This summer’s Artown celebration is getting close to wrapping up, but Northern Nevada arts events and performances continue throughout August, including Shakespeare and bluegrass festivals, classical music concerts at Lake Tahoe, and classic rock during Hot August Nights.
Hot August Nights is celebrating 35 years of classic cars and music, with rock legends scheduled to headline the week-long festival, Aug. 1-7. Both the headline acts presented Aug. 2-6, and other performances are free at outdoor venues throughout the Truckee Meadows and Virginia City.
Shows are scheduled at the Nugget Event Center in Sparks, with headline acts at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno. The headliners begin with Kraig Parker as Elvis, backed up by the 10-piece Royal Tribute Band, on Tuesday, Aug. 2. Blood, Sweat and Tears hits the stage on Aug. 3, with Blue Oyster Cult scheduled on Aug. 4. The festival features Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas on Aug. 5, and KC and the Sunshine Band on Aug. 6.
A full schedule of HAN events and entertainment can be found online here.
The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival continues Aug. 1-6 at Sand Harbor with performances of one of the Bard’s most-loved comedies, Much Ado About Nothing, and the modern musical Mamma Mia! Matinees and evening performances of both works are offered, with details and tickets available online.
At Sand Harbor on Monday, Aug. 1, at 7:30 p.m., the Reno Jazz Orchestra’s 17-piece band will present the chart-topping tunes of Stevie Wonder and Tina Turner, featuring guest vocalists Stephanya Barranti and Cliff Porter. The concert features vintage pop, soul, rock, jazz, funk, and rhythm and blues music under the stars.
Deborah Levoy at the Art Museum
On Friday, Aug. 19, the Nevada Museum of Art will present Deborah Levoy: Soulful Songs Inspired by Wild Places in the Sky Room on the top floor of the museum.
Inspired by wild places, Levoy’s songs weave folk, jazz and soul into a style that is uniquely “exceptional, resonant, and passionate,” according to the SF Weekly. With a poet’s love of language and an expressive voice that can “soar and scat, get folky and funky” (Daily Hampshire Gazette), Levoy’s performances leap from delicate to fierce, from plaintive to joyful, all within the space of a song.
Levoy will be backed up by Doug Pohorski on acoustic bass and Jeff Goodkind on piano. Tickets are available online. The cost is $20 for general admission; $15 for members. The doors open at 6 p.m., with the performance starting at 7 p.m. It’s part of “UPSTAGE: A Literary and Performing Art Series,” supported by the Nightingale Family Foundation and the Williams Foundation.
Bluegrass Festival at Bowers
The Northern Nevada Bluegrass Association’s 36th Annual Bowers Mansion Bluegrass Festival kicks off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug 19, with a free Friday night show, featuring Little City String Band. Tickets aren’t required, but donations will be accepted. The event also hosts a free Sunday morning gospel music show, featuring Sunday Go To Meetin’, which starts at 10 a.m. at the amphitheater in Davis Creek Regional Park, one mile north of Bowers Mansion.
The festival continues Aug. 20-21 on the main stage at Bowers Mansion, with a host of bluegrass bands, including the NNBA Monday Night Volunteers, Front Porch, The Notables, Sage Creek, Cryin’ Uncle, Central Valley Boys and the Kathy Kallick Band. The cost is $40 per day. Tickets for those acts are available online.
Bowers Mansion, a state historic site, is located at 4005 Bowers Mansion Road in New Washoe City.
Back in Reno, Dragon Lights continues until Friday, Aug. 12 at the Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Garden in Rancho San Rafael Park with all-new lantern displays. The 42 larger-than-life lantern sculptures, made of steel, fabric and thousands of LED lights, transform the arboretum into a luminous wonderland.