In the fall of 2026, God willing and the creek don’t rise, the glorious, layered sounds of a full symphony orchestra, or the next Beyoncé for that matter, will fill the auditorium of the new Lancaster High School in Kilmarnock. Those sounds have been building for some time, composed of many quieter moments: moments of exhilaration, self-discovery, grueling practice and careful planning.
There are the ongoing meetings between architects from VMDO, sound and lighting engineers, school officials, and staff and volunteers from the Rappahannock Foundation for the Arts (RFA), a nonprofit that has been bringing world-renowned music, dance and comedy to the Northern Neck for 33 years.
Left to right: Lancaster County Superintendent Jessica Davis, RFA President Jamie Tucker, and RFA Office Administrator Donna McGrath are jumping for joy about the new Lancaster High School auditorium. | Corey Miller Photo
“When the school system asked us for feedback on plans for the new auditorium, we responded wholeheartedly,” said Jamie Tucker, RFA president. The RFA quickly launched a $450,000 capital campaign to help create a first-class performing arts venue, equipped with current LED stage lighting, a state-of-the-art soundboard, speakers and backdrop projection technologies.
For Jessica Davis, teacher, principal and now superintendent of Lancaster County Public Schools, the moment was perfect.
“Our community takes a lot of pride in the arts and we are so fortunate that not only do our residents from Lancaster County and surrounding counties benefit from that, but our students always have as well,” Davis said. “I began my educational career in Lancaster County in 1997 and ever since I can remember, my students along with my own children have been exposed to wonderful theater experiences in the elementary school auditorium thanks to the RFA and other community foundations. Having a larger auditorium at the new high school will provide not only additional levels of performances, but also a beautiful space for our community to come together.”
Elementary and middle school students have seen an adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” “Folk Tales from the Latin Ballet of Virginia” and “First in Flight: The Story of the Wright Brothers.” RFA’s Arts for Youth Program emphasizes programming that ties into the curriculum and introduces students to myriad artistic genres such as musical productions, dramatic presentations, jazz, puppetry and magic.
There was magic, too, in the silent moment a shy second-grade boy successfully spun a plate on a stick, smiling as wide as the stage before the audience of his peers erupted in cheers and applause.
The kids were enthusiastic participants when they joined the Latin Ballet of Virginia on stage.
RFA receives grant monies from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts to support school performances. RFA also receives three local grants to support the Arts for Youth Program: from the River Counties Community Foundation, the Tidewater Foundation and the S. Mason & Lulu P. Cole Charitable Trust Fund.
For Kenny Flester there was a moment that came soon after he joined the band at Lancaster Intermediate School in 1981.
“I was asked to work with a fellow saxophone player to help him learn how to play a part. I did, and he played it correctly. That was the spark that led me to become a music teacher,” he said. Today Flester teaches high school woodwinds, brass and percussion and serves as director of the Lancaster High School Red Devil Band.
“A lot of the concepts that students don’t even realize they are learning because they are caught up in the joy of making music—listening to, responding to and supporting each other, teamwork, responsibility, discipline, focus, the list goes on and on—they can apply to whatever they wind up doing in the future.”
Michelle Giese, an RFA board member and donor to the capital campaign, attended Lancaster County Public Schools, as did her husband, her daughter and her parents, both of whom were born and raised in Lively. For her, the moments included performing music amid random distractions.
“We used to always have band and choral classes at Lancaster, but not having an auditorium at the high school we had to utilize the space in the commons for concerts,” said Giese. “I feel the new auditorium will enhance the students’ arts education experiences by offering a space for them to showcase their talents and develop their skills for the arts.”
Jim Arrison, RFA board member and campaign chair, would certainly agree. “Lancaster High has outstanding student athletes. It will be terrific to also enable our young people to excel in the arts with a venue that can provide those educational and performance experiences,” he said. “The new auditorium will help remedy that.”
“The school will need our contribution long before it opens in 2026,” he added. “Jamie and I are confident that we will reach our goal of $450,000 by the end of June 2025, when the campaign concludes. We are roughly half way. But we need your help to get there.”
Another telling moment came in the elementary school auditorium when a fourth-grade girl asked a professional actor a follow-up question and then another during an audience chat. The actor responded, “Those are great questions. No one’s ever asked me that before.”
For donors Steve Decker and Deborah Davis, the moment came recently when they heard about the RFA capital campaign.
“We both grew up attending theater, opera, ballet and the symphony,” said Decker. “Deb played piano and I was a student of piano, pipe organ, saxophone and percussion. Making and enjoying music of all kinds brings us joy. We appreciate the opportunity to support the RFA programs and contribute to a great environment for the arts in the Northern Neck.”
In October 1993, RFA’s On Stage premiere season opened with a performance by the Virginia Symphony. Since that time, the RFA has presented more than 170 On Stage productions to the community. The current roster includes Grammy-winning musicians as well as rising stars from Virginia. Patrons only need to drive to Kilmarnock to see productions that appear in Richmond, at Wolftrap or in New York. Performers have included the Steep Canyon Rangers, The Kingston Trio, José Feliciano, Alvin Ailey Dancers, Seldom Scene and Judy Collins.
RFA’s impact has been greatly enhanced by the ongoing contributions of its Season Sponsors Chesapeake Bank and Chesapeake Wealth Management; Series Sponsors Lighthouse Real Estate, Inc. and Susan G. Moenssens, Attorney at Law; and Program Sponsors Tri-Star Supermarket, Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury, Two Rivers Communications and Sebra Corporation.
In 2018, the Virginia Commission for the Arts recognized the RFA for its critical role in promoting the arts in Virginia, naming it as a “Bedrock Institution.” The award cites RFA for benefiting the economic health and tourism in the community, exhibiting artistic excellence, celebrating diversity and showcasing Virginia as a cultural destination.
Those efforts include working with and contributing to some 20 groups over the years, from galleries, schools and museums to Etudes Ballet School, RAL Art Center, Rappahannock Concert Association Strings Crewe, The Lancaster Players and Northern Neck Orchestra. Several of them will benefit directly from the new auditorium space, gaining a better venue for performances with increased and more accessible seating, a larger stage, modern technology and adaptable acoustics.
Artist’s rendering of the 600-plus-seat auditorium in the new Lancaster High School in Kilmarnock.
There are also quiet moments backstage. When a symphony orchestra visits, for a brief minute the only sound is the humming of timpani drums being guided out of their giant housings by their struts, the gleaming drums vibrating like new cars rolling onto a salesroom floor.
There is the moment a stiff stagehand looks up and remembers running a carbon arc spotlight for a midwestern high school production of the Broadway musical “Guys and Dolls.” He again feels the thrill of the thunderous standing ovation, which washed over the bowing actors—his friends—and rose to the roof, rattling the catwalk.
“The theater we are building together will be a valuable community asset, a multigenerational center for education and inspiration for our young people,” said Tucker. “We recognize and thank everyone who has contributed to our campaign, with gifts both large and small, and hope others will be inspired to support our goal to provide quality arts programming. The need is still there.”
To donate by credit card, go to https://rappahannockfoundation.org/pages/capital-campaign.php. You can also pay by credit card by calling Donna McGrath, RFA office administrator, at 804-438-5555 or by mailing a check to RFA Capital Campaign, PO Box 459, Kilmarnock, Virginia 22482. If you prefer to discuss your contribution face-to-face, please contact Jim Arrison at 703-303-3976. RFA, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law.