When the eighth modern edition of the RVA East End Festival takes over the historic 17th Street Market on Saturday, September 26, 2026, the brass fanfares, soaring strings, and deep rhythmic grooves echoing through Shockoe Bottom will represent far more than an afternoon of free live music. They will sound out two decades of community resilience, grassroots advocacy, and arts equity across Richmond’s East End.
For The Honorable Cheryl Burke, 7th District School Board Representative, this year marks twenty years since a quiet crisis sparked a neighborhood revolution. Burke is a former longtime principal of Chimborazo Elementary School, and Community Engagement Chair for the festival. The initiative that her and a few key community leaders took 2006, shortly after Tropical Storm Gaston, has turned into a full fledged celebration of the arts in the East End.
Planting the Seed: 2006 and the Three-Student Band
In 2006, Chimborazo Elementary served roughly 800 students. The hallways and classrooms were filled with rhythm, students drumming out complex beats on desks and cafeteria tables. Yet, the school band had only three members.
“I couldn’t understand why,” Burke recalled. “In Richmond Public Schools at that time, in order to be in the band at the elementary level, you had to rent or purchase your own instrument. We had a 99% free-lunch student body. That financial requirement was holding our children back.”
Rather than waiting for municipal budgets to shift, Burke took immediate action within the neighborhood. Partnering with then-City Council member Delores McQuinn and the Reverend Marilyn Heckstall (who continues to serve as a festival leader), they organized a music festival in Shockoe Bottom right as the district was recovering from severe tropical storm flooding.
“People said, ‘She’s doing what? They’re going where? She can’t do that,’” Burke said with a laugh. “The best place to go first is your neighborhood, the people who are invested in it, whether they give $500 or $5 out of their pocket.”
That first year in 2006 they raised $10,000 in cash. The funds immediately purchased 75 brand-new instruments and method books, funded a dedicated band director, and made Chimborazo the only elementary school in Richmond with two student tuba players. Burke even secured a truckload of surplus harps from a neighboring division, launching a classical harp program in a community where most students had never seen the instrument up close. She continued the work in the following years making countless improvements to arts educations programming along the way.
Full Circle: From Classroom Piano to East End Music Director
The ultimate return on arts investment is measured in human potential. During her tenure as principal, Burke worked with a fourth-grade student who was exceptionally gifted but struggling with deep frustration and anger.
“We were having a parent conference, and I don’t know why, but I flipped open the top of the classroom piano,” Burke said. “He came over and played like Beethoven. Nobody knew he was musically inclined.”
That discovery shifted the student’s entire trajectory. He pursued music through middle and high school, earned his degree from Hampton University, and returned home to Richmond Public Schools as an educator.
Today, that former student is a certified music teacher at Chimborazo and other East End elementary schools. On September 26, he takes the festival stage directing his own students.
“He is teaching the next generation in the very same classrooms where he discovered his own gift,” Burke said. “That is what this work is about.”
Harmony, Healing, and Academic Growth
Beyond performance, arts education serves as a pillar for emotional regulation and academic achievement. Burke noted that Chimborazo transitioned from one of Virginia’s lowest-performing schools in the 1990s to a fully accredited International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme World School by leaning into arts integration.
“We have a young girl in the 7th District right now whose mother told me that when she gets overwhelmed, they hand her that violin, and she finds her calm,” Burke explained. “It’s about giving children the tools to refocus and navigate whatever challenges they face. If that violin brings peace, that instrument is priceless.”
Since the festival was revitalized in 2016 through partnerships with the Richmond Symphony, City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille, and Bon Secours (which has contributed more than $650,000 to the effort), proceeds have funded pottery kilns, concert attire, choral risers, a dance studio at Armstrong High School, and instrument repairs across nine East End schools.
Reflecting on the 20-year arc from a grassroots elementary fundraiser to a citywide cultural pillar, Burke summarized the journey:
“Chimborazo planted the seed in 2006. And twenty years later, we are standing in the shade of a tree that an entire community helped grow.”
The Honorable Cheryl L. Burke
Soundwaves Over Shockoe: The 2026 Performance Lineup
The 2026 main stage bridges orchestral precision, deep-pocket funk, classic soul, jazz mastery, and forward-looking hip-hop, putting world-class headliners side-by-side with rising Richmond Public Schools talent.
11:00 AM – Opening Ceremony & National Anthem
- Performers: Richmond Police Department Community Band
- Featured Soloist: Destin Scott (9th-grade student, Franklin Military Academy)
- The Vibe: Civic pride and community tradition.
- Significance: Ninth-grader Destin Scott opens the day, establishing the festival’s core mission: elevating youth achievement from the start.
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM – RPS East End Student Showcase
- Performers: Elementary, middle, and high school students from across the East End and Richmond including
- –The Richmond Public Schools All-City Band
- –The Bellevue Elementary Choir
- –The Armstrong High School Dance Team
- –And More…..
- The Vibe: Pure energy, emerging talent, and the future of Richmond music.
- Significance: Directed by local music educators—including alumni who grew up in these exact schools—students gain real-world experience performing on a professional festival stage with full production.
1:00 PM – 1:45 PM – Richmond Symphony
- Genre: Classical / Symphonic Pops
- The Vibe: Grand, sweeping, and collaborative.
- Significance: A foundational festival partner since 2016, the Richmond Symphony brings its full regional orchestra out of traditional concert halls directly into Shockoe Bottom, underscoring that classical music belongs to the entire community.
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM – No BS! Brass Band
- Genre: High-Energy Brass / Funk / New Orleans Second-Line Fusion
- The Vibe: Heavy low-end rumble, polyrhythmic grooves, and hard-hitting horn arrangements.
- Significance: Founded in Richmond, this powerhouse ensemble fuses New Orleans street brass with funk, jazz, and rock, rattling the 17th Street Market pavement with infectious rhythm.
3:00 PM – 3:45 PM – Lenny Holmes & The Forever Band
- Genre: Funk / Soul / Rock & Blues
- The Vibe: Soulful guitar mastery and vintage showmanship.
- Significance: Led by Grammy-nominated guitarist, singer, and producer Lenny Holmes, this veteran ensemble brings decades of touring polish, deep blues-rock grooves, and sharp stage presence.
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM – The Dap Mallory Band
- Genre: Classic R&B / Soul / Party Anthems
- The Vibe: Timeless, dance-floor-packing soul.
- Significance: A staple of the regional live circuit, The Dap Mallory Band delivers tight medleys across golden eras of soul and R&B, keeping the crowd on their feet.
5:00 PM – 5:45 PM – James “Saxsmo” Gates
- Genre: Contemporary Jazz / Hard Bop / Improvisation
- The Vibe: Expressive, sophisticated, and technically brilliant jazz storytelling.
- Significance: A 7-time Grammy-nominated saxophonist and renowned educator, Gates represents the pinnacle of Virginia’s Black jazz lineage, delivering profound melodic phrasing and virtuoso improvisation.
6:00 PM – 6:45 PM – Sounds Funny Band
- Genre: Modern R&B / Neo-Soul / Hip-Hop
- The Vibe: Contemporary urban bounce and lush vocal harmonies.
- Significance: Closing out the festival, Sounds Funny Band weaves modern soul melodies over tight hip-hop and funk rhythm pockets for a high-energy finale.
Festival Logistics & Beneficiary Guide
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | 2026 RVA East End Festival (8th Edition) |
| Date & Time | Saturday, September 26, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM |
| Primary Location | 17th Street Market (100 N. 17th St, Richmond, VA) |
| Rain Location | Henry L. Marsh III Elementary School (813 N. 28th St, Richmond, VA) |
| Admission | Free (On-site Bucket Brigade & online donations benefit RPS arts programs) |
| Amenities | Food trucks, artisan vendors, non-profit exhibits, kids’ play zone |
Beneficiary Schools (Richmond Public Schools East End)
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Preschool
- Chimborazo Elementary School
- Woodville Elementary School
- Fairfield Elementary School
- Henry L. Marsh III Elementary School
- Bellevue Elementary School
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School
- Armstrong High School
- Franklin Military Academy
For more info click here.
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