Norfolk Arts Grant Recipients
The Boys Choir of Hampton Roads
The Boys Choir of Hampton Roads (formerly Park Place Boys Choir) was organized in September 1997 as a resource for the boys in the Park Place area of Norfolk, to expand their positive image through singing. The main purpose of the choir is to develop in each young singer a self-respect and respect for others based upon clearly stated and solidly proven values, while striving for excellence in academics and cultural personal pursuits. It has been proven that musical training provides a basis for discipline and focus that enhances self-esteem in our youth.
Generic Theater
Since 1981, Generic Theater has been the area’s “Off-Broadway” playhouse, producing plays and public programs that challenge and delight audiences, take risks, and are unlikely to be seen anywhere else. Generic Theater is committed to innovative productions of contemporary works, new plays, and reinterpretations of the classics. We explore issues of importance to our diverse community via provocative works and collaborative partnerships. We provide experienced artists and technicians space to craft great theater while also seeking to nurture and develop new talent in Hampton Roads.
I. Sherman Green Chorale
The I. Sherman Greene Chorale, Inc., is renowned locally and nationally as one of the leading exponents of choral music, and continues to earn accolades for its performance of the music of the Masters, as well as its interpretation of traditional Negro Spirituals. The status of 501(c)(3) was granted to the I. Sherman Greene Chorale in 1982.
Studio 360 Performing Arts
Studio 360 is dedicated to dance training with a high technical standard, without stressful peer competition. We believe in developing students who are distinctive in both dance technique, and personal character. Your students develop their own skill sets, challenging themselves to reach his or her full potential.
Mosaic Steel Orchestra
Our Mission: Providing no-fee out-of-school time Steelpan Ensembles. Our immediate benefits to the community are the provision of high quality arts instruction to over 200 unduplicated youths annually and the presentation of public performances by Mosaic Steel Orchestra, which expose thousands of Virginians each year to youth achievement through dynamic steelpan entertainment. Our long term benefits to the community will foster a greater respect and appreciation for the arts in communities where arts have been marginalized; thus encouraging diversity in arts.
Shark City Drum & Dance Corp.
What started off as a small organization working at local high schools has now become one of the most recognized performing arts companies in Hampton Roads. Since opening its doors in 2018, Shark City Drum and Dance Corps. has managed to captivate the hearts of audiences locally with a variety of quality performances and shows.
Tidewater Classical Guitar
Tidewater Classical Guitar is dedicated to enriching the community by cultivating the awareness and appreciation of classical guitar through performance and education. The Tidewater Classical Guitar Society is a nonprofit arts organization founded in 1984 to provide cultural and educational opportunities to those interested in the classical guitar. The Norfolk concert series began in March 1985, with a three concert schedule featuring local performers. The TCGS was incorporated in Virginia in January, 1985.
World Affairs Council
We provide Hampton Roads with access to the most current global issues through a series of events that allow attendees to interact with foreign policy experts. Global affairs are of the utmost importance & we invite you to attend our upcoming events.
757 Creative Reuse Center
A non-profit organization dedicated to providing accessible and affordable second-hand arts and crafts supplies, while reducing waste and promoting reuse.
Chesapeake Bay Art Association
The CBAA raises funds to benefit the John B. Tenney Memorial Scholarship Fund which is awarded to high school seniors planning to further their education in the arts. CBAA was founded in Ocean View, Norfolk, VA on August 8, 1961, when 15 local artists were invited to a meeting to discuss forming an Art Guild for the area. Since then, CBAA has encouraged growth and knowledge of art throughout the region, while proudly bringing a diverse group of artists together. They host 3 EVENTS that are held annually – The Spring Members Show, The CBAA Art Crawl, and The Ocean View Art Show in the fall.
TRS Kids
TRS Kids is a 501c3 Performing Arts & Production company for children ages 5-17 years old. They provide children in the Hampton Roads community with high-quality performing arts skills. At TRS Kids, your child will learn performance techniques, stagecraft, set design as well as various other aspects of the performing arts. We provide our students with performance opportunities in the Hampton Roads community throughout the year. TRS Kids students are also given opportunities to give back to the community while participating in community service projects to help foster togetherness and gratitude.
Little Theatre of Norfolk
This intimate 210-seat playhouse was initially built in 1949, Little Theatre of Norfolk has been a continuously operating community theatre since 1926.
Access Virginia
Access Virginia was established to provide and promote accessibility at performing arts theaters as well as other venues for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Blind/Visually Impaired Communities, to create tangible positive changes in their lives.
Virginia Children’s Chorus
Recognized as “Hampton Roads’ premiere children’s chorus,” the VCC is a choir school committed to training young voices in grades 1 to 12. Auditions are held in January, June & August.
WHRO Curate Series
The CURATE series explores the thriving art scene in our own backyard and across America. Each week, the program features a Hampton Roads artist, along with artists from across the country, who work in a variety of mediums from painting to sculpture and photography to the spoken word. Each episode is arranged around a central theme and offers a compelling look at artists and their creations.
Stockley Gardens Arts Festival
Since 1984 Hope House Foundation has hosted the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival, a two-day event featuring over 135 artists from across the U.S. and overseas to participate and showcase their art in a variety of mediums, including photography, pottery, sculpture, painting, mixed media and jewelry. Stockley Gardens Park offers the festival a distinctive atmosphere with its peaceful garden setting in the heart of the historic district in Ghent, Norfolk. The festival is free and open to the public and attracts thousands of people who enjoy the art, live music, an array of food and the community atmosphere of the event held in the spring and fall each year. 100% of the proceeds from the festivals support individuals with developmental disabilities supported by Hope House Foundation.
Tidewater Winds Concert Band
Tidewater Winds Concert Band is comprised of 65 talented woodwind, brass, and percussion musicians from across the Hampton Roads Virginia region representing various military branches, careers, academia, college bands and orchestras. Tidewater Winds is one of a handful of Concert Bands like it in the country, preserving the unique heritage of American Concert Bands in the Sousa tradition.
Arts Connect
Bringing joy to older adults and those living in isolating circumstances and enhance their well-being through creative engagement with the arts.
Virginia Queer Film Festival, Inc.
The Virginia Queer Film Festival provides access to films by, for, and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people and their families, and a forum for LGBTQ+ filmmakers to share and discuss their work with audiences. Our Second Annual Festival is September 20-22, 2024 on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. It is the first of its kind in Virginia and one of only a handful of LGBTQ+ film festivals in the American South.
Opera For Us Foundation
Opera For Us Foundation is a performing arts organization dedicated to educating and exposing opera, to a wider audience, while amplifying BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Singers and Performers. Our mission is to make the beauty and emotion of opera accessible to all, regardless of background or financial means. Through various initiatives and performances, we aim to enrich lives and inspire a love for this timeless art form.
Academy of Music
Learn from the best musicians in the area, many of whom perform with the Virginia Symphony, Virginia Opera, Virginia Arts Fest, and Virginia Chorale.
Rainbow Puppet Productions
Original musical presentations that entertain, enlighten, and educate. Presented by an award winning theater team. Their programs feature top talent including Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and Golden Globe winning vocal artists.
The Steven Whitley Foundation
Steven “Diesel” Whitley’s nonprofit, Home Is Where The Heart Is, is giving young Hampton Roads athletes exposure, mentorship, and a place to shine. Norfolk Arts is proud to fund: Born a Revel – Alumni & Community Reunion Production, a theatrical experience exploring themes of freedom, identity, and generational legacy rooted in Virginia history. Drawing from narratives such as James “the Indian” Revell of Accomack Indians and his descendant Hiram Revels first black senator of the United States, the production bridges Indigenous and African American histories through choreopoem, music, dance, and spoken word. The project includes community workshops, auditions, rehearsals, and live performances at the newly renamed. S.L. Roundtree Theatre at Booker T. Washington High School.
ROUGE VA
ROŪGE’s mission is to revolutionize live performance art, making it universally accessible and, in doing so, build a world in which the magic of theater can reach, enrich, and connect all people
Arts for Learning, VA (Young Audiences)
Arts for Learning Virginia is the leading provider of quality arts-in-education programming in Virginia. They offer an array of arts performances and workshops grounded in the core curriculum, residencies for children of all ages, and professional development in arts-integration techniques that improve students’ literacy skills, motivation to read, and ability to learn. They are dedicated to bringing innovation and imagination to education through the arts and believe that creativity and critical thinking are essential aspects of the development of a child. They offer a full range of in-person and virtual learning programs to reach students with the life-changing power of the arts.
Bay Youth Orchestras
Over 280 student musicians from all over Hampton Roads in grades 3-12 create five performing ensembles that present concerts throughout the Tidewater area each year. The mission of Bay Youth Orchestras of Virginia is to provide the highest level of symphonic ensemble training and performance opportunities to the young musicians of Hampton Roads. Under the direction and guidance of many supportive music educators over the past 50 years, Bay Youth Orchestras has developed into one of the largest youth orchestra programs in the country. BYOV gives students the opportunity to learn and perform the world’s greatest orchestral literature.
The Hurrah Players
The Hurrah Players, Inc., Virginia’s Leading Family Theatre Company, is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization committed to unite and advance communities through accessible, quality, family-friendly performances and education.
The Norfolk Chamber Consort
The mission of the Norfolk Chamber Consort is to present to the public performances of chamber music drawn from repertories of the 17th up to the 21st centuries. The emphasis is on works with varied instrumentation and those utilizing the voice as an integral part of the chamber music texture. Emphasis is often placed on lesser known works and neglected masterpieces that are not often performed in Southeastern Virginia.
The Muse Writer’s Center
The Muse Writers Center is the inclusive heart of the creative writing community in Southeastern Virginia.
The Virginia Chorale
The Virginia Chorale is the premier professional vocal ensemble in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Founded thirty-eight years ago, the ensemble has grown from a community-based early music chorus to today’s dynamic group of professional singers, performing repertoire ranging from the Middle Ages to the music of today.
Chesapeake, Bay Wind Ensemble
We strive to provide quality American Wind Music and promote adult bands in Hampton Roads and neighboring communities. We endeavor to accomplish this by offering high quality performances that engage and inspire all our listeners. We engage the members of The Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble in an opportunity for individual and collective musical expression, artistic growth, and camaraderie.
Newfound Chamberwinds
Bringing together forward-thinking musicians from across the United States to offer intimate but invigorating performances and educational opportunities while expanding our repertoire through commissioning and collaborations.
House Revival Project
House Revival Project is dedicated to preserving and revitalizing house music and its culture through interactive events and performances. They aim to bring house music to the forefront of the Hampton Roads scene by building a community rooted in its history, creativity, and energy. Our mission includes expanding opportunities for house music in local venues and city events – growing its presence in the region’s nightlife and arts scene through education and visibility. While our primary focus is Hampton Roads, we’re committed to future expansion across Virginia and online using dynamic social media and video content to connect with a wider audience.
Dove Studios
Offering high-quality dance education and spiritual enrichment opportunities at affordable cost, especially providing scholarship programs to at-risk and underserved communities, while providing holistic support—spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
TACA
The Tidewater African Cultural Alliance are Africans of the Diaspora who strive to unite the greater Tidewater community through educational programs, cultural arts, and events.
The Norfolk Street Choir Project
Engaging the community to encourage and support our neighbors in need through service and arts.
Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Virginia
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Virginia (BGCSEVA) serves youth ages 6–18 across Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Franklin, Virginia Beach, and the Eastern Shore. Their members come from diverse backgrounds, but all share one thing in common — the need for a safe, supportive place to go after school and during the summer. At BGCSEVA, every child is welcome, regardless of their circumstances, and every Club provides a place where they can learn, build confidence, form friendships, and create a brighter future.
An Arts & Culture calendar can be found on the City of Norfolk’s website.
We encourage you to follow the links and connect with organizations on their direct pages at the links above.
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Norfolk Arts seeks to create a rich, diverse, environment that reflects, celebrates and invites all to experience the arts. We seek to give voice to our community and strive to unite, energize, prompt dialogue, and inspire the unique character of Norfolk.
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