a variety of music.
The Tejas Brothers will return for the second straight year to perform Sept. 18. Todd Mosby New Horizons Ensemble will perform Nov. 3, UAFS music faculty will showcase their talents Jan. 31, and Skerryvore will bring their unique fusion of Celtic rock to Fort Smith for a March 28 concert. All shows will take place at 7:30 p.m. at The Blue Lion at UAFS Downtown, located at 101 N. 2nd Street.
Best known for their brand of “Tex-Mex honky tonk,” The Tejas Brothers have become recognized as one of the best live acts in Texas through their fun and electrifying shows.
Todd Mosby New Horizons Ensemble is a six-member acoustic instrumental group with a blend of acoustic music and reimagined classics by Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Neil Young. Members of the group have been nominated for Grammy Awards, Player of the Year Awards and acclaim from Publishers Weekly, Amazon and others.
UAFS faculty members will display their talents at the Music Faculty Showcase concert, which will include instrumental, vocal and piano faculty members performing in tandem with trumpet, percussion and chamber ensemble pieces, in addition to various solos.
With a musical style as diverse as its eight band members, Skerryvore fuses musical traditions of folk, traditional, rock and pop into a unique sound. Formed in 2005, the band has twice won Scotland’s Traditional Music “Live Act of the Year” Award in 2011 and 2016.
Jones said this year’s lineup features “a diverse slate of shows with something for everybody.”
“The whole season is really diversified,” he said. “We received more requests to bring back the Tejas Brothers than maybe any other show we’ve brought to The Blue Lion. Skerryvore brings a regionally unique sound from Scotland, and Todd Mosby New Horizons Ensemble has one of the best jazz vocalists I’ve heard in quite some time.”
Season tickets cost $50, and only 250 tickets are available per performance. Individual show tickets go on sale Aug. 1. The season runs from Sept. 18 through March 28.
The Blue Lion at UAFS Downtown was temporarily called UAFS at Second Street after UAFS acquired the building in 2013. The four-show series at the location is separate from Season of Entertainment, the annual entertainment lineup sponsored by UAFS.