Bruce Hornsby

Virginia Arts Festival

The Noisemakers

Headlining the Thursday June 25 evening will be multi-Grammy Award winners Melissa Etheridge & Wynonna Judd, who bring their powerhouse voices and guitar-driven hits to Virginia Arts Festival for the first time. Award-winning rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Melissa Etheridge stormed the rock world with her confessional songwriting and unmistakable rasp on classics like “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One,” and she returns with new music from her new album Rise (2026). Five-time Grammy winner Wynonna Judd first rose to fame as half of the legendary duo The Judds before launching a chart-topping solo career packed with country anthems including “No One Else on Earth” and “To Be Loved by You.”

Melissa Etheridge & Wynonna Judd

The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg

Experience a taste of New Orleans with jazz/funk icons Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with special guest Dumpstaphunk. Born Troy Andrews, Grammy-winner Trombone Shorty got his nickname and start in music earlier than most, making his New Orleans Jazz Fest debut at just four years old alongside Bo Diddley and leading his own brass band by six. A prodigy turned powerhouse, he has since grown into one of the most electrifying performers in music today. Whether headlining festivals, lighting up TV stages or captivating arenas worldwide he’s a magnetic showman with unmatched talent on the horn.

Dumpstaphunk has cemented its reputation as one of the most respected New Orleans musical institutions. Ivan Neville (keyboards, vocals) and Ian Neville (guitar), the sons of Aaron Neville and Art “Poppa Funk” Neville respectively, alongside original member Tony Hall (bass, guitar, vocals) have built upon their iconic NOLA legacy to become the city’s pre-eminent 21st-century funk-fusion export.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

Virginia Arts Festival is pleased to announce Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, with special guest Theo Lawrence, will join the Williamsburg Live four-day weekend in June 2026. 
For nearly four decades, Alison Krauss & Union Station have upheld their legacy as one of the most influential and widely celebrated acts in bluegrass and roots music. Known for an immaculately crafted but endlessly surprising sound that transcends the boundaries of roots, country, rock & roll, and pop, Alison Krauss & Union Station released their highly anticipated new album, Arcadia, in 2025. This marked their first studio album since the 2011 masterpiece Paper Airplane—a critically lauded, multiple Grammy Award winning LP that debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country, Bluegrass, and Folk Album charts. Over the years, Alison Krauss & Union Station have brought their phenomenal live show to sold-out performances at famed venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre, The Greek Theatre, Radio City Music Hall, and London’s Royal Festival Hall, in addition to supporting Paul Simon in Hyde Park for his 2012 Graceland reunion. They now continue the celebration of their new music with the Arcadia 2026 Tour.
The players – Alison Krauss (fiddle, lead vocal), Jerry Douglas (Dobro, lap steel, vocals), Ron Block (banjo, guitar, vocals), Barry Bales (bass, vocals), and welcoming highly acclaimed and celebrated tenor vocalist Russell Moore (guitar, mandolin, lead vocal) as the newest member – are five distinct personalities, each of whom enjoys a flourishing solo career. But when they come together, they transform into a peerless group of musicians who share a singular focus.
Williamsburg Live, located on the Lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, is expanding in 2026 to a four-day weekend with the addition of a Thursday night performance.

Alison Krauss & Union Station

Grace Potter is a trailblazing, passionate artist who for 20 years has sold out tours, released critically acclaimed records, and collaborated with rock royalty like the Rolling Stones, Robert Plant, Bonnie Raitt, Iggy Pop, and many more. Potter’s soul-baring songs of longing, lust and self-salvation strike at the hearts of listeners, in performances that make you lean in, holding your breath for the next revelation.

Grace Potter

Hampton Roads(Williamsburg) native Bruce Hornsby first captivated music lovers worldwide in 1986 with his iconic hit “The Way It Is.” Renowned for his masterful songwriting, virtuosic piano work, and fearless exploration across rock, folk, jazz, and classical traditions, Hornsby has built a career defined by evolution and collaboration. He has worked with an extraordinary range of artists, including Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley, and Ricky Skaggs.

In concert, Hornsby’s songs stretch and transform in real time, shaped by bold improvisation, shifting rhythms, and intuitive interplay with his band, The Noisemakers, who build a richly layered sound around his piano as the anchor. This performance will span highlights from throughout his storied career and feature new music from his forthcoming album Indigo Park, arriving April 3, 2026. Don’t miss this electrifying evening of inspired musicianship, inventive improvisation, and hometown pride.

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers