Frostburg State University Announces 2026-2027 Cultural Events Series MainStage Season
Sep 3, 2026 11:00 AM
The Cultural Events Series at Frostburg State University will present its 2026-2027 MainStage season with professional arts events in genres of bluegrass, jazz, classical and Broadway music.
The season opens Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Frostburg Palace Theatre, 31 W. Main St., with the 21st annual Appalachian Festival Capstone Concert, featuring Grammy-nominated bluegrass icon Missy Raines performing with her band, Allegheny. Born in Cumberland, Md., and raised in Short Gap, W.Va., Raines is a 10-time International Bluegrass Music Association Bass Player of the Year whose career includes IBMA awards for Recorded Event of the Year and Song of the Year, inclusion in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s “American Currents” exhibit in 2019, and a Grand Ole Opry debut in 2020. This concert is presented in partnership with FSU Folklore and Folklife Programming.
Direct from the legendary stages of London’s West End, The Barricade Boys bring their “Broadway Party” tour to FSU’s Alice R. Manicur Assembly Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 7:30 p.m. Featuring leading men from “Les Misérables,” the quartet delivers high-energy vocals, tight harmonies and choreography while blending musical theater favorites with pop, rock and swing selections. Cast members have appeared in productions including “Mamma Mia!,” “Wicked,” “Billy Elliot” and “The Book of Mormon.”
The Maryland Symphony Orchestra returns to FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center Recital Hall on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m., with “Shakespeare in Symphony,’” conducted by Elizabeth Schulze. The program features orchestral works inspired by William Shakespeare’s plays, including Felix Mendelssohn’s Overture from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Pyotyr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Overture to “Hamlet,” William Walton’s Suite from “Henry V” and Sergei Prokofiev’s Suite from “Romeo and Juliet,” bringing drama, lyricism and sweeping emotion to the stage. This engagement is supported by the Community Trust Foundation’s Iris and Peter Halmos Community Fund and the Invest in Allegany County Fund; and by the FSU Foundation, Inc.
Jazz revivalists The Hot Sardines return to Frostburg with “Holiday Stomp,” a raucous, joy‑filled holiday celebration at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8, in the Pealer Recital Hall. Inspired by classic films such as “White Christmas” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the program bursts with vintage swing, rollicking rhythms and playful spirit, reimagining seasonal favorites like “White Christmas” and “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” alongside spirited tributes to jazz icons like Louis Armstrong, Edith Piaf and Duke Ellington.
On, Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m., acclaimed vocalist Antonia Bennett will bring an intimate Valentine’s concert to Loft 129, 129 Baltimore St., Cumberland, offering a special table-seated experience designed for a warm, up-close evening of music. The daughter of legendary singer Tony Bennett, Bennett is a rising force in contemporary jazz, blending reverence for the Great American Songbook with her own fresh, modern sensibility. An accomplished performer and songwriter, her repertoire pairs timeless standards with original works that feel equally classic and current.
On Wednesday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m., the U.S. Army Band's Brass Quintet and Woodwind Quintet will present a free concert in the Pealer Recital Hall. Since 1922, "Pershing's Own," the premier musical organization of the U.S. Army, has performed at significant national and international events, serving as a musical ambassador for the United States through exceptional musicianship and professionalism. Founded in 1972 and 1996, respectively, the Brass Quintet and Woodwind Quintet regularly perform at high-level military and civilian events, including appearances at the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon.
Haitian American vocalist and composer Tyreek McDole will perform Friday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Frostburg Palace Theatre. Winner of the 2023 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and the 2018 Outstanding Vocalist Award at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Competition, McDole is widely recognized as one of the most compelling young voices in jazz. With a warm baritone voice and a repertoire that blends jazz traditions with themes of unity, justice and ancestral memory, McDole brings a powerful and deeply expressive artistic vision to the stage. This engagement is made possible through the Jazz Touring Network program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tickets are available online and the box office is open for in-person and phone sales at the University Box Office in FSU’s Lane University Center, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about performances and supporting events like workshops, lectures and International Flavors programs, please visit the CES webpage at ces.frostburg.edu or contact the university box office at 301-687-3137.
CES is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org) and receives financial support from the Allegany Arts Council and the City of Frostburg.