NCC's Virtual Performance Series

The North Central College Fine & Performing Arts launches its 2020-2021 Virtual Performance Series! Running through May, the virtual event lineup includes a variety of artists from road warriors The Hit Men to a cappella-sensation Naturally 7 to actor Robert Neary in “So Good: The Neil Diamond Experience” and more. These performances are provided free of charge.

Langston Hughes Project: Ask Your Mama (12 Moods for Jazz)     Thursday, February 4 at 7:00 pm

The Langston Hughes Project is a multimedia concert performance of Langston Hughes’ kaleidoscopic jazz poem suite titled, Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz. This is Hughes’ homage in verse and music to the struggle for artistic and social freedom at home and abroad at the beginning of the 1960s. Click here to register.

Mojo and the Bayou Gypsies     Thursday, February 11 at 7:00 pm

From the Looziana Bayous, where the alligators got soul and the good times roll, comes Mojo & The Bayou Gypsies, a charismatic 6-piece troupe of near-mad musical provocateurs, performing a thrilling crescendo of Cajun accordion, fiddle, rubboards, electrifying drums and more. Mister Mojo’s original toe-tappin’, finger snappin’ Louisiana music, certified by the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, tells stories – all about friends, family, events in their lives, and the good things in life that money just can’t buy. Click here to register.

Naturally 7    Thursday, February 25 at 7:00 pm

Certain experiences burn themselves in your memory from the very first encounter. The jaw-dropping audio pyrotechnics that Naturally 7 put on display every night absolutely belong in that category. “A capella group” so vastly underplays what they create onstage that they had to coin a phrase – “Vocal Play” – to more accurately depict what they do. Naturally 7 is more than a tightly orchestrated collection of great singers. They transform their voices into actual human instruments, effortlessly producing music of any genre. Click here to register.

Red Hot Chili Pipers     Thursday, March 11 at 7:00 pm

It’s The Red Hot Chilli PIPERS – (NOT the Peppers!) – a 9-piece ensemble consisting of pipers, guitarists, keyboards, and drummers – who have been rocking the world from New York to Beijing to Melbourne and everywhere in between with musicianship of the highest order and a passion for pipes that will leave you breathless.  The band has four music degrees from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and all the pipers and drummers have played at the top level in bagpiping. Click here to register.

Lee Rocker of the Stray Cats    Thursday, March 25 at 7:00 pm

Lee Rocker made his mark singing, playing, standing on, spinning and rocking his giant upright bass as a founding member (along with Brian Setzer and Slim Jim Phantom) of the Grammy nominated music group The Stray Cats, who sold over 10 million albums and garnered 23 gold and platinum certified records worldwide. Come hear Lee and his band perform Stray Cats hits like “Sexy and Seventeen”, “Stray Cat Strut” and “Rock This Town”, plus lots of other rockin’ songs Lee performed post-Stray Cats with music legends from Ringo Starr and George Harrison to John Fogerty and The Rolling Stones. Click here to register.

The Sharpe Family Singers    Thursday,  April 8 at 7:00 pm

A Broadway Musical Love Affair featuring the real married stars of Les Miserables and their real-life family. Broadway performers and producers Ron and Barbara Sharpe first met onstage in the original Broadway production of Les Miserables, where they played the romantic lead roles of Marius and Cosette. After being married onstage over 1000 times they decided to do it for real! Now years later with two grown children and three “adopted” family members (the boyfriend, the best friend, and the lovable uncle) this group has formed The Sharpe Family Singers to bring their love affair with Broadway to stages across America. Click here to register.

Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra     Thursday, April 22 at 7:00 pm

The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra is a thrilling 11-piece salsa group which plays dynamic, dura arrangements of indie rock tunes we love. This is innovative, astonishing salsa with a new, vibrant aesthetic. With an ever-evolving set list that includes songs by Arcade Fire, TV On The Radio, The Black Keys, and many more, the WSO has taken the typical salsa form and infused it with a completely modern identity. The explosive arrangements have established the band as a groundbreaking force in the New York underground, and has led to international acclaim for its completely new approach to the genre. Click here to register.

Robert Neary “So Good: The Neil Diamond Experience”     Thursday, May 6 at 7:00 pm

Robert Neary gained immediate success as an actor after moving to Los Angeles when he was 20 years old, with a guest star role in the Television series “Fame” and in the film, “Teen Wolf Too”.  After a 2-year stint on “General Hospital,” as Officer Frank Marino, Neary moved to Nashville to pursue Contemporary Gospel music. He recorded 2 solo projects before returning to LA and his first love of acting. He has since gone on to guest star in over 50 television shows, including “Criminal Minds”, “Sons of Anarchy”, “The Closer”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, ” Blue Bloods”, “Justified”, “The Fosters”, “FBI: Most Wanted”, “Weeds”, “Medium” “NCIS” and “NCIS New Orleans”. He has also done over 25 national commercials and motion pictures, most recently, “Escape at Dannemora” on Showtime. Click here to register.