The best concerts, exhibits, plays and dance shows to catch in Columbia this fall
As the weather just starts to think about cooling down, the Midlands arts scene is ready to heat up.
This fall boasts a heavily stacked – and widely varying – slate of arts events. Dozens of concerts, from The Weeknd to Gladys Knight to the S.C. Philharmonic. Plays that will make you laugh, cry, or laugh so hard you cry. Dancers and magicians that will make you gasp. Art exhibits that will make you wonder, “Why don’t I take a painting class?”
Here’s a great big sampling to get you started planning your fall arts experiences.
This is just a start. We’ll keep you updated all season on what’s going on in and around Columbia’s arts scene.
Music
Taylor Girlz “Make Me Dance Tour” with Silento and others, Friday, Sept. 8, at the Township Auditorium, 1703 Taylor St. www.thetownship.org
“The Grand Tour” by the Lake Murray Symphony Orchestra, Sunday, Sept. 24, at Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College, 7300 College St., Irmo. Featuring works by Rossini, Berlioz, Faure, and Schubert’s famous “Unfinished Symphony.” www.lmso.org
USC Symphony Orchestra, Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Koger Center for the Arts, 1051 Greene St. Cellist Zuill Bailey returns to USC to perform his Grammy-winning concerto, Michael Daugherty’s “Tales of Hemingway.” www.kogercenterforthearts.com
Gentri: The Gentlemen Trio, Friday, Sept. 29, at Harbison Theatre. Pioneers of “cinematic pop,” Gentri’s music pulses with lush, epic orchestration and dynamic, three-part harmony. www.harbisontheatre.org
“The 2nd Annual Fall Ball” featuring Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Tory Lanez and Cardi B, Saturday, Sept. 30, at Colonial Life Arena, 801 Lincoln St. www.coloniallifearena.com
Old Dominion, Friday, Oct. 6, at the Township Auditorium. www.thetownship.org
Thomas Rhett’s “Home Team Tour 2017,” Thursday, Oct. 12, at Colonial Life Arena. www.coloniallifearena.com
S.C. Philharmonic’s “Beethoven and Blue Jeans,” Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Koger Center. www.scphilharmonic.com
Foo Fighters’ “Concrete and Gold Tour,” Tuesday, Oct. 17, at Colonial Life Arena. www.coloniallifearena.com
The Pops Series: British Invasion, Sunday, Oct. 22, at Harbison Theatre. www.harbisontheatre.org
Gladys Knight, Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Township Auditorium. www.thetownship.org
The Weeknd’s “Starboy: Legend of the Fall 2017 World Tour – Phase Two,” Saturday, Oct. 28, at Colonial Life Arena. www.coloniallifearena.com
USC Symphony Orchestra, Monday, Oct. 30, at the Koger Center. Featuring Beethoven’s “Pastoral” symphony and Mozart’s “Sinfonia concertante.” www.kogercenterforthearts.com
S.C. Philharmonic’s “Ravishing Rachmaninoff,” Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Koger Center. www.scphilharmonic.com
Sister Hazel, Friday, Nov. 10, at Newberry Opera House, 1201 McKibben St., Newberry. www.newberryoperahouse.com
Irma Thomas, The Blind Boys of Alabama and The Preservation Hall Legacy Quintet, Friday, Nov. 17, at Harbison Theatre. Combining Louisiana jazz and gospel harmony. www.harbisontheatre.org
“Classics in Time” by the Lake Murray Symphony Orchestra, Sunday, Nov. 19, at Harbison Theatre. Featuring Haydn’s celebrated Symphony No. 101, “The Clock,” “Finlandia” by Sibelius and Bizet’s L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2. www.lmso.org/concerts
“Famous Last Words” by the USC Symphony Orchestra, Monday, Dec. 4, at the Koger Center. Featuring works by Bartók and Tchaikovsky. www.kogercenterforthearts.com
Joe Bonamassa, Wednesday, Dec. 6, at the Township Auditorium. www.thetownship.org
Luke Combs, Thursday, Dec. 7, at the Township Auditorium. www.thetownship.org
The Pops Series: Holiday Pops, Sunday, Dec. 10, at Harbison Theatre. www.harbisontheatre.org
Lexington Community Band, Tuesday, Dec. 12, at Lexington One Performing Arts Center at Lexington High School, 2463 Augusta Highway, Lexington. www.lexingtoncommunityband.org
Mark Rapp’s “Jingle Bell Jazz,” Tuesday, Dec. 12, at Trustus Theatre, 520 Lady St. Jazz trumpeter Mark Rapp and his quartet present a grooving Christmas concert. www.trustus.org
Janet Jackson’s “State of the World Tour,” Saturday, Dec. 16, at Colonial Life Arena. www.coloniallifearena.com
Theater and shows
“Momma’s Boy,” Thursday, Sept. 7, at the Township Auditorium. What happens when a mother holds onto her son too long? www.thetownship.org
“Ensemble Eclectica,” Thursday, Sept. 14, at Senate’s End, 300 Senate St. A dinner theater-style production featuring music, dance, film and a live auction. www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3045891
“Barbecue,” Friday, Sept. 8, through Saturday, Sept. 23, at Trustus Theatre. Familial stereotypes and racial politics collide in a smart comedy. www.trustus.org
“Sister Act,” Friday, Sept. 15, through Sunday, Oct. 1, at Village Square Theatre. When a disco diva witnesses a murder, she’s put in protective custody as a nun. www.villagesquaretheatre.com
“The Rabbit Hole” by Chapin Theatre Company, Friday, Sept. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 8, at Firehouse Theatre at American Legion Post 193, 102 Lexington Ave., Chapin. A life-shattering accident turns a couple’s world upside-down and leaves them drifting perilously apart. www.chapintheatre.org
“Building the Wall,” Friday, Oct. 6, through Saturday, Oct. 14, at Trustus Theatre. Explore humanity and personal accountability in the near future when the Trump administration has carried out its campaign promise to round up and detain millions of immigrants. www.trustus.org
“Twelfth Night,” Friday, Oct. 6, through Saturday, Oct. 14, at the University of South Carolina’s Drayton Hall Theatre, 1214 College St. Shakespeare’s madcap tale of mistaken identity and unrequited love. www.artsandsciences.sc.edu/thea/mainstageseason
“Before You Say I Do,” Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Township Auditorium. A couples’ retreat helps pairs discover if they’re ready for wedding bells or wedding hell. www.thetownship.org
“The Addams Family,” by the Chapin Community Theatre, Thursday, Oct. 12, through Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County, 810 Lyttleton St., Camden. The Addams family meets daughter Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend. www.fineartscenter.org
“Pinkalicious, The Musical,” Sunday, Oct. 15, at Newberry Opera House. Based on the best-selling book series by Elizabeth Kann and Victoria Kann, this Off-Broadway musical wows kids of all ages. www.newberryoperahouse.com
Michael Carbonaro Live!, Thursday, Oct. 26, at the Township Auditorium. The magician behind truTV’s “The Carbonaro Effect” does live tricks with audience interaction. www.thetownship.org
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Friday, Oct. 27, through Sunday, Nov. 5, at Village Square Theatre, 105 Caughman Road, Lexington. Brings to life the eccentric characters and pastoral landscapes of Washington Irving’s classic story. www.villagesquaretheatre.com
“Evil Dead, The Musical,” Friday, Oct. 27, through Saturday, Nov. 11, at Trustus Theatre. A comedy about five college students who go to an abandoned cabin in the woods and accidentally unleash an evil force that turns them all into demons. www.trustus.org
National Theatre Live On Screen: “No Man’s Land,” Tuesday, Nov. 7, at Harbison Theatre. On a hot summer evening, two aging writers share stories over drinks. www.harbisontheatre.org
“The Sound of Music,” Tuesday, Nov. 21, through Wednesday, Nov. 22, at the Koger Center. The beloved musical story of Maria and the von Trapp family. www.broadwayincolumbia.com
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” Friday, Sept. 22, through Sunday, Oct. 8, at Town Theatre, 1012 Sumter St. Based on the Victor Hugo novel with songs from the Disney animated feature. www.towntheatre.com
“A Christmas Miracle at the Richland Fashion Mall,” Friday, Dec. 1, through Saturday, Dec. 16, at Trustus Theatre. An original comedy about a local mall owner’s plan to make this holiday season the most profitable ever. www.trustus.org
“Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical,” Friday, Dec. 1, through Sunday, Dec. 17, at Town Theatre. A Macy’s Santa causes a stir by claiming to be the real Kris Kringle. www.towntheatre.com
“It’s a Wonderful Life” by the Camden Community Theatre, Thursday, Dec. 7, through Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County. The classic Christmas tale of a man trapped by circumstance, and a powerful meditation on what makes a meaningful life. www.fineartscenter.org
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” Friday, Dec. 8, through Sunday, Dec. 17, at Village Square Theatre. Follows the shenanigans of the Herdman siblings, or “the worst kids in the history of the world,” who take over an annual Christmas pageant. www.villagesquaretheatre.com
“A Christmas Story: The Musical,” Tuesday, Dec. 19, through Wednesday, Dec. 20, at the Koger Center. Based on the 1983 movie, young Ralphie Parker pines for a special Christmas gift. www.broadwayincolumbia.com
Dance and acrobatics
Soda City Cirque’s “Paper Moon Variety Show III,” Thursday, Sept. 7, through Sunday, Sept. 10, at Icehouse Amphitheater, 107 W. Main St., Lexington. An evening of circus variety acts including stilt walking, fire performance, aerial fabric, hula hoops, acrobatics, belly dance, balancing acts and more. www.icehouseamphitheater.com
Columbia Classical Ballet’s “Studio Series,” Sunday, Sept. 17, and Sunday, Nov. 5, at the Pavlovich Ballet School Studios, 25 Forest Lake Place. www.columbiaclassicalballet.com
“Classical Ballet Rocks” by Columbia Classical Ballet, Friday, Oct. 13, at the Koger Center. www.columbiaclassicalballet.com
“Dracula: Ballet with a Bite” by Columbia City Ballet, Friday, Oct. 27, through Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Koger Center. Based on the classic novel by Bram Stoker, Count Dracula continues his seductive reign of terror in Transylvania. www.kogercenterforthearts.com
“Flip FabriQue,” Saturday, Oct. 28, at Harbison Theatre. Experience soaring acrobats, trampoline superstars, mesmerizing hula-hoopers and jugglers. www.harbisontheatre.org
Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence, Saturday, Nov. 4, at Harbison Theatre. Dancers integrate traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word. www.harbisontheatre.org
“Shaping Sound, After the Curtain,” Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Koger Center. Dancers tell the story of a man fighting to find his creative voice after the death of his one true love. www.kogercenterforthearts.com
“The Nutcracker” by Columbia Classical Ballet, Friday, Dec. 1, through Sunday, Dec. 3, at the Koger Center. www.columbiaclassicalballet.com
“Nutcracker” by Columbia City Ballet, Saturday, Dec. 9, through Sunday, Dec. 17, at the Koger Center. www.kogercenterforthearts.com
Art and museum exhibits
“Henri Matisse: Jazz & Poetry on Paper,” Friday, Sept. 15, through Monday, Jan. 15, at the Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St. Eighty-one modern works by Matisse that re-imagine books as art objects. www.columbiamuseum.org
“Face Value: Artists’ Portraits by Alphonse van Woerkom,” Friday, Oct. 6, through Sunday, Nov. 26, at the Columbia Museum of Art. Alphonse van Woerkom invites artist friends and colleagues to sit for him and using his numerous smaller sketches, works up a wall-sized drawing. www.columbiamuseum.org
“Figure Out 2017,” Wednesday, Sept. 6, through Friday, Sept. 29, at Tapp’s Arts Center, 1644 Main St. Works by more than 30 local and nationally recognized artists celebrate the human form through painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, photography, film www.tappsartscenter.com
“Eclipsing 50: The State Art Collection 1967-2017,” opens Friday, Sept. 15, at the S.C. State Museum, 301 Gervais St. Highlights artwork collected between 1967 and 2017 by the South Carolina Arts Commission as a part of the organization’s 50th anniversary celebration. www.scmuseum.org
“Golden Legacy: Original art from 75 years of Golden Books,” through Saturday, Oct. 7, at EdVenture Children’s Museum, 211 Gervais St. Relive your childhood through an exhibit of Golden Books from the past 75 years. www.edventure.org
This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 4:35 PM with the headline "The best concerts, exhibits, plays and dance shows to catch in Columbia this fall."