Education & Outreach Programs

Research shows that involving children in music, drama and dance improves their overall performance in school, in society and, in turn, enriches the community.


K-12 Outreach

In partnership with the Virginia Opera, we bring operettas to elementary school children in schools throughout the region.  Last year, the ArtsLIVE! sponsored Virginia Opera entertained, educated, and inspired more than 6,800 students in 16 schools in the greater Fredericksburg region.

The Young Artist Competition (YAC) targets middle and high school students.  This juried competition for aspiring students of classical instruments, piano and voice provides them an opportunity to display their talents and be rewarded with scholarships. YAC is held annually in January and the Finals Concert is FREE to the general public.  Please join us as we celebrate these talented young artists.

ArtsLIVE! partnered with Stafford Opera Troupe to support young vocalists in a summer workshop and performance of the opera Much Ado about Opera.  We have also brought bullying workshops, puppet shows, playwriting workshops to students across the region.


Community Outreach

Our Arts in Motion program is also reaching another segment of our community bringing music and entertainment to seniors in assisted living facilities and retirement communities, as well as underserved residents in hospitals and nursing homes.  Contact us if you are interested in donating your time to performing for a very appreciative audience.

Our partnerships with Rappahannock POPS, The Rude Mechanicals, The Voices, and Stafford Opera Troupe extend our community outreach.

2019 YAC Winners

The Young Artist Competition (YAC) is held annually at Chancellor Baptist Church. This competition for aspiring students of classical instruments and voice provides them an opportunity to display their talent and be rewarded for it. Winners are invited to perform with the Avery Ballet and in a preconcert program at our annual Chamber Music Festival. The YAC Finals Concert welcomes the general public.

Our 2019 winners are:

Abigail Henriksen, 2019, First Place , Piano
Abigail Leidy, 2019, First Place Instrumentalist
Noelle Fiegl, 2019, Second Place Instrumentalist
Corinna Sedelmayer, 2019, First Place Instrumentalist

First Place Pianist—Abigail Henriksen
First Place Instrumentalist—Abigail Leidy
First Place Instrumentalist—Corinna Sedelmayer
Second Place Instrumentalist—Noelle Fiegl

2018 Young Artist Winners!

The Young Artist Competition (YAC) is held annually at Chancellor Baptist Church. This competition for students of classical instruments and voice provides them an opportunity to display their talents and earn rewards.  The winners are invited to perform at the ArtsLIVE! May Chamber Music Festival and with the Rappahannock Pops Orchestra. The YAC Finals Concert is open to the general public.

This year represents the 14th year of the Young Artist Competition.  Sixteen students competed during the audition on January 11.  Nine finalists were chosen to compete on January 20.  A $500 scholarship was awarded to each of the following:

  • Landin Thorsted – Piano
  • Jaden Brown – Voice
  • Kelsey Payne – Violin

ArtsLIVE! looks forward to this competition every year because of the value it provides to aspiring young musicians.

Back Row: Landin Thorsted, Jaden Brown, Lauren Davies, Lydia Foster, Kelsey Payne; Front Row: Youna Steves, Jasmine Sen, Abigail Leidy, and Amiah Mitchell

From the President

December 2017

Dear Friend and Supporter of the Arts,

This past year has been very exciting! While celebrating our 30th year, we appraised our progress in meeting the needs of the community and retooled our vision for the future. With an appetite for renewal we launched a new name—ArtsLIVE!—and a mission statement with a recipe for change. Our new name better reflects who we are—the oldest, continuously active promoter of all performing arts in the Fredericksburg region. Our support of the performing arts, which includes theatre, dance, choral and instrumental music, has been continuous over the years; however, we have developed a stronger focus on promoting local talent, offering more variety in programming, and reaching more diverse audiences.

2017 Highlights

Last fall, we offered a murder mystery dinner theatre with audience participation. In March, we presented, with overwhelming success, a concert with Chris Eldridge and Julian Lage, who perform with the nationally recognized Punch Brothers but returned to their native Fredericksburg to perform for ArtsLIVE! In October, Love Canon returned with local musician Jay Starling to perform a mixture of ‘80’s rock and bluegrass in a family venue. We will continue to promote more local talent in a variety of events targeting diverse audiences.

ArtsLIVE! continues its commitment to bring the VA Opera to elementary school children throughout the region. Every year the audience grows. Our focus on music education for youth also includes the Young Artists Competition; the winners earn scholarships and perform in preconcerts each night of the Chamber Music Festival and later accompany the dancers for the Avery Ballet spring recital and the Rappahannock POPS. Additionally, top strings players from local schools were invited to join the Muir String Quartet in a performance of the Brandenburg Concerto.

Seniors in the community also benefit from ArtsLIVE! Our Arts In Motion program brings entertainment to nursing homes, assisted living facilities and retirement communities. Moving forward, we hope to expand our outreach with partnerships with the Avery Ballet and The Rude Mechanicals, as well as to forge other community alliances.

We are proud of our efforts to promote and support programs in music, theatre and dance, but ArtsLIVE! needs your help to continue. Your membership pledge and attendance at our events will help us to educate and inspire audiences and celebrate the performing arts in our region.