Performing Arts Series

“Lancaster is fortunate to have The Arts at MU within arm’s reach. Who needs New York?”

In a performance that audiences hailed as “unbelievable,” the musicians of Jazz at Lincoln Center brought the sounds of the Crescent City to their sold-out performance of New Orleans Songbook at the Ware Center in Lancaster, PA on Saturday, February 22, 2025.

Through the music of Louis Armstrong, Ellis Marsalis, Jelly Roll Morton, and other music legends of the bayou, the band, led by acclaimed pianist Luther Allison, took audiences from downtown to uptown New Orleans and back again, featuring Allison’s exceptional jazz arrangements. 

(Keep your eyes on Luther Allison! With a talent and a presence like that, he is bound to be a household name faster than you can say “Jon Batiste.”)

The smooth vocals of Milton Suggs spread like honey over the lush sound of the band, while the incredible versatility and nuance of Quiana Lynell—particularly in her show-stopping rendition of “La Vie en Rose,” which saw her sliding effortlessly between classical soprano and a jazzy, fluttery mezzo—brought audiences to their feet mid-show.

To top it off, guests enjoyed signature New Orleans-inspired cocktails and beignets from the Lancaster Beignet Company to make it, as one patron described, “a welcome evening of joy and exuberance.”

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Chloe Flower may be known to over a million followers on social media as the star pianist and composer who accompanied Cardi B at the GRAMMY Awards, who played for the President of the United States at the Kennedy Center Honors, and who frequently posts stunning videos of herself playing pop/classical mashups on Liberace’s mirrored grand piano as the gorgeous New York City skyline frames her in the background.

To many who attended her performance at Millersville University’s Ware Center in downtown Lancaster, PA on October 18, however, Chloe Flower is also a hometown sweetheart and an inspiring local success story in the arts. On Friday, in addition to a hall filled with enthusiastic local fans, Flower’s former music teachers and family members came out in force to support her.

 

 

 

 

 

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Flower’s many young admirers in the audience—the next generation of local piano students, from whose ranks Chloe Flower once grew herself—found themselves witnessing a veritable master class in the fruits of working hard, following your dreams, and staying true to what moves you.

Performing her own compositions and productions (such as the vast, cinematic “Flower through Concrete”), masterworks by female composers such as Tania León (the rhythmic, chaotic, and beautiful “Tumbao”), pop covers by songwriting legends such as Joni Mitchell (a sweeping, emotional take on the classic “River”), and innovative mashups of Chopin, Beethoven, and hip-hop beats (“Get What U Get”), Chloe Flower brought a varied and energetic evening of music that ended in a standing ovation.

During intimate moments between songs, Flower paused to talk about her experiences growing up in Central PA, her classical training at London’s Royal Academy of Music and Juilliard, and the many challenges of entering into the world of classical music as a performer and a composer, where she often found herself the only woman in the room. 

“Women are so underrepresented in classical music,” the composer has said. “With less than 5% of music performed by major symphony orchestras written by women and less than 1%written by women of color, I am striving to expand the scope and appeal of the genre.”

Flower celebrated the female composers and artists who opened doors for her and explained how she forged a new path as she began to blend genres and develop her own style as a composer. The result of those efforts was clear on Friday night—the audience for Flower’s show boasted an incredibly diverse turnout, demonstrating the broad appeal of her self-invented genre, a mix of pop and classical she calls “popsical.”

“In order to get the sound I wanted, I learned how to do all of this on my own,” Flower has said.

In an unexpected addition to the night, Flower was joined for several songs by the “violinist of the stars,” Caroline Campbell. During an energetic duet of Chloe Flower’s “No Limit,” each performer’s virtuosic talents amplified the other’s, making for an unforgettable finale.

In the lobby after the show, Flower was surprised by her former elementary school music teachers—with their awestruck current students in tow—as well as close friends from the past, making her homecoming all the sweeter.

It seems without a doubt that Chloe Flower is opening her own doors for the next generation—and we can’t wait to see where she goes from here.

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It was the stuff that dreams are made of. A small, 350-seat theater with acoustics designed by engineering legend Cyril M. Harris. A world-renowned violinist and pianist at the absolute pinnacle of their crafts. A crowd holding their breath to hear the nuance in every shimmering note that resonated throughout the hall.

On October 10, 2024, living legend Joshua Bell performed a once-in-a-lifetime benefit concert at Millersville University’s Ware Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in support of the Arts at Millersville and its vital community programming. Through ticket sales and donations, the event raised over $140,000 to support youth and community outreach programs, subsidized tickets for low-income families, accessibility services, school shows, and master classes. Proceeds from the event will also support critical enhancements to the Ware Center that will enable the venue to continue serving as a community arts hub, allowing access to the arts for everyone and a platform for underserved artists to make their voices heard.

Performing works by Mozart, Schubert, and Fauré, Joshua Bell and Peter Dugan captivated audiences for close to two hours. 

“This is a real treat for me, to play in a venue this intimate,” said Bell. “It’s a real privilege.”

Bell moved seamlessly through his pre-announced repertoire, but in a poignant moment during his encore, he asked for the audience’s indulgence.

“If you’ll allow me, I’d like to dedicate this number to a dear friend who died this morning,” he said, introducing Chopin’s Nocturne in C Sharp Minor. Bell’s record producer of 20 years, Adam Abeshouse, died Thursday morning after a brief battle with cancer. Two weeks ago, Bell, Dugan, and a dozen other renowned musicians gathered at Abeshouse’s bedside to perform one last private concert for him.

Bell’s final encore was the violin showpiece “Gypsy Airs” by Pablo de Sarasate, which the violinist said he played at his first-ever full-length concert at age twelve. Listening to the virtuosic song, it is difficult to imagine how a child could ever tackle such a piece—but it was a testament to Bell’s incredible talent, which has only grown throughout the years.

Guests enjoyed an intimate meet and greet with Joshua Bell and Peter Dugan after the performance, including young musicians in training representing the Lancaster nonprofit Music for Everyone. It was a night that no one present will be quick to forget.