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The Tidewater Community College Roper Performing Arts Center

340 Granby Street
Norfolk, VA 23510

Phone:  (757) 822-1450
Capacity:  900
Parking:  Tidewater Community College’s Roper Performing Arts Center is conveniently located in downtown Norfolk within one block of MacArthur Center’s north garage and a number of city parking facilities including the Freemason and Bank Street Garages.  It is also located within steps of The Tide’s Freemason light rail station.

Accessibility

The Roper Performing Arts Center meets the standards set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It is our intent to exceed standard requirements and provide exceptional service for our patrons with disabilities. Every event has excellent accessible seating in all price levels, and assistive listening devices are available upon request at the box office.

Special Features for Patrons with Disabilities

Every event has excellent accessible seating in all price levels.

Seating

To purchase accessible seating, contact VSO Patron Services at (757) 892-6366. Notice of special needs must be addressed at time of purchase so that we may best accommodate you.  All accessible seats are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Parking

Parking is available at MacArthur Center and at other parking garages close to the venue, including the Freemason and Bank Street Garages.

Assisted Listening

Assistive listening devices are available upon request at the box office.

TCC Roper Performing Arts Center

Upcoming Concerts at TCC Roper Performing Arts Center

CLASSICAL CHRISTMAS

HAMPTON ROADS, VA [December 2, 2024] WHO: Virginia Symphony Orchestra with Morihiko Nakahara and Jonathan Richards WHERE: Norfolk Academy’s Johnson Theatre 1585 Wesleyan Dr, Norfolk, VA 23502 William and Mary’s Music Arts Center 551 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg, VA...

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A GOSPEL CHRISTMAS FEATURING A TRIBUTE TO RICHARD SMALLWOOD

HAMPTON ROADS, VA [November 26, 2024] WHO: Virginia Symphony Orchestra with Dr. Henry Panion, III, and Earl Bynum Jr. WHERE: Chrysler Hall, 215 St Pauls Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23510 WHEN: Saturday November 30, 7:30PM WHAT: Dr. Henry Panion, III, is back at Chrysler Hall to...

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A Very Merry Musical Market

HAMPTON ROADS, VA [November 11, 2024] WHO: Virginia Symphony Orchestra WHERE: Elation Brewing; 5104 Colley Ave, Norfolk, VA 23508 WHEN: Thursday November 21, 6-8:30PM WHAT: Get your holiday shopping done early while you listen to live chamber music performed by...

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Symphony Notes | November 2024

Welcome back! We had a wonderful October sharing unforgettable memories and performances with you. As we enter November, we are excited to celebrate National Role Models Month. To honor this special time, we sat down with some of our talented VSO orchestra members to...

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Fantastique Symphony Concert

Sandwiching a family-friendly, kid-thrilling, grownup-enthralling, brilliantly colorful new concerto for symphony and animation between a 21st Century fanfare and a 19th Century masterwork, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra opens its 2024–2025 Season with a Friday...

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Fantastique Symphony Concert

Sandwiching a family-friendly, kid-thrilling, grownup-enthralling, brilliantly colorful new concerto for symphony and animation between a 21st Century fanfare and a 19th Century masterwork, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra opens its 2024–2025 Season with a Friday...

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Virginia Symphony Orchestra holds free summer concerts

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — The Virginia Symphony Orchestra will perform free concerts at scenic outdoor venues across Hampton Roads — including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Williamsburg, Chesapeake, and Yorktown — as part of their Free Summer Concerts series. This year’s...

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Virginia Symphony Orchestra Holds Free Summer Concerts

HAMPTON ROADS, VIRGINIA [June 24, 2022] – The Virginia Symphony Orchestra will perform free concerts at scenic outdoor venues across Hampton Roads – including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Williamsburg, Chesapeake, and Yorktown – as part of their Free Summer Concerts...

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Symphony Under the Stars draws 2,000

Gloucester Arts Festival and The Cook Foundation held the annual “Symphony Under the Stars” free family concert Saturday night, attracting a crowd of 2,000, according to festival representatives, to enjoy a Broadway Celebration with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra....

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Symphony Under the Stars Saturday in Gloucester

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony Under the Stars, one of the signature events of the Gloucester Arts Festival, will take place on Saturday, beginning at 7 p.m. on the lawn at Main Street and Walter Reed Way in Gloucester. The local group Liberty Dolls will...

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Virginia Symphony Orchestra Presents 2024/25 Season

HAMPTON ROADS, VA [March 4, 2024] – The future of the VSO shines brightly. Today the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Music Director, Eric Jacobsen announced details of the 2024/25 season. Patrons should look forward to a season full of joy, live music to enjoy...

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Holiday Brass

Holiday Brass

Join us for the must-see holiday tradition of the season! There’s no better way to lift your spirits than with seasonal songs and traditional carols delivered in full sound and spectacle by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Brass. The bold sounds of the...

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A Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Join the Virginia Symphony Orchestra for a concert paying homage to the visionary civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This concert is FREE, but registration is encouraged. Everett McCorvey, conductor Summer Littles, violin Alicia Russell Tagert, soprano...

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Chris Thile

Chris Thile

Here's a program to delight the imagination, tickle the funnybone, and spur conversation long after the last note rings out! GRAMMY-winning mandolinist Chris Thile's witty new "narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra" – co-commissioned by...

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Romeo & Juliet with JoAnn

Romeo & Juliet with JoAnn

JoAnn Falletta returns to conduct one of her favorites—Prokofiev’s powerful and passionate music for Romeo & Juliet. Plus, Hampton Roads’ own Adolphus Hailstork, hailed as “the Dean of African-American composers,” brings us a brand new piano concerto in its local...

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Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto

One of the most beloved works of all time, Tchaikovsky’s concerto will take you on a journey – from the bold and virtuosic, through the lyrical and melancholy, to a grand and cathartic finale. Join us for this unforgettable performance, led by our own Principal Guest...

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To Whitney with Love

To Whitney with Love

Join American Idol finalist LaKisha Jones in a celebration of the great ladies of soul, from Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Tina Turner, the legendary Aretha Franklin and the one and only Whitney Houston. Adam Turner, conductor LaKisha Jones, vocalist   THANKS TO OUR...

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Carmina Burana

Carmina Burana

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will be joined by the Virginia Children’s Chorus to take the stage for one of the most epic works ever written! Join us for Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana – an uproarious and intoxicating depiction of a raucous medieval paradise....

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Sinatra and Beyond

Sinatra and Beyond

Called “two parts Frank Sinatra and one part Billy Joel,” the triple-threat singer/pianist/songwriter Tony DeSare takes on the legend of Ol’ Blue Eyes himself. From jazz clubs to Carnegie Hall to headlining with major symphony orchestras, Tony DeSare delivers a fresh...

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Tchaikovsky 6: The Story Behind the Music

Tchaikovsky 6: The Story Behind the Music

In this intimate program, join Eric Jacobsen as he tells us the story behind the music of Tchaikovsky’s final completed symphony, full of passion and emotion. Excerpts from the work will illustrate a narrative that brings the music to life, setting the stage for a...

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Handel’s Messiah

Handel’s Messiah

It’s Southeastern Virginia’s grandest Messiah! Iconic music including the Hallelujah chorus portrays one of the greatest stories ever told. This year will feature the full Christmas portion in addition to selections from the second and third parts of this sacred...

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Holiday POPs Series

Holiday POPs Series

Join us for the must-see holiday tradition of the season – Holiday POPS! There’s no better way to lift your spirits than with seasonal songs and traditional carols delivered in full sound and spectacle by the Virginia Symphony and special guests. Holiday POPS will...

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A Symphony Concert of Profound and Positive Hope

By Montague Gammon IIIVeer Magazine Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s Brahms and Dvořák with Thomas Wilkins November concert features “music that is going to make you feel better about yourself at the end of the evening,” says the VSO’s Principal Guest Conductor Wilkins,...

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Rocking Rachmaninoff

By Jeff Maisey Veer Magazine Earlier this year, the Virginia Arts Festival celebrated in grand style the 150th birthday of Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff with a series of chamber music concerts featuring the internationally acclaimed Dali Quartet and violinist...

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Feast Festively on Beethoven’s Bounty

By Montague Gammon III Veer Magazine The Virginia Symphony opens its 2023-24 Season with a Beethoven Festival whose bounties Music Director and concert conductor Eric Jacobsen twice likened to a “steak dinner with dessert,” a two course musical feast of “pieces that...

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Emmanual Losa

Emmanuel Losa

Cello

Born in 1998, Emmanuel Losa grew up in Marietta, Georgia to a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother. Starting his cello studies at the age of 12, he began to have an affinity for the orchestral world and later studying with the esteemed cellists of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, his primary instructor was Joel Dallow; in addition, studying with Dona Vellek (Assistant Principal Cello Emeritus) and Karen Freer (Assistant Principal Cello).

Emmanuel heavily enjoys studying various pieces of solo, chamber, and orchestral music, spending his summers at various festivals such as Bowdoin International Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and Aspen Music Festival to name a few.

A student of Alan Stepansky at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Emmanuel is pursuing an undergraduate cello performance degree in orchestral performance. He continues his studies with a focus on winning a position with a major orchestra.

Zacherie Small

Zacherie Small

Double Bass

After migrating from his native island of Barbados, Zacherie Small began his Double Bass studies the age of 19 with Jonathan Dadurka at Miami-Dade College where he graduated with a Associate of Arts in Music. Afterwards, he went on to study with Luis Gomez-Imbert at Florida International University where he now holds a Bachelor of Music in Double Bass Performance; Cum Laude, and a Masters of Music in Double Bass Performance. Also, recently graduated with his second Masters from Temple University studying with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra such as Nathaniel West, Joseph Conyers, and Robert Kesselman.

Small has performed with various orchestras. He is a member of the Miami Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Eduardo Marturet. He was also the Principal Double Bass of the Miami Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Jorge Vazquez. Small periodically performs with the Colour of Music Festival Orchestra.

Small has attended the Miami Summer Music Festival at Barry University for 3 years. During the festival, he has performed in many concerts with various conductors like Michael Rossi, Yuriy Bekker, Joel Smirnoff, David Efron, Stephanie Rhodes, and Steve Gruman. Also, participated in the Philadelphia International Music Festival to study with Nathaniel West and under the baton of Kensho Watanabe.

As well as being a performer, Small is the secondary music director South-Dade Middle School and does masterclasses at various schools in Miami, FL. He is also a teacher for the Artist of the Miami Music Project where he guides children in troubled neighborhoods to bring about social change, cultivate lessons, and run ensembles.

Tyler McKisson

Tyler McKisson

viola

Tyler McKisson is a 26-year-oldorchestral and freelance violist originally from Arvada, Colorado. He has recently received an Artist Diploma from The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a Diversity Fellow where he regularly performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. McKisson received a Master’s degree in viola performance at the University of Colorado Boulder and a Bachelor’s degree in Viola Performance at the University of Northern Colorado with honors. McKisson’s musical career started at age ten when he joined his school’s string orchestra program and at age fourteen, he began his studies under his first private instructor, Brian Cook. McKisson has also studied under Christopher Luther, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, Erika Eckert, and Catharine Carroll Lees. He has played with several American orchestras including the Cheyenne Symphony with tenure, Atlanta Symphony, Kentucky Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Aspen Conducting Academy.

Camille Jones

Camille Jones

violin

A passionate collaborator and advocate for diversity in the arts, Camille has worked with various festival orchestras and chamber groups, including the National Orchestral Institute and Festival (NOI + F), Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Next Festival of Emerging Artists.

As a 2019 Sphinx Orchestral Futurist Fellow, she has helped commission works and curate a professional development workshop for K-12 students in Prince George’s County, Maryland.This project piloted what is now the K12 New Music Initiative, a commissioning project to expand the repertoire of K12 orchestras with music by BIPOC composers. In the Fall of 2018, she curated Voices Unheard, a concert series at UMD that celebrated works by women composers and composers of color. In addition, she had the opportunity to collaborate with esteemed cello professor Anthony Elliott for a concert series at the Kerrytown Concerthouse titled Passing the Torch in 2021 and 2022. Camille is establishing herself as a freelance artist in the Michigan area as well, having performed for singer Michael Bublé, rapper Big Sean and Darren Criss. She has also served as a teaching artist for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Youth Ensembles as well as the Sphinx Overture program in Detroit.

Camille received her B.M. in Violin Performance at the University of Maryland, College Park and a M.M. in Violin Performance from the University of Michigan, having studied under Danielle Belen.

Daphine Henderson

Daphine Henderson

bass

Daphine Henderson, a double bassist and vocalist in the DC metro area, completed her Master’s Degree in Double Bass Performance at the University of Maryland College Park in Spring 2023, where she also received two Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Performance with concentrations in Double Bass and Soprano Voice in Spring ’20. She was the first black woman to earn a Master’s Degree in Double Bass Performance at University of Maryland and the third black woman to receive a graduate degree in strings. Teaching herself the double bass at age 12, Daphine became extremely involved in music through her high school career, ranging from performing with the Maryland Senior All State Orchestra to being the drum major of her high school marching band. She is actively involved in the University of Maryland School of Music community, performing with numerous classical and wind ensembles.

Throughout her time at UMD, Daphine served as one of the ensemble assistants for the UMD Treble Choir, where she actively engaged with and lead her section. She sat as one of the student chairs and founding members of the School of Music’s IDEA Committee, which focuses on bringing diversity, accessibility, and inclusive engagement to the music community at College Park. Daphine is also a founding member of the PAGE (Project for All Gender Equality) for Bassists, where she spoke on a panel in the 2019 and 2021 International Society of Bassists conventions. Daphine teaches in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, Maryland, and is an active strings coach for the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra. Additionally, she teaches all string instruments, piano, and voice at Crescendo Studios in Falls Church, Virginia.

Daphine is taking steps in her musical career to create an impact and be an inspiration for younger musicians of color that would otherwise not have ample resources and opportunities to pursue their passion. Following the completion of her graduate degree, Daphine plans to continue establishing herself as an advocate through her performance and an arts administrator for underserved and minority musicians, while continuing to inspire others through her love for music.

Avery Robinson

Omari Imhotep Adbdul-Alim

Violin

Omari Imhotep Abdul-Alim is an accomplished violinist and educator with a Master of Music in Violin Performance from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is a dedicated instructor with extensive experience teaching violin to a diverse range of students, from young children to adults, in both individual and group settings.

Omari has also contributed significantly as a violin instructor and orchestral strings coach at the Academy for Discovery at Lakewood, as a member of VSO's first inaugural class of African American Fellowship.

In addition to his teaching accomplishments, Omari has an extensive performance background. He has been a substitute with VSO, New World Symphony, Chicago Civic Orchestra, and Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera. For the last year Omari has been an active performer in the San Diego area, playing with Coronado Philharmonia Orchestra, Poway Symphony Orchestra, the City Ballet of San Diego, La Jolla Symphony Orchestra and as resident violinist at First Lutheran Church of San Diego.

Omari is committed to enriching our musical education and performance landscape through his expertise and passion for music.

Avery Robinson

Avery Robinson

Cello

Avery Robinson grew up in Western Massachusetts where he was influenced by his parents’ love for jazz music. At the age of 10 he started playing piano and began learning bass when he was 12 years old. As a young musician, Avery’s passion for jazz persisted however, as he became exposed to the wonderful sounds of the symphony, his musical passion grew to include a second genre: classical music. After joining his high school orchestra, his career path was set.

Avery has studied at many top music schools such as the Eastman School of Music, The Hartt School of Music, and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and has graduated with honors. His teachers include Rachel Calin, Albert Laszlo, and Robert Black. Avery has been a member of the Kentucky Symphony, and most recently, the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked as a substitute for the Amarillo Symphony and the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. In addition to his orchestral career, Avery is also an accomplished recitalist, having performed many solo and chamber recitals at various venues such as the Chautauqua Institution and at the “Classical Revolution” Series in Cincinnati. His love for performing with others shows in his expressive and sometimes fervent style of playing.

Avery has other passions in addition to music. Firstly, he is a huge art and history buff and loves to frequent museums and galleries whenever he can. He is also a lover of sports and an avid golfer.