The Best Art Exhibits and Performances to Catch in Fort Worth This June

As June heats up, so do the artistic offerings around Fort Worth — from the Broadway stage to visual arts openings, and even rousing operatic performances. You’re invited to step inside for a breath of fresh (air-conditioned) air.

Hamilton at Bass Hall

On the heels of its return to Broadway Dallas at Dallas’ Winspear Opera House, Hamilton will return to Fort Worth’s Bass Performance Hall as part of its 2023-2024 Broadway at the Bass season. It will command center stage from June 11 through 23.

The classic American musical has earned 11 Tony Awards, as well as Grammy and Olivier awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors. Hamilton features book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire.

“Based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography and set to a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, Hamilton has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education,” says a Bass Hall press release.

The “revolutionary” tale of passion, and unstoppable ambition, takes place at the dawn of a new nation, and the rise of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton who rose from humble beginnings as an orphan and then an immigrant through the ranks of society to shape the course of a nation. Tickets are still available here.

The Kimbell Unveils Historic Tapestries

The Kimbell Art Museum will debut Art and War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries. It will be on view from June 16 through September 15.

The Kimbell puts the exhibit in focus, “Seven lavish tapestries depict the battle of Pavia, commemorating Holy Roman Emperor Charles V’s decisive victory over French King Francis I, which was a pivotal point in the Italian Wars almost five hundred years ago.”

“The tapestries are monumental in scale — each measuring about twenty-eight feet wide and fourteen feet high — drawing viewers into the world of Renaissance history, military technology, and fashion.”

The carefully restored tapestries crafted of wool, silk, and metal-wrapped thread are being shown at the Kimbell for the first time in the United States. Alongside the monumental woven scenes, will be related swords, firearms, and armor of the age.

“Visitors will be fully immersed within these seven, splendid scenes—just as visitors to the court of Charles V would have been when the tapestries were first unveiled in 1531.”

For more information, visit kimbellart.org.

Fort Worth Opera Honors Opal Lee

Fort Worth Opera will close its 2023/24 season with a very special performance ― An Evening with Morris Robinson. This one-night-only performance will take place on June 18 at the Kimbell Art Museum featuring world-renowned operatic bass, 2022 Grammy Award winner, and former All-American college football star Morris Robinson performing works from the classical canon alongside traditional Black spirituals in honor of Juneteenth. Pianist Caren Levine will accompany Robinson.

Fort Worth matriarch Opal Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on May 3, for her tireless work in bringing awareness to the story of Juneteenth, seeing it become a national holiday.

“We are grateful for this opportunity to pay homage to the vision and legacy of Opal Lee, the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth, and to offer our community the chance to experience a one-of-a-kind voice, the voice of an artist whose life tells such an extraordinary American story,” says Fort Worth Opera general and artistic director Angela Turner Wilson of the event.

Morris Robinson traveled a lot of miles to find his voice as well. “The son of a Baptist minister, Robinson developed an interest in music from an early age,” according to Fort Worth Opera. “He also excelled in sports and chose to attend The Citadel in South Carolina, where he played Division 1-AA college football and was a three-time All-American offensive lineman. Though Robinson credits the military college and his time on the football field for instilling in him the importance of discipline, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence over adversity, The Citadel had no music program.”

“When Robinson finished his football career and graduated from college, he entered the corporate world, and that could have been game over for one of the great voices of our time. But as Opal Lee taught us, important voices find a way to be heard.”

Seats for An Evening with Morris Robinson — a once-in-a-lifetime, intimate performance with a world-class artist — are limited. Purchase tickets here.