Muse Blacksburg will be putting on their second annual performance on Friday, March 19 at 7 p.m. at the Lyric Theatre in Blacksburg. Muse: A Celebration of Women in the Arts is a collaboration of womens artistic talent in the New River Valley. Various female performers ranging from musicians, dancers and actresses make up Muse Blacksburg and join forces to put on a unique performance once a year.

Founders Danielle Donaldson, Jennifer Speiden and Heather Schaerer began Muse Blacksburg last year. What initially started as a small group of people wanting to promote the artists in the New River Valley has turned into an organization recognizing a broad spectrum of artistic genres.

As an organization consisting and produced completely by women, they chose to hold their event in March, in honor of Women’s History Month. Performers range in age from as young as 14 to 80 years old, and include a variety of different races and cultures.

Donaldson hopes that Muse Blacksburg will help to contribute to the arts destination of Blacksburg.

“Not only did we want to promote the arts in the New River Valley, we wanted to include more than just one type of art,” says Donaldson. “We try to have as many different acts and genres as possible to make it as interesting as possible for the audience, and ourselves,” she says.

Acts on board for this year include a fiction writer, an actress doing monologues, middle eastern dancing, hoop dancing, a cello duet, a woodwind trio, and a photographer with her work on display in the lobby, to name a few.

Auditions are held every year for performers hoping to participate in Muse, and women from all different artistic genres are encouraged to audition.

One of the talented artists scheduled to perform this Friday is local singer/songwriter Kat Mills. Mills, who describes herself as “folky,” is happy to be asked back to perform in her second Muse event. Aside from participating with Muse, Mills has two records under her belt and plays at local farmers markets, wineries, Floydfest, and the Steppin’ Out festival in Blacksburg. What she enjoys about performing with Muse is the opportunity to interact with such a wide variety of other musicians.

“One thing that makes it really fun for me and everyone involved is how the show is a group effort showcasing a whole bunch of artists in different mediums,” says Mills.

Mills is scheduled to sing three of her original songs at the show and is optimistic about the audience turnout. “I think it will be a great show with a variety of people there. We’re not just targeted at women or the college crowd – there’s something here for everyone,” says Mills.

The proceeds of Muse will benefit the Community Arts office in Blacksburg and raise money for future artistic performances in the New River Valley.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and are available through the Lyric Theatre box office. 

For more information on how to get involved with Muse Blacksburg or audition as a performer please visit their Web site at MuseBlacksburg.com.

Elise Chretien is an intern for the New River Voice and a journalism student at Virginia Tech.