Time to enjoy a new arts season: The Magic City offers lots for lovers of art, music, dance and theater

With a population of about 210,000, Birmingham is not a huge city but offers lots of diversions for lovers of the arts.

With summer over and the beginning of the cultural season upon us, Iron City Ink thought it timely to offer the following rundown of some of the leading arts venues and organizations in the city limits and note a few highlights from the upcoming year.

THE ALYS

The 2019-20 season at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center at UAB offers nearly 25 events, including dance, music, puppetry and the annual outdoor LOCAL festival. Highlights include “Taj Express: The Bollywood Revue” on Oct. 28 and “Hip Hop Nutcracker” on Dec. 10. 975-2787. alysstephens.org.

MUSIC

The Alabama Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Carlos Izcaray, has more than 30 performances scheduled. Highlights include the opening Masterworks concert at the Alys Stephens Center, featuring pianist Yakov Kasman, Oct. 4-5. 975-2787. alabamasymphony.org.

Opera Birmingham, has five events scheduled, including its 42nd annual vocal competition in May 2020. The company will present “Independence Eve,” a new one-act opera exploring race relations in America, in January at the RMTC Cabaret Theatre downtown. 322-6737. operabirmingham.org.

Some of Birmingham’s churches, such as the Cathedral Church of the Advent downtown, present live music. As part of its Cathedral Concert Series, the Advent will present Paolo Bordignon of the New York Philharmonic, who will perform on the church’s new harpsichord, Sept. 27. Admission is free. The church also offers its Midday Music series. 226-3505. adventbirmingham.org.

Independent Presbyterian Church in Highland Park presents its annual Organ Recital Series, with acclaimed visiting musicians offering free concerts each Sunday in November. 933-1830. ipc-usa.org.

THEATRE

Virginia Samford Theatre, located at Caldwell Park, will present a dozen shows, including “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” Sept. 19-Oct.6, and “Cabaret,” Jan. 23-Feb. 9, 2020. 251-1228. virginiasamfordtheatre.org.

The Tony Award-winning Red Mountain Theatre Company, founded in 1979, will perform in its RMTC Cabaret Theatre, at 301 19th St. N., and at the Alabama School of Fine Arts downtown. Highlights include “The Gershwins’ Porgy And Bess” and “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.” 324-2424. redmountaintheatre.org.

Terrific New Theatre, located at Pepper Place, is in its 34th year. The 2019-20 season will include “The Story of My Life,” a musical about a lifelong friendship, from Oct. 3-19. 328-0868. terrific newtheatre.com.

Birmingham Festival Theatre has been a Five Points South fixture since 1973. Last season, BFT presented such shows as the Robert Anderson classic, “Tea and Sympathy,” and “The Mountaintop,” a play about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At press time, BFT was still finalizing its 2019-20 schedule. 933-2383. bftonline.org.

Theatre Downtown, at 2410 Fifth Ave. S., presents the Alabama premiere of a “noir-thriller” musical by Adam Szymkowicz called “Clown Bar,” Sept. 19-Oct. 5. The 2019-2020 season kicks off with “Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play,” set after a near-future apocalypse, Nov. 8-23 565-8838. theatredowntown.org

Theatre UAB will present five shows at the Alys Stephens Center. The season will kick off with a blast from the 1960s with “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical” Oct. 16-19. 934-3236. uab.edu/cas/theatre

Birmingham Children’s Theatre will present four main stage productions at the BJCC this season, including “The Watsons Go To Birmingham” — the story of an African-American family visiting Birmingham in 1963 — Sept. 28-29 and Oct. 12-13. 458-8181. bct123.org.

DANCE

The new season for the Alabama Ballet, the state’s premiere professional ballet company, will include three productions at the BJCC Concert Hall — “Blue Suede Shoes,” Oct.5-6; “Romeo and Juliet,” March 13-14; and “Ovation,” May 1-3. 322-4300. alabamaballet.org.

VISUAL ART

The Birmingham Museum of Art at 2000 Rev. Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd. downtown is one of the city’s cultural gems, and admission is free. “Barbie: Dreaming of a Female Future,” a critical look at Barbie on her 60th anniversary, is on display through Jan. 26, 2020. 254-2565. artsbma.org.

The Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, since it opened at UAB in 2014, has hosted such artists as Irene Grau, David Sandlin and Jessica Angel. A show of paintings by Birmingham native Mary Frances Whitfield remains on view at AEIVA through Nov. 23. 975-6436. uab.edu/cas/aeiva.

Artwalk returns to the Loft District downtown Sept. 6-7. The free event features more than 100 artists, music, food and children’s activities. birminghamartwalk.org

Art Crawl is held the first Thursday of each month at The Pizitz downtown and gives artists the chance to sell their wares. birminghamartcrawl.com

Magic City Art Connection fills Linn Park downtown for a weekend in April with artists from Birmingham and around the nation. The event also features music, dance and food. magiccityart.com