(This article first appeared in the September print edition of the Hendersonian.)
The return of The Louisville Orchestra with featured performer Ben Sollee, a play featuring the timeless hits of one of country music’s “greats” and an interactive show showcasing the Fab Four are all part of the Henderson Area Arts Alliance’s 2024-25 season at Preston Arts Center.
“We really want to make sure we have something for everybody,” said Executive Director Kensington Eck, who has moved up to the organization’s lead role after working with patron services.
“We could have seven distinctly different audiences for our season this year,” she added. “We can’t wait to share it.”
The curtain time for most of the shows is 7:30 p.m., but this year’s featured Christmas show, “A Christmas Carol,” will be presented as a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Dec. 15.
Tickets for the season that opens in September and ends in April are still available, and single-event tickets also have gone on sale. The Louisville Orchestra concert is free, but tickets must be reserved.
Season packages (good for all six seven shows) are $231 for main floor seats, $190 for balcony seats or $140 for students. Single-show tickets prices vary by show.
Here is the HAAA season lineup in chronological order:
Sept. 26: Louisville Orchestra with special guest Ben Sollee
The orchestra is in its second year of the “In Harmony” tour which has taken the musicians all over the state to do performances and small-venue outreach.
Last fall when the orchestra came to town, they even performed a pop-up concert at The Perch pocket park with mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile leading the charge.
The tour is funded by a federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program for arts organization relief that has sent the Louisville Orchestra to dozens of Kentucky communities.
Tickets: Free.
Oct. 17: Voctave
This group is an 11-member a cappella ensemble known for its stunning cover versions of Disney and Broadway hits.
Single tickets: Main $45, balcony $40, students/group $25.
Nov. 9: “Always … Patsy Cline”
Featuring 27 of Patsy Cline’s biggest hits, including “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “I Fall To Pieces” and “Crazy,” the play is a timeless tale of friendship and great music.
In 1961, country music legend Cline met Louise Seger, a super fan from Houston, at a honky tonk. The two struck up a friendship that continued through letters until the singer’s tragic death in a plane crash two years later.
Single tickets: Main $45, balcony $40, students/group $25.
Dec. 15: “A Christmas Carol”
One of the greatest stories in the history of English literature, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” has become a family holiday tradition for many.
This powerful tale of redemption follows Ebenezer Scrooge on his epic journey from nasty curmudgeon to a benevolent member of his community and contains music, puppetry and special effects.
Single tickets: Main $45, balcony $40, students/group $25.
Feb. 7, 2025: Yesterday & Today
Billed as “the interactive Beatles experience,” the show is performed by brothers Billy, Matthew and Ryan McCuigan and their band which takes requests of Beatles’ songs for the act.
The audience decides the set list two minutes before showtime. Throughout the night, the band weaves the personal memories and stories of the audience and band members into the show.
Single tickets: Main $40, balcony $35, students/group $20.
March 23, 2025: TAKE3
The genre-defying trio brings a classical music background and fuses it with rock-star charisma. TAKE3’s light show, comedic stories of their journey from scales to pop music and their performance come together to create a memorable show.
Single tickets: Main $40, balcony $35, balcony or students/group $20.
April 3, 2025: Catapult
This troupe is a shadow dance company featured in Season 8 of “America’s Got Talent. The shadow dancers transform and contour their bodies producing seemingly impossible visuals on the stage backdrop.
Single tickets: Main $45, balcony $40, students/group $25.
You can purchase tickets:
• Online at haaa.org
• In-person at the Preston Arts Center box office which has returned to the lakeside entrance to the main lobby. It is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 12 noon Fridays. (On show nights, the front entrance to the arts center adjacent to the parking lot is also open for accessibility.)
• By phone at 270-826-5916
