PVCC Fine Arts and Performance to Host Horace Scruggs for Two-day Residency
Charlottesville, Va. – February 9, 2023 – The Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) Fine Arts and Performance division will host local musician, educator and documentary filmmaker Horace Scruggs for a two-day residency featuring one of his signature “learning and listening” concerts, followed by a free screening of his latest film. Born of his time spent delving into the history of Fluvanna County’s African-American community, the concert and film will explore how the lives of those who came before continue to impact the community today. Events will take place February 18-19, in the Main Stage Theatre, located in the V. Earl Dickinson Building on the PVCC main campus in Charlottesville.
The residency will begin with a concert on Saturday, February 18, at 7:30 p.m. With his trademark mix of thoughtful inquiry, humor and deep knowledge of his subject matter, Scruggs will pair with singer Travis Smith, bassist Wilbert Harris and drummer Greg Brown to weave spirituals, gospel and jazz pieces together with a compelling narrative for “Beneath Familiar Ground: Music and Narrative of Ancestral Discovery.” With a focus on personal storytelling, this newest presentation will recount Scruggs’ discoveries about the local African-American community’s faith, sacred spaces and cemeteries, uncovering tales of his own ancestors and beyond.
On Sunday, February 19, at 3 p.m., Scruggs continues the weekend’s events with a showing of “Reconstructed: The Rebuilding of African-American Communities Through Faith and Education.” The film explores the history of the ten distinct yet overlapping Fluvanna County church communities that were all formed just after the Civil War. The stories, told by church members whose ancestors bore the hardship of life in the rural south, document the role of the churches in providing refuge for a newly emancipated population.
The film also offers insight into the history of education in the region, sharing recollections by attendees of the early schools and highlighting the role of the churches in establishing the Washington-Rosenwald schools, which educated African-American students in Fluvanna and elsewhere from 1921 to 1958.
About Horace Scruggs
A multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and conductor, Scruggs has worked as a professional musician since 1985. His extensive education in music includes studies at Longwood University, the Shenandoah Conservatory and Berklee College of Music in Boston. Scruggs returns to PVCC to follow up on his series of past “learning and listening” concerts that traced the evolution of soul, gospel and music of the pre-civil war and civil rights eras. This is the second PVCC screening of one of his documentaries, which focus on unique angles to approach local history.
TICKETS
Tickets for the “Beneath Familiar Ground: Music and Narrative of Ancestral Discovery” concert are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. Patrons may purchase advance tickets online at www.pvcc.edu/performingarts or by calling 434.961.5376 (major credit cards accepted). The PVCC Cashier’s Office, located in the main building, has tickets available for purchase during normal business hours. If available, tickets may also be purchased starting two hours prior to the performance at the PVCC Box Office, located at the main entrance of the Dickinson Building.
Entry to “Reconstructed: The Rebuilding of African-American Communities Through Faith and Education” screening is free. The film was produced with the support of the Fluvanna Arts Council and a grant from Virginia Humanities.
The Dickinson Building is located at the south end of 501 College Drive. Ample free parking is available. For more information, email boxoffice@pvcc.edu or call 434.961.5376. View more upcoming events in the Fine Arts and Performance season at www.pvcc.edu/performingarts.
Media support for the PVCC 2022-23 Fine Arts and Performance season is provided by CBS 19.
About Piedmont Virginia Community College
Established in 1972, Piedmont Virginia Community College is a nonresidential two-year institution of higher education that serves Central Virginia – principally, residents of the City of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. PVCC is one of 23 community colleges in Virginia that comprise the Virginia Community College System. PVCC is committed to providing access to a college education for all who can benefit, an opportunity for each student to reach her/his potential and excellence in all programs and services. Visit www.pvcc.edu.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Susian Brooks
Director | Marketing and Media Relations
434.961.6574 | sbrooks@pvcc.edu