What is Big Pink Music?
Big Pink Music is a member-supported non-profit organization presenting local music at Victorian Station in the Phoebus neighborhood of Hampton, Virginia. This organization collaborates with the owners/operators of Victorian Station, but it will operate independently from facility and food and drink operations.
Why was Big Pink Music established?
An eclectic array of local artists and the most attentive audiences in Hampton Roads have created a unique music scene at Victorian Station. For several years running, Victorian Station was recognized by Veer Magazine as the “Best Open Mic” in Hampton Roads. Nashville-style singer/songwriter in-the-round shows have garnered high praise and sold-out events. The venue often opens its doors for local groups play to raise money for their favorite charities or to celebrate special events. The doors of the beloved “Big Pink” house open for live music - pure and simple. The nonprofit Big Pink Music has been established to cultivate this artist/audience community and foster the authentic and rich connection that only music can make. We will showcase local music and the artists who create it.
What does Big Pink Music do?
Big Pink Music uses an annual membership model to fund performances by local musicians at Victorian Station to support the organization’s mission.
Big Pink Music is a nonprofit, member-supported organization dedicated to the enrichment of the human spirit through the presentation, encouragement, and preservation of live music. Big Pink Music provides a safe and welcoming atmosphere for all people to perform, listen to, appreciate, and share live music.
Why Become a Member of Big Pink Music?
As a member of Big Pink Music you support a true listening room that is vital to the growth and development of our local music scene. You make music the focus. Big Pink Music provides the structure through which members can unite in a like-minded community to foster local music in a way that cannot be done by any single individual.
Big Pink Music changes that. The nonprofit was born out of the friendship between Victorian Station owners Chris Jacobson and Karen Benson and Kelly Murphy, a local music presenter.
What they’re creating is a community of music lovers – and listeners – who will pay an annual membership fee ranging from $100 to $500 to support performances by local musicians. In return, they will receive benefits including reduced ticket prices, invitations to private events, and even private use of the venue.
“The support of Big Pink members means music can be the focus,” Murphy says. “Victorian Station is the perfect home for our community. It has developed into a very special venue -- one with no TVs, karaoke, or loud bands -- where the audience truly listens to our local musicians.”
Think of it as Coastal Virginia’s answer to Greenwich Village’s Gaslight Club or Havana’s Buena Vista Social Club.
In addition to the regular no-cover weeknight events open to everyone, including non-members, Big Pink Music will present quarterly ticketed shows of songwriters-in-the-round format of The Bluebird Café in Nashville, spotlighted on the television show, “Nashville.”
“I’d always dreamt of having a venue that felt like a real home for musicians, like they have in Austin or Nashville,” says Victorian Station owner, Chris Jacobson. “This kind of community support has made it a reality here.”
Murphy, the president of the board of directors, is a long-time supporter of local singer/songwriters in Hampton Roads. She was the first to introduce the house concert concept to the area over 20 years ago and in 2017 celebrated 10 years of presenting the well-regarded Sea Level Singer/Songwriter Festival in Norfolk.
As Big Pink Music continues to grow, the non-profit will be looking for more generous volunteers to lend their expertise in finance, marketing, community relations, event production, and project management. E-mail bigpinkmusicclub@gmail.com if you’d like to help!
Still have questions? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.