The Brooks Center announces 32nd season featuring returning favorites and new visiting artists
May 19, 2026
The upcoming year will include a varied roster of performances.
The Brooks Center for the Performing Arts has released its 32nd season, bringing the best in music, dance and theatre to Clemson’s campus.
“The 2026-2027 season is an expression of the Brooks Center’s mission to serve the Department of Performing Arts, the University and our local community,” said Executive Director Catherine Hughes. “As a team, we have assembled a group of remarkable touring artists who will engage the entire Clemson community, who will bring the joy of performance to local students and who will delight and entertain all audiences.”
The upcoming year will include a varied roster of performances for the Boni Belle Brooks Series, including Omnium Circus, The Doo Wop Project and Dudok Quartet Amsterdam, all first-time visitors, as well as the return of Charlotte Ballet, the Reduced Shakespeare Company and Natalie MacMaster. The 40th anniversary season of the Utsey Chamber Music Series will highlight emerging artists, the renowned Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and a special performance by Brooks Center Director Emerita Lillian Harder. The 2026–2027 season also marks the return of the Family Series, presenting weekend matinees of family-friendly shows throughout the year.
Supporters who have made a gift to the Friends of the Brooks Center between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, will have early access to season tickets. Visit the Brooks Center’s website to make a gift and learn how to order tickets. Single tickets will be available to the public beginning Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
The Brooks Center’s dedication to serving audiences of all ages continues with many opportunities for children to access the performing arts. The beloved Bill and Donna Eskridge Tri-ART Series, which presents morning performances to local schools and homeschool families, is expanding this year with the “Tri-ART on Tour” initiative. For “Tri-ART on Tour,” four visiting companies will travel to local schools to engage students where they are.
The Brooks Center also serves as the home of the Clemson University Department of Performing Arts, where annual audience favorites return this season, including Sounds of the Season featuring the Clemson University Choirs and the Silent Film Concert presented by the Clemson University Symphony and String Orchestras. A special concert celebrating America 250 will also be a highlight. The Clemson Players, along with the student jazz band, concert band, symphonic band and a cappella groups, will also take the stage.
For more information and the full season lineup, visit clemson.edu/brooks or follow the Brooks Center on social media @brookscentercu.
Boni Belle Brooks Series
Omnium Circus presents I’mPossible
September 17, 2026
Omnium Circus is a world-renowned, comprehensively inclusive and accessible circus company bringing excitement, thrills and joy to people of all ages as only a circus can! Step into a world of all things possible, where we discover the power, the passion and the perseverance of the human spirit within each one of us!
American Patchwork Quartet
September 24, 2026
A 2024 GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble, American Patchwork Quartet is on a mission to reclaim the immigrant soul of American Roots Music. Comprised of four highly acclaimed artists, American Patchwork Quartet showcases the dynamic diversity of contemporary culture by reimagining timeless songs from America’s past.
The Music Man
October 13, 2026
Meredith Willson’s timeless, six-time Tony Award® winning musical comedy, The Music Man, follows a notorious, fast-talking traveling salesman as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band that he vows to organize. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian Paroo, the local librarian.
Charlotte Ballet
Whispers, Echoes, Voices
October 29, 2026
Charlotte Ballet presents a mixed repertory, contemporary program featuring choreographers Jiří Kylián, Crystal Pite, and Mthuthuzeli November.
The Doo Wop Project
A Doo Wop Christmas
December 8, 2026
The Doo Wop Project will get everyone into the holiday spirit with old school classics like The Drifters’ “White Christmas,” The Temptations’ “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons’ version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” and with “Doowopified” contemporary hits like “This Christmas” and “Last Christmas.”
Robert Sims, baritone
January 21, 2027
Robert Sims is an acclaimed lyric baritone renowned for his rich, resonant voice and captivating stage presence. Recognized internationally for his artistry, Sims has earned particular praise for his interpretations of African American spirituals and concert repertoire. He has graced prestigious American venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, and major concert halls across Europe and Asia.
Reduced Shakespeare Company
All the Great Books (abridged)
January 29, 2027
Confused by Confucius? Thoroughly thrown by Thoreau? Wish Swift was swifter? Tennyson tinier? Then buckle up and hop aboard as the three cultural guerrillas of the Reduced Shakespeare Company zip through everything you didn’t get around to reading in school.
Dudok Quartet Amsterdam
Self-Portrait
February 9, 2027
Inspired by Dutch painters from three epochs, this program merges visual arts and live music to examine identity and expression across centuries. Divided into three thematic sections, the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam invites audiences on a journey through inner reflection, collective identity, and future perspectives.
Step Afrika!
The Evolution Tour
March 4, 2027
Step Afrika!’s The Evolution Tour is an electrifying production that fuses groundbreaking step choreography with the vibrant soundscape of a live DJ. As the world’s leading authority on the art form of stepping, Step Afrika! pushes the boundaries of stepping, blending tradition with innovation to create an unforgettable, high-energy experience.
Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy
Four on the Floor
April 1, 2027
Canada’s internationally renowned virtuoso fiddlers, Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy, take their music to new heights with an all-new show. Bursting onto the music scene with exuberant youthful mastery, their two eldest children, Mary Frances and Michael Leahy, join their parents for an evening of musical magic.
Utsey Chamber Music Series
Cerus Quartet
September 3, 2026
The Cerus Quartet is emerging as one of the most compelling chamber ensembles of its generation. With repertoire spanning contemporary compositions and transcriptions of classical masterworks, the quartet seeks to establish the saxophone quartet as a leading voice in 21st-century classical music. The quartet was recently named the winner of the 2025 Concert Artists Guild Competition.
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
American Soundscapes
October 6, 2026
Celebrating the rich voices of American composers, 13 musicians from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center perform a program spanning playful energy, lyrical beauty, and cinematic suspense. Featuring works by William Bolcom, Amy Beach, Bernard Herrmann, and Aaron Copland, the concert concludes with Copland’s beloved Appalachian Spring Suite, a portrait of hope and optimism on the American frontier.
Lun Li, violin
January 12, 2027
Award-winning violinist Lun Li brings his dynamic artistry to the Brooks Center for an evening of solo and chamber works, including music by Bach and Tessa Lark. In the second half of the program, he will be joined by Brooks Center Director Emerita Lillian Harder for César Franck’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major.
Isidore String Quartet in performance with cellist Sterling Elliott
March 11, 2027
The Isidore String Quartet, winner of the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition and a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, joins acclaimed cellist Sterling Elliott for an evening of chamber music featuring Franz Schubert’s monumental C Major Quintet. The program also includes a work by Billy Childs.
Family Series
What Do You Do With a Problem?
September 27, 2026
What Do You Do With a Problem? is a powerful story for all ages about a child facing a persistent problem, adapted from the #1 New York Times bestseller by Kobi Yamada. This production is created and produced by Inlet Dance Theatre, a Cleveland-based contemporary dance company with roots in modern dance led by founder and executive director Bill Wade.
Paperhand Puppet Project
A World of Wonder!
January 24, 2027
A whimsical, interactive showcase of creatures and characters from Paperhand Puppet Project’s 26-year history, celebrating the wild wisdom of our world. Meet a myriad of magical, grand, oversized animals, all made at Paperhand Studio in Saxapahaw, NC.
Birds of a Feather
May 15, 2027
It’s a beautiful day when Fiddle, an adventurous camper, and Beeker, a reserved bird watcher, meet in a park. Together, the two quickly discover how to share the outdoor space. Written by Joshua Rashon Streeter, directed by Sarah Edison, this outdoor play will be presented at the South Carolina Botanical Garden.
