CHIPOLA ARTIST SERIES ANNOUNCES THE 2025-2026 SEASON

The 2025-2026 season promises to be an exciting line-up of great entertainment for all ages opening August 26, 2025 with EMILY ANN THOMPSON. From fast, high-energy jigs and reels to captivating airs, ballads, upbeat songs and sea shanties, Emily Ann Thompson and her husband Kelly Thompson take the audience on a musical and educational journey through the Celtic lands. Emily performs traditional Irish, Scottish, and Canadian fiddle tunes, sings in English and Irish Gaelic, and clogs while fiddling. Kelly joins her on guitar, percussion, and vocals. Emily’s brilliant fiddling with foot percussion, and her sweet, lilting voice combined with Kelly’s driving rhythmic guitar and rich vocals create a diverse and highly entertaining combination.
Emily Ann Thompson began playing classical violin at age 11 and by the age of 17 she was performing professionally. She received her B.A. in Music from Butler University in 1999. Immediately upon graduating she immersed herself in studying and performing rock, Celtic and American fiddling, jazz and Parisian swing. She also continued to perform as a classical violinist in numerous symphonies and ensembles throughout Indiana, Illinois, and Florida, recently including the Southwest Florida Symphony and the Gulf Coast Symphony. Emily has been a featured Celtic fiddle and classical soloist with several orchestras and ensembles throughout the United States. In addition, she has been a solo recording artist in classical, Celtic, and rock genres. Emily Ann and her husband Kelly first began performing together in a Christian folk/rock band where they met in 1998. Kelly later joined Emily in performing Celtic music in 2009. Since then, they have mostly performed as a duo. To follow both Emily Ann and Kelly, visit emilyannthompson.com
Get ready to be amazed by MAGIC SHADOWS BY CATAPULT, a breathtaking Shadow Illusion show that captivated audiences as finalists on America's Got Talent on November 20, 2025. This incredible act has since toured worldwide, leaving audiences in awe from the U.S. to Europe and Asia. Magic Shadows is an extraordinary mix of dance, theater, acrobatics, illusion, and storytelling. Their stunning visuals, heartfelt performances, and mind-blowing athleticism, transport audiences into magical worlds created with nothing but light and the human body. This show is a visual feast that enchants kids and adults alike!
Magic Shadows by Catapult’s creator, Adam Battelstein, has worked as a dancer, actor, choreographer and writer for the past 25+ years. In addition to a half dozen Television commercials, he has appeared on Good Morning America, Late Nite with Conan O Brien, The Ellen Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show and the 2007 Academy Awards. He spent 19 years working for Pilobolus Dance Theater where he served as a performer, choreographer, Creative Director and Master Teaching Artist. He taught residencies and workshops for Pilobolus in urban and suburban schools and colleges all over America. He has made a dozen appearances at the Joyce Theater and soloed live at Carnegie Hall. He was noted by The New York Times for his "comic genius," and has been described as a "master clown disguised as a dancer."
Don’t miss your chance to witness this one-of-a-kind experience audiences rave about. Magic Shadows is more than just a performance—it’s a journey into the extraordinary.
The season rounds out on January 16, 2026 with WILLIAMSON BRANCH. When it comes to music, there's a closeness among family members that cannot be overstated. Harmonies are sweeter, rhythms are tighter, and emotions are heightened. For Williamson Branch, music and family have been melding for three generations. Despite a varied background that incorporates bluegrass, country, gospel and dance, this family band are traditionalists in every sense, carrying on a sound that springs from the very roots those archival styles imply.
They garnered the award for Valley Star Family Vocal Group of the Year while Melody Williamson was recognized as the International Bluegrass Music Association's Momentum Vocalist of the Year in 2020. Since their formation in 2014 Williamson Branch has appeared on hundreds of stages including, The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Bluegrass First Class in Asheville, NC, Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival, Brunswick, ME, The Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards, Bill Gaither's Fall Homecoming, and Guy Penrod's Gospel Music Showcase. Learn more at www.williamsonbranch.com
Season tickets go on sale Aug. 20. Season tickets—$50—are a bargain price when compared to sister institutions where prices are double or triple this amount. Season ticket holders receive reserved seating renewal privileges for the next season. Patrons who are renewing their season tickets may contact the Box Office beginning Aug. 20.
Single event ticket prices this year are $20 for adults, $10 for children under 18, and $5 for Âé¶¹´«Ã½ students and employees. Single event tickets go on sale Aug. 20.
For more information, call the Center for the Arts Box Office at 850-718-2420 or visit www.chipola.edu/boxoffice. The Box Office will open for the Fall Semester on Wednesday, Aug. 20. Box Office hours are Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Box Office is closed on Fridays and all college holidays.