3/8/2024
Discovering The Smith Center
When asked about his favorite visits to The Smith Center, Don Snyder says that includes every time he steps foot inside. “I end up watching the (audience) as much as I watch the performances,” says Snyder, Smith Center Board Chairman. “I like to see the reactions people have when they’re in the facility.” It’s no wonder Snyder feels emotional about The Smith Center, as he devoted roughly 20 years to helping fundraise, plan and construct it.
3/1/2024
Performances and Artists
Today, Mabuchi’s multicultural, genre-blending approach and her lively piano playing have rocketed her to international acclaim. With six widely hailed albums, she has taken the spotlight at leading jazz events, including the Richmond and Atlanta jazz festivals.
2/26/2024
Performances and Artists /
Broadway Las Vegas
Every year, as Paul Beard and his team program the Toyota Broadway Las Vegas Series, they dream of a lineup like the one The Smith Center will present from 2024 to 2025.
1/23/2024
Discovering The Smith Center
Kevin Harvey had barely entered his teenage years when a singular experience set him on his life’s course. “I went to see The Who in Bristol (England) in 1966 when I was 13, and it completely changed my life,” Harvey says. “I realized I couldn’t be Pete Townshend, but I could be the soundman.”
1/23/2024
Performances and Artists
Odewale has devoted herself to uncovering inspiring stories in the century since the attack. She has discovered not only stunning truths about the event but also revelations of how the Greenwood District persevered to evolve into the thriving community it is today.
1/19/2024
Performances and Artists
Todd Morse is no stranger to titanic fame. As the bassist for multiplatinum rock band The Offspring, he has witnessed worldwide worship of the group’s torrent of hits, with more than 40 million albums sold. Last year even saw the band’s largest national tour to date, which culminated in Las Vegas.
1/19/2024
Education and Outreach
Through a variety of programs, from free student matinees at Reynolds Hall to performances on school campuses to professional development opportunities for teachers in all curriculum areas and beyond, The Smith Center makes education its mission on a daily basis in meaningful and measurable ways.
1/17/2024
Performances and Artists
Foster resolutely believes in music’s power to make divisions disappear, and she wields her passionate, fiery vocals to achieve just that. Influenced by legends like Aretha Franklin, Foster crafts a distinctive sound that nods to soul, gospel, blues, jazz and beyond, her nine studio albums garnering a steadfast fanbase across numerous contries, ages and backgrounds.
1/8/2024
Performances and Artists
Many people embark on a career path at 18 – but few at the level of stage-and-screen star Laura Benanti. Once she reached voting age, Benanti starred as Maria von Trapp in “The Sound of Music” on Broadway, a promising start to an epic entertainment career. She proceeded to star in 10 more Broadway productions, including “Gypsy,” a spirited performance that earned her a Tony Award (on top of her four additional nominations)
1/4/2024
Performances and Artists
At every performance of one-woman comedy show Dixie’s Tupperware Party, the surprises keep the star laughing as much as the audience.
That’s because the side-splitting show – which became one of the longest-running Off-Broadway hits in theater history – emphasizes audience participation and improvisation, so much that even the performer doesn’t know what to expect.