{"692607":{"#nid":"692607","#data":{"type":"news","title":"GT Arts Invites Audiences to \u2018Imagine More\u2019 ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt Georgia Tech, creativity has always been essential to discovery.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year,\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arts.gatech.edu\/presents\u0022\u003E GT Arts Presents\u003C\/a\u003E invites audiences to \u003Cem\u003EImagine More\u003C\/em\u003E through performances spanning musical genres, artistic traditions, and creative disciplines.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETickets are now on sale for the 2026-27 season, and audiences can experience everything from the signature sound of Atlanta\u0027s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/tickets.arts.gatech.edu\/Online\/article\/26-27GTARubyVelle\u0022\u003ERuby Velle and the Soulphonics \u003C\/a\u003Eto the genre-defying performance of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/tickets.arts.gatech.edu\/Online\/article\/26-27GTAOKCello\u0022\u003EOkCello \u003C\/a\u003Eand the interactive, family-friendly creativity of Mario the Maker Magician.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The season intentionally welcomes a wide range of audiences by offering performances that appeal to different passions and perspectives,\u0022 said Associate Vice Provost for the Arts Jason Freeman\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe first performances of the season exemplify that range.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAn Atlanta Sound Opens the Season\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe season begins Friday, Sept. 18, with Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics, an Atlanta-based band whose modern take on classic soul has earned local and national recognition.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe group\u0027s debut album, \u003Cem\u003EIt\u0027s About Time\u003C\/em\u003E, reached No. 4 on the iTunes R\u0026amp;B chart and the top 30 of Billboard\u0027s Heatseekers chart, while its music and performances have drawn attention from national outlets including MTV and \u003Cem\u003EPaste\u003C\/em\u003E. The Ferst Center performance will also celebrate the band\u0027s upcoming album, \u003Cem\u003ELovesick and Feverish\u003C\/em\u003E, showcasing both new music and longtime favorites.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Our upcoming album means the world to me,\u0022 Velle said. \u0022There\u0027s a song on it called \u2018World In Mine,\u2019 started as a first dance song, perhaps for a wedding, and it evolved into my tribute of love, for this creation, for this band, for our 2.0 and 3.0 journey, and for the ability to now show the next generation what it\u0027s like to not just desire to be an artist, but to embrace and accept the artist that you are becoming.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat connection to the next generation will also be part of the evening. The winning student group from the GT Arts and Georgia Tech Musicians Network Battle of the Bands will open the performance, enabling student musicians to share the stage with established Atlanta artists.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETechnology, Music, and a Growing Georgia Tech Connection\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThree weeks later, on Friday, Oct. 9, OkCello brings a distinctly different experience to the season.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOkCello is the stage name of Atlanta cellist and composer Okorie Johnson, whose performances combine cello, live looping, improvisation, storytelling, and technology to push beyond conventional expectations of classical music.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor his Georgia Tech performance, Johnson will take that approach a step further with four large-scale video avatars of himself appearing onstage, each performing a looped part. As the layers build, the avatars gradually come together to create the effect of a full band, expanding a solo cello performance into a multimedia experience.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe performance also builds on Johnson\u0027s growing relationship with Georgia Tech and his interest in the creative possibilities at the intersection of art and technology.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESomething for Every Generation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe season\u0027s range extends to audiences of all ages with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/tickets.arts.gatech.edu\/Online\/article\/26-27GTAMarioMaker\u0022\u003EMario the Maker Magician\u003C\/a\u003E. A self-taught magician and maker, Mario Marchese combines magic, robotics, engineering, comedy, and a do-it-yourself aesthetic in an interactive performance built around curiosity and invention.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMarchese has toured internationally and appeared on television, including \u003Cem\u003ESesame Street\u003C\/em\u003E. His all-ages show is especially popular with children ages 4 to 12 and their families, but is designed as a multigenerational experience that gives children and adults a chance to share the magic of making.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs Georgia Tech continues to strengthen connections among the arts, research, technology, and education, GT Arts Presents creates opportunities for the campus community and the greater Atlanta region to encounter new artists, ideas, and experiences through live performance.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe 2026-27 season invites you to discover, connect, and imagine more.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETickets for GT Arts Presents performances are available now at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arts.gatech.edu\/presents\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Earts.gatech.edu\/presents\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year, GT Arts Presents invites audiences to \u003Cem\u003EImagine More\u003C\/em\u003E through performances spanning musical genres, artistic traditions, and creative disciplines.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"This year, GT Arts Presents invites audiences to Imagine More through performances spanning musical genres, artistic traditions, and creative disciplines. "}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2026-09-16 01:05:03","changed_gmt":"2026-09-16 16:53:34","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681161":{"id":"681161","type":"image","title":"IG-Square-1920x1080-Season.png","body":null,"created":"1789559163","gmt_created":"2026-09-16 11:46:03","changed":"1789559163","gmt_changed":"2026-09-16 11:46:03","alt":"GT Arts 26-27 Season graphic","file":{"fid":"265523","name":"IG-Square-1920x1080-Season.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/16\/IG-Square-1920x1080-Season.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/16\/IG-Square-1920x1080-Season.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2344432,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/16\/IG-Square-1920x1080-Season.png?itok=KZQerb4W"}}},"media_ids":["681161"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/arts.gatech.edu\/presents","title":"Purchase Tickets for \u0027Imagine More\u0027 Events"}],"groups":[{"id":"660380","name":"GT Arts"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:lakenya.norris@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ELaKenya Norris\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EMarketing and Communications Manager\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Tech Arts\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}